> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Manchester Central girls basketball needs OT again to beat Goffstown in D1 playoffs - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/manchester-central-girls-basketball-needs-ot-again-to-beat-goffstown-in-d1-playoffs/ - Published: 2019-02-28T14:38:17.000Z - Updated: 2019-02-28T14:38:17.000Z - Description: MANCHESTER – Everyone who walked through the doors on Wednesday evening at Manchester Central High School got their money’s worth and then someThe No. 8 Manchester Central girls basketball team and visiting ninth-seeded Goffstown kept the fans on the edge of their seats for the entirety of the secon - Author: Trevor Wenners - Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Goffstown, Manchester Central, playoffs, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 MANCHESTER – Everyone who walked through the doors on Wednesday evening at Manchester Central High School got their money’s worth and then some The No. 8 Manchester Central girls basketball team and visiting ninth-seeded Goffstown kept the fans on the edge of their seats for the entirety of the second half in the first round of the Division I tournament. In the end, the Little Green pulled out a 58-54 overtime victory, which was highlighted by a pair of clutch free throws from senior forward Hannah Autenrieth with 3.3 seconds left to force overtime, and then the hosts finished the extra session on a 9-3 run. Central (13-6) will face off against top-seeded Bishop Guertin (18-0) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinal round in Nashua. “It was a great game,” Central coach Mike Wenners said. “We have played Goffstown twice now this season and both have been overtime games. It was a perfect eight and nine game. "I was confident in Hannah when she took those late free throws in regulation. She is a senior, and we always talk about when it comes to tournament time that seniors are the ones that need to step up and make plays. Hannah played a great game today, probably one of the best she played all year long.” On the other bench, the Grizzlies (11-8) were able to cut a 13-point, third-quarter deficit down to one at the end of three, and took a lead with 31.1 seconds left in the fourth and another with 2:59 left in overtime. Goffstown junior guard Kelly Walsh was the total package in the second half, notching 23 of her game-high 25 points in the final 20 minutes, including a trio of treys. She showed the ability to knock down contested and clutch 3-pointers, while also driving through multiple layers and finishing around the hoop through Central’s defense. Junior point guard Olivia Brannen also starred, as the feisty guard battled with Central’s frontline for multiple rebounds. Additionally, she finished with 12 points, and was a calming force for the visitors in half-court sets, making plays off the dribble for teammates and finishing with crafty shots in the lane. “Kelly needed to be great for us (Wednesday) and we really have relied on her scoring all year,” Goffstown coach Stephen Largy said. “She is a great player and she is really hard to defend. Central keyed on her today and took her away a lot in the first half, but she never lost her own belief. Olivia is a competitor, and she came in and fought hard and competed. She really sparked us effort-wise in the third quarter.” The Little Green were led by a balanced attack throughout the night with 12 points coming from junior Destiny Jordan and 10 apiece from sophomore Emily Greenwood, senior Shae Rix and Autenrieth. Central led 17-16 at the end of one, and then won the second quarter, 13-3, to take a 30-19 lead into intermission on a left-wing three-ball by freshman guard Jailyn Johnson with 45 seconds on the clock. The Little Green did a great job on the offensive glass and forced many turnovers for easy baskets in the first half. Goffstown came out of intermission and put its hard hats on, winning the third, 16-6, including an 11-0 spurt during the final 3:41 of the third. A layup by Brannen started the run, and then she took a charge in the lane with 2:41 left. Walsh put her fingerprints on the game, scoring the final seven points of the third, which ended with a highlight-reel running shot from well beyond the 3-point line at the buzzer, pulling her team to within 36-35 heading into the fourth. “I am really proud of the third-quarter effort,” Largy said. “This was a game that we could have just completely given up. It has been a long season and our expectations coming into this game was that it was going to be close throughout. "We got down a little bit, but to still have that run in us and be able to stay with it made me really proud of these kids. I was proud of all of the kids and the efforts that they made. We got scoring and contributions from just about everyone that was on the floor.” An unlikely heroine stepped up late for the Grizzlies, as junior forward Emma Strong scored her first points of the game on a right-wing three-ball with 31.1 seconds left in the fourth, giving the visitors the lead for the first time since the first quarter at 49-47. Autenrieth responded by knocking down the two free throws, and then in overtime, Rix knocked down four big foul shots for Central after Walsh gave Goffstown a two-point lead with 2:59 left. Goffstown tried to make one more run late with senior guard Sofia Piriz drilling a deep left-wing 3 with 25.9 seconds left, bringing her team to within 55-54, but the hosts scored the final three points. “This might have been the best high school basketball game that I have seen all year in terms of both teams stepping up and making runs when they needed to and making clutch shots,” Largy said. “This is what a high school playoff game should look like. Our players deserve to be proud and hold their heads up high even though we came out on the losing end.”