> ## 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. # Mascoma Valley rallies in 2nd half to beat Hopkinton in D3 boys basketball semis (video) - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/mascoma-valley-rallies-in-2nd-half-to-beat-hopkinton-in-d3-boys-basketball-semis-video/ - Published: 2026-02-25T16:38:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-02-25T16:38:08.000Z - Description: BEDFORD - Silas Ayres was about ready to file a missing person report for the Mascoma Valley Regional High School boys basketball team. The Royals coach saw five guys on the court wearing the program's uniform throughout the first half of Tuesday's Division III semifinal against Hopkinton. But with - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division III-IV, boys basketball, Division III, Hopkinton, Mascoma Valley, playoffs, semifinals, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 BEDFORD - Silas Ayres was about ready to file a missing person report for the Mascoma Valley Regional High School boys basketball team. The Royals coach saw five guys on the court wearing the program's uniform throughout the first half of Tuesday's Division III semifinal against Hopkinton. But with Mascoma Valley down 11 points at halftime, Ayres told his players the game was going to one of two ways. Either the Royals were going to continue the way they'd been playing and get blown out, or they could get back to their brand of basketball and see what happened. No. 2 Mascoma Valley chose the later, and despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Royals clawed their way back, holding No. 3 Hopkinton to just nine points over the game's final 14 minutes to take a 49-41 win in the D3 final four at Bedford High School. The win puts the Royals in the D3 title game for the first time since 2023, where they will face No. 4 Gilford in a rematch of that championship contest on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Keene State College. Mascoma Valley will be looking for its first title since 1989. “I don’t know where we were in the first half, but I’m glad our team showed up in the second half,” Ayres said. “I told the guys, we’re either going to fight, claw and scratch our way back in this thing, or it’s going to be a 20-point win for (Hopkinton). This group has just been so resilient, so awesome this year.” Bryce Ballou scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and Braydon Pierce was also in double figures with 14 points, as the pair had two 3-pointers a piece. But the Royals (18-1) started to turn things around in the third quarter when a couple of role players stepped up. Mascoma Valley opened the half with an 11-4 run to get within four points, with Declan Lyons and Connor Hemmerling combined for nine points during that stretch. “They’re just down there, getting rebounds, doing all the dirty work,” Ballou said. “So it’s just great (to have them score). They’re working hard, just cleaning the glass.” Hopkinton (17-3) got back-to-back putbacks from Nick Goddard to answer Mascoma Valley's run and go up 36-28 with 2:04 left in the third, but the Hawks scored just five points the rest of the way. “We finally started following the game plan, which was pack it in, make them shoot and then rebound,” Ayres said. “We knew that was our only way to get back in the game, was to keep them off the offensive glass. We just didn’t want to go home and lose it.” Kristof Cauley led Hopkinton with 12 points, as he had two 3s and was 4 for 4 at the free throw line, but the rest of the Hawks were 0 for 7\. Goddard and Ben Normand each had eight points. After Goddard's putbacks gave Hopkinton an eight-point lead, Ballou and Pierce took over, combining to score all of the Royals' points on a 9-0 run to close the quarter. Ballou just beat the buzzer to give Mascoma Valley its first lead, 37-36, going into the fourth. “We had trouble getting (Ballou) going in the first half and that was a big reason why they were up,” Ayres said. “He just decided he wasn’t losing this game, and he just made play after play.” Normand scored to open the final frame, giving Hopkinton the lead back, but a jumper by Ballou put Mascoma Valley back in front for good, and the Hawks wouldn't score again until a 3 by Cauley in the final minute. Before that basket, the Royals had outscored the Hawks 18-2 since the two-minute mark of the third quarter. “We were just playing super hard, getting all the loose balls and the steals,” Ballou said. “We just wanted to keep playing really hard.”