> ## 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.

# Merrimack, Nashua South girls basketball set to battle in Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament finale
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/merrimack-nashua-south-girls-basketball-set-battle-chick-fil-holiday-tournament-finale/
- Published: 2017-12-29T14:14:58.000Z
- Updated: 2017-12-29T14:14:58.000Z
- Description: NASHUA - Sabrina Johnson could see some similarities between the Merrimack High School girls basketball team and the Nashua South team it will face in Friday's Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament final. The Panthers are young and scrappy, just like the Tomahawks' group of seniors were when they were firs
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament, girls basketball, Merrimack, Nashua South, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

NASHUA - Sabrina Johnson could see some similarities between the Merrimack High School girls basketball team and the Nashua South team it will face in Friday's Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament final.

The Panthers are young and scrappy, just like the Tomahawks' group of seniors were when they were first playing on the varsity.

"They have a lot of young players, kind of like we did our freshmen year," said Johnson, who is a senior co-captain for Merrimack. "We’re going to work hard and we want to come out and win a championship. For us, it’s exciting."

Merrimack, which beat Goffstown 48-29 in the semifinals, and South, which took out Campbell 63-42, will tip off at 5 p.m. at South in the tournament finale.

It's a matchup of teams that really are similar in a lot of ways, as both teams play a lot of players and try to get after teams with their defense. For South, that means pressing the full length of the floor throughout the entire game, regardless of the score and who is on the court.

"We’re young and we’re learning how to preserver and we’re learning how to play," South coach Dave Hogan said. "I’ve got two great captains who provide leadership and I’ve got the freshmen coming in and they’re learning every day. They want to play and guess what, they’re going to play."

Amber Hedquist, one of those captains for South, is looking forward to getting an early game against Merrimack, knowing that the two teams will meet again in the regular season on Feb. 2.

"I think they’re a good challenge," she said. "It’d be fun to see Merrimack, just because we’ll see them later in the season. It’ll be a good test for us in a high-stakes game."

One of the key matchups for Friday's game could be between Hedquist and Johnson, as they'll likely battle each other inside the paint. While both can score if needed, they also do many of the little things for their respective teams.

"She does a lot," Merrimack coach Courtney Cheetham said of Johnson. "She averages a lot of rebounding, she averages a lot of blocks on the defensive end, and she makes people play her underneath, which makes it harder on other teams. She’s long and lanky."

While the Tomahawks lean on the six seniors on their roster, in the tournament, they've gotten support from freshman Theresa Twardosky (12 points against Goffstown) and sophomore Sam Page (10).

"We have 11 kids who can all play, so that means third and fourth quarter, it’s going to be big for us," Cheetham said. "We have other kids step up, we can rotate everyone in and out and see what’s working on the floor. It’s nice to have that."