Milford uses defense to dispatch Bedford, reach semifinals

MILFORD - Mike O'Loughlin and Mike Mitchell each scored 17 points and the Milford High School boys basketball team cranked up the pressure on defense to defeated Bedford 64-52 in the Division II quarterfinals Saturday night.

O'Loughlin scored most of his points in the first half, Mitchell scored most of his in the second and Jamie Holder added 16 markers for Milford (20-0), but all of it was setup by the defense.

The top-seeded Spartans forced No. 9 Bedford (13-7) into 23 turnovers, including four in the first two minutes of the game that helped Milford get out to a 10-0 lead.

But the Bulldogs responded, going on a 14-2 run to close out the first quarter with a 14-12 lead. Bedford extended that lead to four - its largest of the game - in the first minute of the second quarter.

Milford took the lead back for good three minutes into the quarter, when Holder turned a steal by O'Louhglin into a dunk and O'Loughlin banked in a jumper that had him shaking his head. The Spartans ended the first half on a 15-5 run to go up by seven, 30-23, at halftime.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Bedford's Matt Beaulieu made it 47-38 Milford at the end of three, but the lead was back to 10 points two minutes into the fourth.

That's when Bedford started to chip away. The duo of Trevor Fahmy (18 points) and Joe Maher (17 points) did their damage inside the paint and at the free throw line and helped get the Bulldogs to within six points with 1:42 to play.

But a free throw by Holder and a turnover that led to an O'Loughlin layup got the lead back to nine and Bedford never threatened again.

Milford advances to the semifinals for the second straight year, where the Spartans will face No. 4 Pelham, which defeated No. 12 Oyster River. The other semifinal will feature No. 10 Souhegan and No. 3 Portsmouth.