Nashua North boys basketball comes back to beat Londonderry in double overtime

LONDONDERRY - There is no change in the way the Nashua High School North boys basketball team plays.

Not when the Titans are down by a dozen points, and not when they have a lead. And certainly not when they're in double overtime, fighting for playoff positioning.

North twice rallied from a deficit of 12 points against Londonderry and survived two overtimes to beat the Lancers 93-85 in the Division I regular-season finale for both teams. The win means the Titans will be the No. 7 seed when the playoffs start next week and the Lancers will be the eighth seed.

"This game was the epitome of what this program and these kids are about," North coach Steve Lane said. "Down (12) at one point, down 12 at halftime, and they never quit. That's the way these kids play. They go hard and they don't have another gear. This is the way they've played all year."

Alonzo Linton led the way for North (11-7), scoring a game-high 38 points, 23 of which came in the third and fourth quarters, when the Titans rallied from an 11-point deficit with a little more than seven minutes remaining.

Casey Lane, the coach's son, added 15 points, including all eight for North in the second overtime, and Jordan Buckmire and Skye Boykin each chipped in with 12.

"We trust each other," Casey Lane said of North's comeback. "We trust that we're all going to do the best we can and do the things we're supposed to do. Hopefully, we wear teams down and come away with Ws. That's all that matters."

Jake Coleman led Londonderry (10-8) with 26 points, including five 3-pointers, as he became the program's all-time leading scorer, breaking the record of 1,242 set by Corey Keeling on a basket late in the fourth quarter.

"He's a special kid," Londonderry coach Nate Stanton said of Coleman. "Very talented and he's turned his game up to take over games. It doesn't even faze him. He deserves to be on that board."

Cam MacDonald had 19 points, also hitting five 3s, while Dakota Bertrand added 17 points, with three 3s, and Ethan Garofalo was also in double figures with 12 points. As a team, the Lancers made 16 3-pointers.

"They just kept making them and what are you going to do," Steve Lane said. "We're guarding them and trying like heck and they're still making shots."

Londonderry made four of them in the first quarter to take a 20-8 lead, but North's CJ Barrett hit a 3 at the buzzer to make it a nine-point game after one. The Lancers got the lead back to 11 before North made its first run, starting with a basket by Buckmire.

After an empty possession by Londonderry, Linton found the lane open and drove for an emphatic one-handed dunk that drew a surprised response from the crowd. MacDonald came over too late to draw a charge and Linton finished off the three-point play.

"We got into it with his momentum and energy and enthusiasm," Steve Lane said. "He's a pretty good player. He is opening my eyes this year, on both ends of the floor."

That helped start the Titans on a 13-5 run that made it 28-25 before Londonderry took a timeout, and responded by hitting a 3 on three straight possessions to push the lead back to double digits. A pair of free throws by Coleman with 12 seconds left in the half made it a 44-32 lead for the Lancers.

North tried to cut into the lead in the third, but every time the Titans would get close, Londonderry had an answer. But after a jumper by Coleman made it 65-54 with 7:11 to play, North started to make its move.

Two free throws by Linton and a transition 3 by Casey Lane got the lead down to six, and a putback by Vishvak Vadivel and a 3 from Linton made it a one-point game with 5:25 to play.

North made it a 14-0 run with on baskets by Lane and Boykin to take its first lead, 68-65, but MacDonald answered with a 3 at the other end to tie it. Neither team led by more than three for the rest of regulation.

Coleman gave Londonderry at 78-76 lead on a 3 with 40.7 seconds left, but Boykin tied with a drive to the basket with 32.8 to go. After a Lancers timeout with 16.7 seconds left, Bertrand's attempt at a layup was off the mark and North grabbed the rebound.

Londonderry went up 85-80 with 2:08 left in the first overtime, but another putback by Vadivel made it a three-point game. The Lancers had the ball in the final seconds, but with North trying to foul, Londonderry was called for a travel, turning it over with 16.1 left.

The Lancers fouled Boykin to prevent North from attempting a 3, and the junior made both to make it a one-point game. The Titans were able to get a steal on the inbounds pass and Vadivel was fouled with 8.7 seconds left.

"On the offensive boards, (Vadivel) was keeping balls alive, tipping balls out," Steve Lane said. "Defensively, he was getting a hand in shot lanes. He gave us great minutes (Friday)."

The senior made the first but missed the second and Londonderry got the rebound, but Coleman's last-second attempt was off the mark to send it to a second overtime.

Fatigue set in for both sides, as neither team could score until Casey Lane's 3-pointer with 2:39 left gave North an 88-85 lead. He added another 3 with 1:28 to play and the Titans were able to hold Londonderry scoreless to secure the win.

"Things have come together because we've learned how to defend with four or five minutes left in crunch time, and rebound," Steve Lane said. "That's the key to most games anywhere you look. The teams who can guard down the stretch and can rebound are successful."