Pinkerton boys basketball gets contributions from everyone in win over Merrimack

DERRY - Every moment on the basketball court is an opportunity for Dave Chase to be teaching the sport.

Usually, this point in the season is when the players start to put everything they've learned in a marathon of a schedule together for the playoffs. This year, it's been like cramming the week before for that final exam.

Chase used Wednesday's game to get every member of the Pinkerton Academy boys basketball team on to the floor in different situations, and all of the Astros contributed in a 70-41 win over Merrimack in a Division I game.

Ten players scored for Pinkerton (8-1), led by Will Warriner's 15 points, which came on five 3-pointers, EJ Fassaro's 12 points and Jackson Marshall's 11 points, including three 3s. As a team, the Astros made 11 3-pointers and they took control of the game with a 12-0 run in the second quarter after Merrimack (1-12) had made it a two-point game early in the frame.

"Last year, when I did the JVs, we had 42 practices and 21 games," Chase said. "We’ve had 19 practices this year and this was our ninth game. When you don’t have a lot of practice, you don’t have a lot of opportunities to work on reps and get better at things.

"Not taking away anything from our team, but we tried a couple of different lineups to give everybody a chance. We played last night (Tuesday) and we’re going to play (Thursday). It was good for some of our guys who don’t get a lot of playing time to get a bit of a run. I thought they did some really good things."

Warriner was at the top of that list, as he hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter to give Pinkerton the lead after Merrimack went up 4-0. Marshall hit two of his three 3s on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter and Warriner hit two more in the fourth quarter.

"They do a great job," Merrimack coach Austin Denton said of Pinkerton. "On defense, they’re long, they’re lanky and they force you into traps on the outside. On offense, they can all shoot it, even the big guys. That’s a recipe to win."

The Tomahawks got 15 points from Jack Tarleton and Aidan Ponder added nine, but it wasn't enough, as Merrimack dropped its 12th game in a row.

There were positives that Denton saw from his team.

"We’re getting better," he said. "Our last two games, I thought we played OK. We’re moving the ball, but we’ve just got to cut down on turnovers. We’re a young team. I think we can cut down on turnovers and make better passes, we’re there."

Merrimack opened the game with baskets by Tarleton and Shea Goodwin to take an early 4-0 lead, but Pinkerton outscored the Tomahawks 13-3 over the rest of the quarter. The second quarter started the same way, as Isaac Ynfante and Tarleton scored to make it a 13-11 game.

An Andy MacDonald putback at the other end, and after a Tomahawks' turnover, another second-chance basket by Anthony Chinn started the Astros on a 12-0 run that put Pinkerton up 25-11. Merrimack was able to get back within nine points and the Astros took a 32-21 lead into halftime.

Pinkerton opened the second half with a 10-2 run, including two of Marshall's 3-pointers, to go up by 19 points.

"I’m teaching every possession, trying to get them to understand, there’s eight guys sitting here who want to go in," Chase said. "If they’re not going to work, somebody is going to take their spot.

"We’re trying to play with more energy. We’re starting to get better as far as executing. What I see is the harder we defend, the better it turns into our offensive stuff. We’re able to switch up defenses now and we’re starting to get better at that."

Both teams have one game remaining in the regular season. Pinkerton will head to Windham for a 4 p.m. start Thursday, while Merrimack heads to Londonderry for a 6 p.m. tip on Friday.