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# Pinkerton girls basketball makes it work in D1 playoff win over Timberlane (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/pinkerton-girls-basketball-makes-it-work-in-d1-playoff-win-over-timberlane-video/
- Published: 2025-03-04T18:35:35.000Z
- Updated: 2025-03-04T18:35:35.000Z
- Description: DERRY - The Pinkerton Academy girls basketball team had a lot to learn before Monday's playoff game against Timberlane. With the two teams not playing during the regular season, the Astros needed to get caught up with what they were going up against. While the game plan didn't quite work to perfecti
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Pinkerton, playoffs, slider, Timberlane, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

DERRY - The Pinkerton Academy girls basketball team had a lot to learn before Monday's playoff game against Timberlane.

With the two teams not playing during the regular season, the Astros needed to get caught up with what they were going up against.

While the game plan didn't quite work to perfection, it was still good enough, as No. 6 Pinkerton built separation in the second quarter and pulled away late for a 73-42 win over No. 11 Timberlane in a Division I preliminary-round game at Hackler Gymnasium.

Four players scored in double figures for the Astros (14-5) and seven had points, including 20 off the bench. That helped counter eight 3-pointers from the Owls (10-9), who were able to use the long ball to stay in the game.

"This was an interesting one because we didn’t see them at all during the regular season," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "They’ve got some shooters on that team. That’s a young team and I think they’re going to be pretty good. We wanted to pound the paint and suffocate them on defense. We tried our best suffocating them, but they were quick shooting. Offensively, I thought we looked pretty good, so I’ll take that."

Sydney Gerossie led Pinkerton with 17 points, including two 3-pointers, while Mia Marshall came off the bench to score a dozen. Hayden Leccese and Kaylee Dupuis each had 10 points while Brooke Benz finished with nine.

Taya Brown hit two key 3s after entering the game in the second quarter and finished with eight markers and Emily Leonard also had a 3 and added seven points.

"We just prepared a lot at practice," Leccese said. "We didn’t know a lot about the team, but we wanted to come out strong, play our game, and hopefully move on. I think all the girls just brought everything they had."

The Owls got 20 points from freshman Sam Mooney and 14 points from sophomore Rylee Donohue, as the pair each had four 3-pointers. Donohue hit all of her 3s in the first half and Mooney had hers in the second half, but the rest of the team combined for just eight points.

"The girls competed hard for 32 full minutes," Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald said. "I thought we made some shots to keep it within shouting distance for a while, but they’re very good. I couldn’t be more proud of how our girls competed. They did everything we asked of them, we just ran up against a good team in the playoffs, which happens."

After Pinkerton went up 11-3 midway through the first quarter, Fitzgerald used a timeout, and after the break, Timberlane went on a 7-2 run to pull with in three, 13-10.

But Brown came in off the bench and hit back-to-back 3-pointers and a free throw by Dupuis made it 20-10 Astros going into the second. A pair of layups by Marshall and Gerossie, followed by a 3 by Marshall, made it a 14-2 run for Pinkerton and a 27-12 lead.

"Taya always works hard defensively," Buskey said. "In practice, she’s a walking bucket, but it hasn’t come through yet. For her to get those shots, that’s another example of working hard and building confidence. When you get Mia and Taya scoring off the bench, it makes us even harder to defend."

Pinkerton led 41-23 at halftime but Timberlane was able to hang around in the third quarter before the Astros opened the fourth on a 12-3 run to put the game away.

"I said just don’t get complacent," Buskey said. "I wasn’t pleased with the third (quarter). We were supposed to pull away and (Timberlane) won the third. I know they probably roll their eyes at me, but you’ve got to pull away. They turned it around in the fourth quarter."

Although the Owls were able to found some success on offense, they needed a little bit more down the strech.

"They’ve got a bunch of kids that can score," Fitzgerald said. "They’ve certainly got a bunch of weapons. We have to get shots up and we can’t turn it over. We’ve got to make shots, which we did at times, but not enough to keep up with them."

Pinkerton goes on the road for the quarterfinals, as the Astros will face No. 3 Windham, which beat No. 14 Nashua North 53-43, on Thursday.