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# Pinkerton girls basketball storms its way past Portsmouth
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/pinkerton-girls-basketball-storms-its-way-past-portsmouth/
- Published: 2024-01-10T16:50:48.000Z
- Updated: 2024-01-10T16:50:48.000Z
- Description: DERRY - Everything was going right for the Pinkerton Academy girls basketball team, and then all of a sudden, it wasn't. The Astros had a 19-point lead early in the third quarter Tuesday against Portsmouth, but in four minutes, the Clippers cut that deficit down to six points. In less than two minu
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Pinkerton, Portsmouth, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

DERRY - Everything was going right for the Pinkerton Academy girls basketball team, and then all of a sudden, it wasn't.

The Astros had a 19-point lead early in the third quarter Tuesday against Portsmouth, but in four minutes, the Clippers cut that deficit down to six points.

In less than two minutes, Pinkerton turned the tide back around, getting baskets from five players during a 14-0 run, and the Astros held off Portsmouth for a 74-53 win in a Division I contest at the Hackler Gymnasium.

"I thought this was our most all-around game as a team," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "It wasn’t easy. We had moments. The good news is, what they couldn’t give me last year, they’re giving me this year. There is ownership on the court. The IQ is growing, and I think each game, they’re playing more and more as a team."

Margaret Montplaisir scored with 1:11 left in the third quarter to cap a 20-7 run by Portsmouth, cutting Pinkerton's lead to 49-43\. But the Astros answered with 3-pointers from Emily Leonard and Hayden Leccese just 30 seconds apart and Sydney Gerossie hit a buzzer-beating layup to give Pinkerton a 57-43 lead heading into the fourth.

A three-point play by Elizabeth Lavoie and a 3 by Alexandria White made it 63-43 just 40 seconds into the quarter and the Clippers were unable to recover.

"Pinkerton is really good," Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. "So many scorers. We cut it to six and they got a 3 from (Leonard), then they got a 3 from (Leccese).

"We couldn’t keep them from penetrating the paint and it’s what any good defensive team would try to do. We let them get to the paint, we had to step in and stop the ball, and you run the risk of the 3\. That’s why they’re good."

Gerossie finished with a career-high 28 points for the Astros (5-0 in D1), 19 of which came in the first half to help Pinkerton build an 11-point lead at halftime. The junior hit four 3-pointers and also dished out six assists.

Brooke Benz added 16 points and eight rebounds while Lavoie had 14 points and 10 rebounds and White added 15 rebounds.

"How many did (Lavoie) have? She’s averaging 25," Hopley said. "She didn’t dominate the game like she has so many others. And you turn around and (Gerossie), fantastic point guard, she has 28\. I think her high had been 10.

"It’s just waves and waves and waves. It’s so many different waves. They’re so well-coached, they’re so fundamentally sound."

Avery Romps led the Clippers (3-2) with 12 points and Maddie MacCannell was also in double figures with 10 points. Syd Pettis had all nine of her points in the first half and Montplaisir finished with eight.

Gerossie scored 12 of Pinkerton's 19 points in the first quarter, hitting two 3s, to help the Astros take an eight-point lead after one. She hit another 3 to open the second to make it 22-11.

"Syd playing like that is never going to make our team bad," Buskey said of the first half. "We always want her playing that way. I’m happy for her, because she needed a confidence boost. We were drawing up things to get Syd more involved, but this wasn’t me getting her involved, this was Syd taking the game."

Pinkerton was able to keep the lead around 10 points for most of the second quarter before a free throw by Benz put the Astros up 31-20 at the break. An 11-3 to start the third made it 42-23 and led to a timeout by Portsmouth with 5:18 remaining in the frame.

The Clippers put on a three-quarter court press coming out of the timeout and were able to chip away at the lead. A 3 by Mackenzie Lombardi and a basket from Montplaisir made it 47-39 and forced a Pinkerton timeout with 2:01 left in the third.

Portsmouth kept coming out of the break, with back-to-back baskets by MacCannell and Montplaisir making it 49-43\. But moments later, after 3s from Leonard and Leccese, momentum swung back to Pinkerton.

"It always feels like a close game," Buskey said. "It’s not the same person and we spread that wealth. When we start to feel the runs coming against us, that’s when team becomes even more important. I don’t have to preach that anymore, they knew it. It’s becoming a player-driven team. They’re figuring things out."

The Clippers were able to get the lead back down to 12 points in the fourth quarter, but a 3 from Kaylee Dupuis with 2:01 to play made it 69-53 and put the game away.

"We got a little bit stagnant down here when it got down to six, then they hit those 3s, and we’re down 15 again," Hopley said. "We panicked and tried to do too much one-on-one instead of staying with the stuff that got us back in the game. At that point, you’ve dug yourself a hole that you’re not going to get out of with the amount of time that’s left."