Portsmouth boys basketball holds off Merrimack to remain undefeated
In many ways, it was a place the Portsmouth High School boys basketball team hadn't been before.
MERRIMACK - In many ways, it was a place the Portsmouth High School boys basketball team hadn't been before.
Playing at Merrimack for the first time in over a decade, the Clippers got one of their toughest tests of the season in front of a loud opposing crowd, and like they have all season, they passed.
Portsmouth took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter only to see Merrimack cut it down to seven before the Clippers were able to pull away and hold on for a 62-51 win over the Tomahawks in Division I action.
Joey Glynn led the way for Portsmouth (14-0) with 20 points, as he often times controlled the paint on the offensive end, and Cody Graham added 11 points, as the junior reached 1,000 points for his career with 3:33 left in the game.
"Joey was terrific (Tuesday), just in another world," Portsmouth coach Jim Mulvey said. "I thought it was a really good high school game. That's the most physical game I've seen since I've been coaching. They're a bunch of football kids and they make you pay for any points you get and they do it the right way."
The Clippers also got 10 points from Christian Peete, who hit two buzzer-beating 3-pointers to end the first and third quarters, while Shon Parham had nine points, two of which came on a last-second basket to end the first half.
"A couple breaks here or there and it could have been a different game," Merrimack coach Tim Goodridge said. "They had three big shots at the end of each quarter that really hurt us. You take those points away and it could be a different game. They didn't quit. When you get down 12 or 14 against a team like that, it's pretty easy to quit. I'm really proud they didn't."
Ian Cummings led the way for Merrimack (9-3), scoring 11 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth. That included three 3-pointers, the last of which made it 58-51 Portsmouth with 2:28 to play. Dan McKillop added 14 points for the Tomahawks and Owen Ploss had 10.
But after a back-and-forth first quarter that saw the lead change six times, Merrimack struggled to score in the second quarter and most of the third. The Tomahawks were held to six points in the second, as Portsmouth outscored them 29-13 over a stretch of over 13 minutes.
"As good of an offense as they are, they're really good defensively, too," Goodridge said. "They played really good defense, they're well-coached and that's a tough team."
Peete gave Portsmouth a 20-19 lead with a 3 at the buzzer to end the first quarter and Parham found himself next to the basket with a loose ball as time ticked away in second. His layup made it 36-25 at the break, and Peete hit another 3 with no time on the clock to give the Clippers a 52-37 lead after three quarters.
Merrimack opened the fourth with back-to-back 3s by Cummings and Ploss, and after a basket by Glynn, Cummings hit another from behind the arc to make it 54-46 with 5:08 to play.
Portsmouth got the lead back to 10 on Graham's milestone basket, making 58-48, but another 3 by Cummings made it a seven-point game.
But that would be as close as the Tomahawks could get, as they couldn't capitalize on the rest of their possessions, and Parham and Peete each made a pair of free throws in the final minute.
"This is awesome," Mulvey said of the win. "As soon as the game was over, we're walking upstairs and (assistant coach) Johnny (Mulvey) says 'this is what we need every game.' That's how you get better. We'll watch the tape and see what we have to fix."
