> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Portsmouth boys basketball shuts down Lebanon to win D2 championship (video) - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/portsmouth-boys-basketball-shuts-lebanon-win-d2-championship-video/ - Published: 2016-03-20T11:30:23.000Z - Updated: 2016-03-20T11:30:23.000Z - Description: Portsmouth shuts down Lebanon to win D2 championship. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division II, boys basketball, championship, Lebanon, playoffs, Portsmouth, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 DURHAM - The Portsmouth High School boys basketball team has played so many games in Lundholm Gym over the last decade, the Clippers are well aware of how tough it can be to shoot on the state's biggest stage. That's one reason why Clippers coach Jim Mulvey believed Saturday's Division II championship game would be a low-scoring affair. ![Lebanon's KJ Matte defends as Portsmouth's Joey Glynn puts up a shot.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/jmd2final031916-l13p35-1.jpg) Lebanon's KJ Matte defends as Portsmouth's Joey Glynn puts up a shot. The other reason was because of the way his Portsmouth team plays defense. The No. 1 Clippers forced No. 2 Lebanon to take a lot of shots from the perimeter, moving the Raiders further and further away from the basket, and Portsmouth did just enough offensively to come away with a 43-29 win. The win finishes off an undefeated season for the Clippers (22-0), who will move up to Division I next season after 10 years in Class I/Division II. Cody Graham led Portsmouth with 17 points and Shon Parham added 11 points and Joey Glynn had seven points and 11 rebounds. The Clippers shot 41.2 percent from the field in the second half and fought through a back-and-forth third quarter to take control of the game with a 12-o run. "We were making sloppy plays in the first half and we weren't grabbing too many rebounds," Graham said. "Coach told us to get on the offensive glass and make plays. We were getting good shots, we just had to knock them down now. We started getting confidence. "It's just a great feeling. I think we have a target on our back maybe because maybe teams don't think we belong there. It's going to be a lot different. It's going to be very tough (in Division I). In those 10 years, Portsmouth has now won three championships - 2009 and 2012 were the others - and played in the final seven times, including the last three years in a row. "This means a lot to the group," Mulvey said. "We've had unbelievable kids in our program for 10 years. The personnel changes, the expectations stay exactly the same. "Our defense was unbelievable the whole game. I thought they had really difficult shots for the whole game, from the first half on. Their shots, we contested, we pushed them way past the 3 line. They weren't shooting regular 3s." Lebanon (21-1) shot just 24.5 percent from the field for the game, including 1 for 23 from the 3-point line. KJ Matte led the Raiders with eight points, but he was just 3 of 20 from the field, going 0 for 12 from long distance. "This one hurts," Lebanon coach Kieth Matte said. "We've had a lot of success and we're proud of it. The thing about being a basketball player is that you can't dwell on it when you play poorly. "They ground it out. I don't think they think they had a great offensive night either. They scored enough. That's the difference." ![Lebanon's Ryan Milliken tries to get by Portsmouth's Romeo Ingram.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/jmd2final031916-l24p3-1.jpg) Lebanon's Ryan Milliken tries to get by Portsmouth's Romeo Ingram. Portsmouth took an early lead as Lebanon didn't score its first points until the game was almost six minutes old. The Clippers led 9-3 at the end of the first quarter and went up 14-6 early in the second. But the Raiders came back, going on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 14 with 2:46 left in the half. A basket by Graham and a free throw by Glynn gave Portsmouth a 17-14 lead at halftime. The Clippers missed their first seven shots of the second half and Lebanon got two baskets from Matthew Eylander to take its first lead of the game, 18-17, with 4:36 to go in the third. A 3-pointer by Christian Peete gave Portsmouth the lead back, but Ryan Milliken put Lebanon back in front with a 3 of his own to make it 21-20 with 3:19 left in teh quarter. The Raiders had a couple of opportunities to extend their lead, but came up short on offense, and at the other end, Graham hit a 3 to start Portsmouth on its 12-0 run. Lebanon went more than six minutes without a point, going 0 for 9 from the field as the Clippers went up 32-21 with 5:35 left to play. "We said they're going to take a bunch of 3s, just keep making them move out," Mulvey said. "I bet if you look at Matte's last five or six shots, they keep getting deeper and deeper. There's a lot of pressure on you and you're not shooting the 3 you're used to." Portmouth left Glynn in the middle of the defense, giving it an extra body whenever Lebanon tried to go inside. "Their (center) didn't guard ours, so they had him kind of in a zone," Kieth Matte said. "It takes away our cuts and backdoors. You've got to make jump shots and we didn't make jump shots. It's that simple." Graham Chickering finally ended Lebanon's drought to make it a nine-point game with 5:03 left, and Portsmouth left the door open by missing three straight one-and-ones. After the third miss, Matte hit a jumper and the Raiders were down seven, 32-25. But a layup and two free throws by Parham put Portsmouth back up 11 points with 1:45 to go. "I was thinking about last year when we started to miss free throws," Graham said of last season's championship loss to Bishop Brady. "We've been practicing them every day. Last year, we couldn't finish it because we couldn't hit free throws. This year we could and it made a difference." The Clippers were 7 of 8 from the line over that final stretch to help put the game away, while Lebanon was 2 of 6 from the field to end the game.