Portsmouth girls basketball builds early lead, holds off Hollis Brookline for win (video)

HOLLIS - The Portsmouth High School girls basketball team needed someone to step up and make a big play.

The Clippers had led most of Tuesday's game against Hollis Brookline by double digits, but a third-quarter run had the Cavaliers back within four points and the Portsmouth offense was sputtering.

But after a timeout, the Clippers got two 3-pointers, one each from Brittany Graham and Olivia Couture, in the final minute of the third to go up by 10 points. Portsmouth was able to withstand another big HB run and came away with a 67-50 win over the Cavs in Division II action.

Abbe Laurence led the way for Portsmouth (2-0) with 17 points and Sadie Shore dropped in 16 points as the Clippers avenged their only two losses in the division from last season.

"At times we were very good, and at times, we weren’t good at all," Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. "I thought defensively we were good in the first half. We did a real nice job making sure we angled all the penetration away from the hoop. We didn’t leave shooters. In the second half, we did almost the opposite and it almost cost us."

Portsmouth led 14-2 in the first quarter and took a 30-17 lead into halftime, but HB (4-1) started getting - and making - open looks at the basket. The teams traded points to start the third, with the Clippers going up 37-24 on a basket by Laurence, but the Cavs answered with a 9-0 run that cut the lead to four points with 1:20 left in the frame.

Hopley took a timeout then, and on Portsmouth's next possession, Graham's 3 put the Clippers up by seven. Couture followed on the next possession, giving Portsmouth two 3s in the final minute and a 43-33 lead going into the fourth. HB would get within seven points with 3:01 to play, but the Clippers put the game away with a 12-2 run.

"The way we were playing defensively in the third quarter, it was a little bit dicey," Hopley said. "We had an answer in the fourth quarter whenever we needed one."

Joanna Balsamo led HB with 17 points, including 8 of 10 at the free throw line, and Christina Balsamo added 11 points, with three 3-pointers. Brodie Kelley was also in double figures for the Cavs with 10 points.

"We felt like we were catching up the whole game, and then we got within four and I was pretty excited," HB coach Bob Murphy said. "I could tell they were pumped up, there was no sign of anyone being tired. I said let’s just keep the ball rolling. We were making steals, we made some 3-point shots, all the stuff that we’re pretty good at. But they made the plays they needed to and they made stops and all of a sudden we’re down 12 or 13 points again."

After neither team hit a 3 in the first half, the outside shots started falling right away in the second, as Joanna Balsamo and Shore traded 3s to open the third. Kelley and Christina Balsamo hit one each during the Cavs' 9-0 run, with the later cutting Portsmouth's lead to 37-33 before Graham and Couture made two more 3s for the Clippers.

Christina Balsamo hit another early in the fourth quarter to keep HB within striking distance, but Portsmouth still led 55-43 on a basket by Shore with 3:41 remaining. A layup by Joanna Balsamo and another 3 from Christina Balsamo got the Cavs within seven, and they had two chances to cut deeper into the lead, but couldn't capitalize.

Portsmouth was able to get a couple of baskets by taking advantage when HB tried to pressure the ball and the Clippers went 6 of 7 from the free throw line to put the game away.

"We needed to keep playing defense and we needed to keep rebounding the ball," Hopley said. "You could tell from the first possession coming out of the break that we were just flat. We didn’t have any life to us and that’s how we played for stretches. We were able to hit a couple of big shots at key moments and stop the runs before it got to the point we were overwhelmed by it."