Quartet of boys basketball teams united for different approach to holiday break

DERRY - Christmas music filled the Hackler Gymnasium on the afternoon of Dec. 27 as the Salem High School and Pinkerton Academy boys basketball teams warmed up.

But despite the festive feel to the moment, the teams were there to play for something more than a holiday tournament.

The Blue Devils and Astros were about to square off in the second game of the day, following a contest between Windham and Londonderry.

The four teams were also there on Dec. 23, participating in the first Southern New Hampshire Rivalry Week, a two-day event the coaches and athletic directors of all four agreed to try out as an alternative to traveling to any holiday tournaments this season.

“We got together and wanted to play some (regular-season) games over the break,” Pinkerton coach Mike Dunham said. “We thought that if we did it at one place, it’d be great, and then next year, we’ll rotate it. We’ll go to a different school every year.”

Pinkerton picked up wins over Windham and Salem to improve its Division I record to 5-0 on the season, heading into Tuesday's game at Bedford. Windham bounced back with a win over Londonderry while Salem picked up a win over the Lancers on the first day of games.

“I think we could start a nice little tradition with everyone coming back for Christmas break,” Dunham said. “Get a lot of alums in attendance, especially if it’s the Pinkerton-Londonderry rivalry.”

Both games on the first day were well-attended, especially considering a few inches of snow hit the area during the games. The crowd for second day wasn't quite as big for either game, but were still comparable to a week night game in the middle of the season.

“Saturday after Christmas on a noon top, you know, not the most energy in the gym,” Windham coach Carson Desrosiers said after his team’s win over Londonderry on Dec. 27. “But it’s a fantastic idea to play games around Christmas with these local teams.

“You don’t have to travel to Lowell or West or Malden or Farmington to play meaningful basketball games versus those local rivals. I’m happy we were able to do it and I’m looking forward to having it grow in years to come.”

Sam Langdon is in his first year as the varsity head coach for Salem, and when Dunham reached out to gauge his interest, he was on board.

“It sounds amazing, right?” Langdon said. “You have the four schools, rivalry teams, and the fact that it counts toward the regular-season schedule is super interesting. I honestly was a little skeptical about how that would work out, but I love the idea. The environment is great.”

With the first attempt at Rivalry Week done, Dunham hopes it will continue to grow next year, and maybe it will inspire another quartet of teams to do the same.

“Every coach I’ve talked to about it thought it’s a great idea, so you know, we’ve got that going for us,” Dunham said. “I don’t mind the tournaments, but you know, we want to keep playing NHIAA games instead of taking a week off, so we just kind of stay in it.

“I think this could be something really fun for the kids, and hopefully, it gets a little more packed once more people know about it.”