Second-half rally lifts Bedford girls basketball past Goffstown (video)

BEDFORD - The Bedford High School girls basketball team found itself in an unfamiliar position Friday night heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Bulldogs went in having won their previous eight games by an average of more than 36 points, but against Goffstown, they headed into the half down by 10 points.

Adjustments at both ends of the floor helped Bedford turn things around, as the Bulldogs outscored the Grizzlies by 23 points in the second half to comeback to take a 64-51 win in a Division I contest.

Kate Allard finished with a game-high 26 points and Lana McCarthy scored all but two of her 19 points in the second half, while Bedford (9-0) upped its defensive pressure to start the third quarter and forced Goffstown (7-2) into 11 turnovers, seven of which came in the third.

"The adjustment in the second half was very simple," Bedford coach Kevin Gibbs said. "Full-court man on every dead ball and every make. Let’s motor it in (on offense), and if we can’t get it in, they’re doubling (McCarthy) anyway. Fake the pass, let’s move the ball. We’ve got plenty of other kids that can shoot the ball.

"The most effective of the two was the full-court pressure, because we held them to 16 points in the second half. We got them to do what we wanted, which was kill clock and throw the ball all over the place."

Bedford spent all of the third quarter clawing its way back, cutting the 10-point deficit to one, 40-39, and then the Bulldogs took control in the fourth. After the Grizzlies scored to open the fourth, Bedford went on a 9-2 run to go up 48-44 with 5:33 to play, taking the lead for good.

Goffstown was able to get keep it close until late, when Ava Winterburn and Ava Ruggiero fouled out in the final three minutes.

"We came out and we punched first, but they definitely responded in the second half," Goffstown coach Steve Largy said. "We let go of the rope a little bit from a defensive standpoint. We weren’t executing quite as well as we had in the first half. And then offensively, we got a little sped up."

Winterburn finished with 18 points for the Grizzlies while Maggie Sasso was also in double figures with 12 and Ruggiero added nine.

The teams went back and forth in the first quarter, with the lead changing eight times, as Bedford carried a 17-16 lead into the second after a 3-pointer by Allard in the final minute.

Ava Vaughan opened the second with a 3 for Goffstown, starting an 8-0 run for the Grizzlies that put them up 24-17 under two minutes into the frame. The lead grew to as many as 11 points as Goffstown forced Bedford into eight turnovers and was able to get baskets in transition.

"We were able to force turnovers because we were executing on that side of the ball the way we wanted to, the way we practiced all week," Largy said. "We generated some turnovers there. Our offense, for us, we’re best when we’re in transition, especially against a really good Bedford team. If you get them in transition, not set, you’ve got an advantage there."

The Bulldogs focused on getting back to what they do well at halftime.

"They exerted their will on us," Gibbs said. "They made us play their game. We weren’t doing the things that are effective for us, like getting second-chance points, owning the glass, finding the open player."

McCarthy opened the third with a personal 7-0 run, cutting Goffstown's 10-point lead down to three in just 2:36, and during that run, Winterburn picked up her third and fourth fouls, sending her to the bench for the rest of the quarter.

The Grizzlies were able to stay in front, as a 3 by Ruggiero got the lead back to eight, 40-32, with 3:13 remaining in the quarter. But McCarthy answered at the other end with a putback and Bedford closed the third with a 7-0 run to get within one.

After Goffstown scored to go up 42-39 to start the fourth, Sydney Grogan, who finished with 10 points, and McCarthy scored back-to-back baskets to give Bedford the lead. A layup and a 3 by Allard, sandwiched around a basket by Winterburn, put the Bulldogs up by four with 5:33 remaining.

A basket by Sasso got Goffstown within three, 54-51, with 3:18 remaining, but the Grizzlies wouldn't score the rest of the way, as Bedford ended the game on a 10-0 run.

"It's a growth process," Gibbs said. "We are both experienced and very young. We have four seniors who are great athletes and bring a lot of leadership and experience. But a lot of our basketball talent is still very young and is still learning. A game like this would have been better for us third or fourth game of the season. This was good for the psyche."