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# Seniors hoping to continue to push Merrimack girls basketball toward the top
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/seniors-hoping-continue-push-merrimack-girls-basketball-toward-top/
- Published: 2018-01-26T22:08:46.000Z
- Updated: 2018-01-26T22:08:46.000Z
- Description: Jolie Jacoby remembers what it was like getting to play on the varsity for the Merrimack High School girls basketball program as a freshman. It was a year that many involved with the Tomahawks would probably like to forget. Merrimack won just two games that season, and missed the Division I playoffs
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Merrimack, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

Jolie Jacoby remembers what it was like getting to play on the varsity for the Merrimack High School girls basketball program as a freshman.

It was a year that many involved with the Tomahawks would probably like to forget.

Merrimack won just two games that season, and missed the Division I playoffs in a year when 16 teams made the postseason.

"Our freshmen year and we came in and the team wasn’t that good," Jacoby said. "We won two games our freshmen year. Our sophomore year, we got a playoff game and last year was our first home playoff game. This year, we’re hoping to go big."

The Tomahawks got back to the playoffs at the end of that sophomore season, and hosted - and won - a playoff game for the first time in a while last year. So far this year, Merrimack (8-3 in division, 11-3 overall) is among the top teams in Division I.

That first varsity season was a bit of a shock for Jacoby and Sabrina Johnson, who both played as freshmen and serve as senior captains for Merrimack this season.

"As a freshman, I expected maybe to swing, but then coming in and starting was a big surprise," Johnson said. "We had to step up. We came in from middle school after winning a lot of games. Playing varsity as a freshman, we didn’t win much, so definitely, that was a frustrating couple of years for us."

The pair of freshmen, and the other underclassmen on the subvarsity teams, were viewed as the future, not just by Merrimack coach Courtney Cheetham, but by the older players on the team, which allowed for a smoother transition when it came to playing time.

"We had a lot of encouragement from people," Johnson said. "Keep going and get experience. It kept us going knowing we had that support around us."

The Tomahawks enter Friday's game against Alvirne having won four in a row, and last month, they won the Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament championship. While Merrimack has six seniors who contribute this year, just like four years ago, there are plenty of underclassmen supporting the cause.

"The majority of this crew has been on varsity since they were freshmen and has started on varsity since they were freshmen or sophomores, so they have some experience," Cheetham said. "But we’ve also got this great sophomore and freshmen group on our varsity squad. It’s nice to have the mentorship. It’s a good balance of experience and also youth and talent."

While a lot of coaches like to shorten their rotation as the season comes down the stretch, Cheetham has done the opposite. In Tuesday's win over Londonderry, 11 players got on the court for the Tomahawks, with 10 scoring points.

"We try to play 11 every game," Cheetham said. "Normally that helps us in the second half. We had someone (Makenna Desfosse) come off the bench in the fourth quarter and she was a nice spark plug. It allows you to play hard in the moment because you know someone is going to come in and step up."

The seniors - Jacoby, Johnson along with Sara Wozniak, Abby Yuan, Jenna Chambers and Courtney Schaub - have meshed well with the underclassmen - sophomores Desfosse, Samantha Page, Heather Rhor and Riley Crampton and freshman Theresa Twardosky - who have stepped into the lineup.

"We need them," Jacoby said. "We can’t just have our six seniors (playing) all the time. The fact we have them this year, it means we’re strong and we’re going to continue to be even stronger the next couple of years."

Cheetham has seen a lot of the same characteristics in the younger players that where there in the senior class as freshmen, something that has her encourage for the future of the program.

"They have a lot of self-motivation," she said. "(The seniors) had a lot of opportunities at a young age and they took advantage of that in a positive way. I think they just stayed motivated and knew that if they took some time, that when they got to be juniors and seniors, they’d be able to really compete. That’s what we’re seeing now."