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# Shea reaches milestone as Manchester Memorial girls basketball continues to rise
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/shea-reaches-milestone-manchester-memorial-girls-basketball-continues-rise/
- Published: 2018-02-02T18:30:37.000Z
- Updated: 2018-02-02T18:30:37.000Z
- Description: For all the things that someone can do on a basketball court, free throws might be the most common, and the toughest. For someone like Haleigh Shea, who has played basketball for most of her life, the number of free throws taken ranges in the tens of thousands. But on Jan. 26, Shea went to the line
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Haleigh Shea, Manchester Memorial, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

For all the things that someone can do on a basketball court, free throws might be the most common, and the toughest.

For someone like Haleigh Shea, who has played basketball for most of her life, the number of free throws taken ranges in the tens of thousands.

But on Jan. 26, Shea went to the line for a pair of free throws unlike any others.

As the senior prepared for the two foul shots, her Manchester Memorial High School teammates all stood up on the bench, and were quickly told to sit down by coach Greg Cotreau.

"Our bench was standing up and I was trying to tell them to sit down," the Crusaders coach said. "If you stand up, you’re going to make her miss it. You don’t normally stand when she’s shooting free throws. We were trying to make it as normal as we can."

Shea hit the first free throw, bringing her career point total while playing for the varsity team at Memorial to 999.

"The last two definitely felt different," Shea said. "I heard (her teammates) saying 'one more, one more.'"

Shea made the second free throw to reach the thousand-point milestone in what turned into a 50-48 win over Manchester Central.

"I was excited but kind of more relieved," she said. "I knew I’d get it this year, but I wanted the team to know I wasn’t going to force it. I wasn’t going to be selfish with the ball just because I could get something. They were a hundred percent behind me the whole time."

That team unity has been a big factor in the Crusaders success this season. After Tuesday's win over Nashua North, Memorial is off to an 11-0 start in Division I, tied at the top of the standings with Bedford. The two teams will meet in Manchester on Feb. 8.

Even with a win in that game, or any other during the regular season, the goal has remained the same all year for Shea and her teammates.

"It feels good, but I’m more focused on winning," she said. "We all want to win it. Getting a thousand points, especially with the girls I’m playing with, is amazing. It’s a great accomplishment and I’m happy my team is proud of me. I’d rather win together than have my own celebrations."

Shea started playing basketball in elementary school, and when she reached Memorial, not only did she play on the varsity, but she started every game that year.

Since Cotreau took over as head coach before Shea's junior year, he's seen a player with a work ethic that has rubbed off on many of her teammates.

"I saw a lot of film before I came here, so I knew what I was going to be getting," he said. "She’s always been one to work on her game. Last year, we’d have an off day and I’d get a text saying ‘I want to get some shots in, can we get in the gym.’

"She’d text some other girls that we were opening the gym, and sometimes they came and sometimes they didn’t. I think that’s what has helped our team get from where we were last year to this year. Everyone saw how dedicated Haleigh and some of the other girls were."

With a large number of seniors on the roster, Cotreau is hoping that the younger players in the program have taken notice of how much work it has taken this year's varsity players to get to where they are.

"Her work ethic is contagious for the other girls," Cotreau said. "The work they’ve all put in the last four years, they’ve laid the foundation for the next group coming up. There’s no body better than Haleigh for these girls to learn from."

Memorial will look to stay unbeaten Friday night, when it hosts Pinkerton (7-1) at 6:30 p.m.