> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Souhegan basketball knocks off Alvirne to open Chick-fil-A Holiday Tournament - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/souhegan-basketball-knocks-off-alvirne-to-open-chick-fil-a-holiday-tournament/ - Published: 2012-12-29T04:39:44.000Z - Updated: 2012-12-29T04:39:44.000Z - Description: NASHUA - Mike Heaney was concerned how his Souhegan High School boys basketball team would open Friday's game against Alvirne. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division II, Division III-IV, Winter Sports, Alvirne, boys basketball, Chick-fil-A, Souhegan, tournament, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![Alvirne's Tyler Livingston drives to the basket against Souhegan's AJ Hayes during Friday's game.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/jmsoualvbbball122812-livingston1.jpg) Alvirne's Tyler Livingston drives to the basket against Souhegan's AJ Hayes during Friday's game. NASHUA - Mike Heaney was concerned how his Souhegan High School boys basketball team would open Friday's game against Alvirne. The early start and the week-long layoff between games seemed to have an affect on the Sabers, but by the end of the first quarter, everything seemed to be going their way. Souhegan fell behind early, but had enough to knock off Alvirne 65-57 in the first game of the Chick-fil-A Holiday Tournament at Nashua South. The win advances the Sabers to the semifinals, where they will face South at 12 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the championship. Brandon Len scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, as the Sabers outscored the Broncos 21-6 over a 12-minute span to turn a four-point deficit into a 11-point lead. Alvirne was to cut the lead to four in the third quarter, but could get no closer. ![Souhegan's Jake Kennedy tries to get a hand on a pass by Alvirne's Kevin Pierre.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/jmsoualvbbball122812-pierre1.jpg) Souhegan's Jake Kennedy tries to get a hand on a pass by Alvirne's Kevin Pierre. "I have no doubt that that was not Alvirne's best effort and we were worried about (the early start and layoff), too," Heaney said. "Fortunately, once we got in control of the game and got the lead, it energized everybody. We relaxed and played basketball. They weren't intimidated the way they were a couple of years ago. They're seniors, they're not going to panic." Jake Kennedy added 10 points for Souhegan and Brian Dworkin had eight. Alvirne got 13 points from Tyler Livingston and eight from Kevin Pierr, but all but four of their combined 21 points came after halftime. "We haven't been in the gym in a week," Alvirne coach Seth Garon said. "A lot of mental mistakes. They had a nice trapping zone and we struggled with that. We were not making the right passes and we weren't taking care of the ball." And in the second half, the Broncos had trouble containing Len. The senior point guard went on a 7-0 run of his own to open the third quarter, giving Souhegan a 34-23 lead. Alvirne got its first points of the third on a free throw by Tyler Brown and Livingston followed with a layup, starting a 10-3 run by the Broncos that helped them cut the lead to 37-33 with 1:22 left in the quarter. But Souhegan ended the third with another 7-0 to push the lead back to 11 heading into the fourth. Alvirne got within six points, 51-45, with 4:31 to go, but the Sabers answered with an 11-5 run to double the lead. Again, it was Len leading the way, scoring six of those 11 points. "In the first half, I thought he forced it a little bit," Heaney said. "You didn't see that in the second half. He got his teammates involved. He did a much better job of dribbling and handing off than opposed to trying to do it all on his own." The Broncos' unfamiliarity with Len didn't help, and their attempts to stay with him on defense hurt them on the other end of the floor. "(Len) is a tough kid to stop," Garon said. "We don't ever see them, so right before the game was when we prepared for him. He's a tough kid. He makes a lot of the right decisions. As a point guard, you definitely want that. (Pierre) was tired. He was covering Len and running around." Alvirne will play a consolation game against Milford on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The winner of South and Souhegan will play in the championship game, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday.