Souhegan boys basketball beats ConVal in OT to win D2 championship (video)

DURHAM - There's not much that can be done in 1.4 seconds, but in Sunday's Division II championship game, it was enough time to swing the outcome.

The ConVal Regional High School boys basketball team had that much time at the end of regulation to get a halfcourt heave from Austin Knight, but the ball banked hard off the backboard and then bounced out to send the game to overtime.

And in the extra four-minute session, Souhegan took back control of the game, getting the lead early and making free throws to hang on to it, as the No. 1 Sabers knocked off the No. 3 Cougars 53-51 at Lundholm Gym at the University of New Hampshire. The title is the first for Souhegan since winning back-to-back Class I championships on 2003-04.

It was an up-and-down ride for both teams throughout, as Souhegan almost kept ConVal off the scoreboard in the first quarter, only to find itself down four points going into the fourth. After holding for the game-winning shot at the end, the Sabers missed, leaving the door open for a potential miracle for the Cougars.

"It’s just pure competitive spirit," Souhegan coach Peter Pierce said of his team's victory. "They all excel at other sports. They’re all accomplished athletes in other sports and they have a great competitive fire. Look where it gets you."

Matt Canavan led the Sabers (20-1) with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, as the junior played the entire 36 minutes, while Nolan Colby added 12 points and three steals and John McBride had five points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

ConVal (18-4) got 21 points from Joseph Gutwein, as he was 7 of 9 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free throw line. Owen McGuire added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists while also playing the whole game, and Malachi Page came off the bench to add 11 points.

Souhegan shot 58.1 percent from the field, including 8 of 10 in the first half, while ConVal finished at 48.6 percent, but the Cougars went through stretches where they struggled to score, including the opening quarter. It looked as if the Sabers might get a shutout in the opening frame when McGuire scored with 30 seconds left to make it 10-2 Souhegan after one.

"Always when you get a lead, you miss out on an opportunity to take it away," Colby said when asked if the Sabers could have gone up even more in the first quarter. "We just needed to trust what we’ve done all year, like rebound, play defense and trust teammates and coaches."

The Cougars stormed back in the second, outscoring the Sabers 15-11 and getting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Gutwein to make it a four-point game at halftime. Souhegan got the lead up to seven points early in the third quarter, but ConVal responded with a 10-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 29-28, with in the final minute of the frame.

Canavan answered with a jumper at the other end to put the Sabers back in front, but he was then called for a foul at the other end, and McGuire made both free throws to give the Cougars a 31-30 lead with 16.4 seconds to go until the fourth. That lead stretched to four when Souhegan turned the ball over and Page hit another buzzer beater for ConVal, making it 34-30.

If there was any panic by the Sabers, they didn't show it.

"Resiliency has always been our thing," McBride said. "We have leaders and they galvanized the team and we worked together. They came back and we knew they would."

Colby opened the fourth with a 3 to make it a one-point game, and after the teams traded baskets for a stretch, a pair of free throws by Canavan gave Souhegan a 39-38 lead with 3:43 left. Gutwein answered with a jumper to put ConVal back up, but with 2:35 left, Colby hit another 3 to give the Sabers a 42-40 lead.

"Coming back hasn’t been an issue," Pierce said. "They don’t get rattled, they just come out and work. They know if they work hard enough on the defensive end, good things are going to happen for them."

The 3 by Colby would be the last basket of regulation for the Sabers and two free throws from Gutwein with 1:05 remaining tied it at 42. Souhegan held the ball for the last shot, taking a timeout with 10.5 seconds left to set up a play, and Colby got an open lane to the basket, but his attempt was short.

ConVal got the rebound and Owen Michaels called a timeout with 1.4 left on the clock. The Cougars were able to get the ball in to Knight, but the senior couldn't get another buzzer beater to go.

"I was a little bit scared," Colby said. "That would be a terrible way to lose a state championship. We needed to control the pace. They play fast and we wanted it slow. We needed to take our time and make them work on defense."

Souhegan won the tip to start overtime and got a three-point play from McBride to go up 45-42. McGuire scored at the other end for ConVal, and after a Sabers miss, he got an offensive board and found Gutwein for a layup to give the Cougars a 46-45 lead with 2:06 to play.

Two free throws by Keegan Burke put Souhegan back in front and the Sabers got a stop at the other end when McBride came down with a defensive rebound. With about a minute to play, Pierce put his hands up for his team to slow it down, but McBride had already sent the ball to Colby at midcourt.

The sophomore saw Joe Bernasconi racing toward the basket on the other side of the floor and threaded a pass to his teammate, who went in for a layup, making it a three-point game with under a minute to play.

"Joe hit the jets over here on the right side to get that layup," Pierce said. "In essence, it was a 40-yard sprint and he just said I’m going to beat you. It’s a good thing they don’t listen to coach all the time."

A turnover by ConVal led to two free throws from Colby and Bernasconi hit 3 of 4 from the line in the final 15 seconds, giving Souhegan a 53-48 lead. A 3 at the buzzer by Gutwein finished out the scoring.