Spartans bottle up Pythons to return to title game

DURHAM – When the Milford High School boys basketball team beat Pelham by 26 points a month ago, the Pythons were without senior Stephen Spirou.

The Spartans did their best Wednesday night to make it seem like Spirou was out of the lineup again.

No. 1 Milford overcame a slow start and Mike O’Loughlin did his best to shut down his AAU teammate, holding Spirou to just seven points, as the Spartans beat No. 4 Pelham 50-46 in the Division II semifinals at the University of New Hampshire. Milford will now face No. 3 Portsmouth in the final at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“We put O’Loughlin on him,” Milford coach Dan Murray said when asked what the strategy was to slowing Spirou. “We did a great job on Spirou. He didn’t get a lot of open looks and he had to work for what he had.”

O’Loughlin provided the offense for Milford (21-0), scoring a game-high 20 points to go with five rebounds and five steals. Mike Mitchell scored eight of his 12 points in the first half and also dished out six assists.

But the key for the Spartans was their defense.

“They have another scoring option, so we’re more worried where the ball is going,” O’Loughlin said about the difference playing Pelham this time around. “I’ve been playing with (Spirou) for two years on my AAU team, so we know each other and how we play. That helps because I know his moves.

“Not many people get a chance to win (a title) once, but a chance to win it twice … it’s great.”

The Spartans didn’t start the game looking like a team going for back-to-back titles.

Milford started slow in the first half, turning the ball over on its first three possessions while Pelham got out to a 6-2 lead.

The Pythons led 8-7 going into the second quarter, but they’d score just seven points the rest of the half. The Spartans didn’t fair too much better, getting a dozen in the second to lead 19-15 at halftime.

Milford began to show signs of life in the second half, opening the lead to nine points on a 3-pointer and a fast-break dunk by O’Loughlin. Pelham cut the lead to six, but the Spartans came right back to make it an 11-point game late in the third.

But the Pythons got a 3 from Dean Joyce as the quarter ended and Joyce hit another to open the fourth. He then hit two free throws to cut Milford’s lead to 33-30, but the Spartans pushed the lead back to eight with 5:38 to play.

Pelham wasn’t done, pulling within two on two free throws from Derek Defranzo with 48 seconds left.

But then …

“Our big guys stepped up at the end,” Murray said.

Mitchell made two free throws to make it 46-42, and after Pelham took a timeout, Jamie Holder stole the inbounds pass and went in for a dunk and Mitchell added two more free throws to put it away for the Spartans.

“If there’s anyone you want at the free throw line at the end, it’s Mitchell,” Murray said.

Milford and Portsmouth will meet in the playoffs for the second straight year. The Spartans won in the semifinals a year ago, beating the Clippers in overtime.