> ## 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. # Third-quarter run pushes Milford past Souhegan - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/third-quarter-run-pushes-milford-past-souhegan/ - Published: 2011-02-05T07:49:42.000Z - Updated: 2011-02-05T07:49:42.000Z - Description: AMHERST – Win the third quarter. That’s what the Souhegan High School boys basketball talked about at halftime of Friday night’s game against Milford. The Sabers held a lead at the break for the first time in a long time in the rivalry, and they didn’t want to give it up. The Spartans had other plan - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division III-IV, Winter Sports, boys basketball, Division II, Milford, Souhegan, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/shsmhsboys0204-shs21-2-2.jpg "SHSMHSboys0204 SHS21-2-2") AMHERST – Win the third quarter. That’s what the Souhegan High School boys basketball team talked about at halftime of Friday night’s game against Milford. The Sabers held a lead at the break for the first time in a long time in the rivalry, and they didn’t want to give it up. The Spartans had other plans. Milford outscored Souhegan 20-6 in the third quarter to turn a two-point deficit into a 12-point lead and the Spartans held off a late run to escape with a 66-59 win that kept Milford (11-0) undefeated in Division II. For Souhegan (6-2), it was the second regular-season loss to the Spartans this year, and third overall. In each game, the Sabers have gotten a little bit closer on the scoreboard, but have come up short each time. “It’s so frustrating to lose to your rival,” Souhegan’s Ryan Redmond said. “We knew we had to win the third quarter. The whole halftime we talked about it and we just didn’t execute. We didn’t do what we had to do and that’s why we lost. You have to give credit to Milford. They’re a really good team and when they get on a role like that, it’s hard to stop them.” Mike O’Loughlin led all scorers with 26 points and Jamie Holder added 20 markers for Milford, as the pair combined for 14 points in the third quarter. Devin Gilligan scored 15 points to lead Souhegan while Seth Cordts had 12 and Redmond added 11. Despite the intensity and size of the crowd – the lower level of bleachers were full and spectators mostly stood on the upper level – Milford coach Dan Murray felt his team needed to find a spark in the second half. “The team really works hard, but our problem has been that we don’t work hard until later in the game,” he said. “We were playing passionately, but just not with that extra oomph.” Part of that could have been the zone that Souhegan was employing on defense, which held Milford to just 12 points in the second quarter. “Offensively, we had to get the ball inside against that zone,” Murray said. “We started going over the top to Jamie a little bit. If they dropped, he was going to flash to the middle. It led to a lot of easy points. We wanted to get it over the top to him and we did.” Down 30-28 at the break, the Spartans opened the third quarter with a 13-2 run that put them up nine points with 3:48 left in the frame. “We’re a little frustrated that we hit that drought there in the third quarter,” Souhegan coach Mike Heaney said. “We’re neither a young nor a veteran team; we’re right smack in the middle. They are a veteran team and they don’t have those droughts because they find the mismatch.” Milford’s run took the crowd, which had been into the game on both sides throughout the first half, out of the game and it seemed to affect the Sabers. It wasn’t until Gilligan dunked on a fast break with 3:52 left in the game that the Souhegan students got back to their feet. That made it a 56-44 Milford lead and the Spartans were able to keep their advantage around 10 points until Souhegan scored a few baskets late. Both teams are busy in the next week, with three games each on the schedule. Milford hosts John Stark on Monday and Bedford on Tuesday before heading to Con-Val on Friday. Souhegan plays host to Oyster River on Tuesday and heads to Portsmouth on Wednesday and Windham on Friday.