Timberlane boys basketball continuing to take steps in right direction

It was a pretty good week for the Timberlane High School boys basketball team.

The Owls won two out of their three games, with the lone loss coming against unbeaten Milford, in a game that was close going down the stretch before the Spartans pulled away.

The two wins gave Timberlane nine on the season, meaning that even if the Owls were to drop their three remaining games, they'd still finish without a losing record for first time in recent history.

While there isn't an easy one in the mix - the Owls finish with Goffstown (7-7), Windham (5-8) and at Coe-Brown (13-2) - getting two of three would mean a home playoff game. After going 7-11 a year ago and making the postseason, Timberlane has already taken a step forward this year, and coach Jeffery Baumann hopes to take another.

"The next step for us is beating a team like (Milford) and we're right there," he said. "That's maybe the hardest step, but we're right there. We've got a couple of more weeks to keep grinding away and give ourselves a chance."

All those steps added together amount to a giant leap from where Timberlane was when Baumann took over five years ago.

At the time, the Owls were in midst of a losing streak in Division I that would last 81 games before they beat Keene in the season finale in 2014. Since then, Timberlane has been in Division II, and has continued to improve each season.

"When we were struggling, it didn't matter what division we were in, we were going to struggle," Baumann said. "When I took over, this is year five, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I remember thinking to myself that we might do everything right for five years and nothing is going to change yet, but when I sit back and look at it, we have improved every single year. We've been very competitive the last two years."

This year, the Owls have made it happen with a group that Baumann says has a passion for basketball, something that wasn't always the case in the past.

"Once you start winning games, the guys start believing," he said. "The culture is different in terms of belief. I've got a lot of guys now who are passionate about basketball."

While the coach admits his team doesn't have any one player who stands out as the go-to guy, there are a handful of players who can score when the Owls need it, led by senior Ryan Doherty.

"Any night, it might be someone else for us," Baumann said. "Doherty can shoot it and when he gets going, he's as good a shooter as anyone."

Against Milford, it was a pair of juniors who also stepped up and provided valuable minutes, as guard Connor Schott helped hold Ryan Banuskevich, the Spartans' leading scorer, to 11 points, while forward Samuel Hovan gave Timberlane a lift off the bench.

"Hovan, off the bench, he's a junior that's first-year varsity, but certainly learning," Baumann said. "He's a phenomenal athlete and we're trying to get him, energy-wise, to be consistent and (Wednesday) he gave us a couple offensive rebounds and hit a couple of shots that are big. My point guard, Connor Schott, did a really good job, especially off the ball on (Banuskevich), making him work to get it."

The Owls have kept almost all of their games close this season, and have shown the ability to come back in many of their wins. Baumann hopes that all those experience can payoff come tournament time.

"We're 14 games in and I think every one of our games has been (back and forth)," he said. "That's kind of what we get ourselves into. It can only help you when it comes tournament time."