D-III Boys’ Basketball

No. 5 Hopkinton 64, No. 12 Newport 52

Key players: Hopkinton – Abram Standefer (20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks), Kristof Cauley (15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists); Newport – Christian Forsythe (25 points), Aaron Fellows (12 points), Gabe Howe (7 points)

Highlights: The Hawks went down 9-2 to open the game, but 11 points from Cauley off the bench in the first quarter put Hopkinton up 21-17 and the Hawks never looked back leading the rest of the way. Hopkinton will play at No. 4 Kearsarge in Friday night’s quarterfinal.

Coach’s quote: “We came out a bit cold and slow to open the game, but despite that we were able to show some toughness and sort it out through the end. Proud of our effort and looking forward to our game Friday at Kearsarge.” – Hopkinton’s Matt Miller

Records: Hopkinton 12-5; Newport 8-11

No. 7 Belmont 52, No. 10 Fall Mountain 36

Key players: Belmont – Keegan Martinez (19 points), Anakin Underhill (16 points), Brody Ennis (9 points), Wyatt Carroll (8 points)

Highlights:  The Raiders defeated the Wildcats in the D-III prelims. Belmont will play at No. 2 St. Thomas in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

Coach’s quote:  “I’m so proud of how the guys came out with winning energy. They were focused and they executed our game plan very well. Our entire team was locked in. We had a lot of ups and downs early in our season but now the guys are seeing and most importantly believing in how good they can be.” – Belmont’s Tony Martinez

Records: Belmont 12-7; Fall Mtn. 9-10

No. 4 Kearsarge 47, No. 13 Stevens 41

Key players: Kearsarge – Noah Whipple (21 points), Drew Huff (9 points), Parker Goin (5 points), Ajay Tremblay (5 points)

Highlights:  After a 16-16 tie at halftime, the Cougars pulled away in the third quarter to take a 32-26 lead and Whipple went 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to book Kearsarge’s spot in the quarterfinals on Friday night. The Cougars will host No. 5 Hopkinton.

Records: Kearsarge 16-3; Stevens 7-10

Boys’ Basketball

Concord 74, Manchester Memorial 64

Key players: Concord – Alain Twite (26 points), Japhet Nduwayo (20 points), Brett Tuttle (16 points), Sammy Iranzi (10 points)

Highlights: Concord opened up a lead in the second quarter, playing strong defense and taking advantage of transition offense to go up 36-25 at halftime after a 15-15 first quarter. Defense and transition continued to boost the Tide to a 57-40 lead heading into the fourth. Concord made clutch free throws to finish.

Coach’s quote: “In a year filled with adversity, it is great to see our guys still give winning effort. When we can put four quarters together it is fun to watch. Great to get a win.” – Concord’s Tim LaTorra

Records: Concord 2-13; Memorial 6-9

Bow 58, Manchester West 44

Key players: Bow – Brendan O’Keeffe (16 points, controlled the offense), Jake Reardon (15 points, 12 rebounds), Colby Smith (defense), Peyton Larrabee (rebounds, defense), Keenan Hubbard (rebounds, defense)

Coach’s quote:  “Great team win, really proud of the effort, focus and intensity that they played with. Thought they played with a purpose from opening tip. Moving forward with a purpose.” – Bow’s Scott Drapeau

Records: Bow 12-4; Man. West 11-4

John Stark 42, Merrimack Valley 41, OT

Key players: John Stark – Joey Dykstra (10 points, 4 steals), Logan Montgomery (9 points, 8 rebounds), Aiden Harris (8 points), Elliot Belliveau (5 points, 8 rebouns); MV – Trevor Simonds (11 points)

Highlights: For the second time this season, the Generals defeated the Pride in OT. MV held the lead the first three quarters, but the Generals finished strong to force overtime. Down one point in the closing seconds, Dykstra scored the layup to put the Generals up with just 4.5 seconds left in extra time.

Coaches’ quotes: “We had to make a lot of tough stops down the stretch. I really liked the toughness I saw. This was a real war. MV is a very talented and well-coached team. Just really proud of the boys and how they executed down the stretch.” – John Stark’s Mike Smith

“A tight game throughout and headed to overtime, just like the last time these two teams faced off and Stark hit a big shot at the end to win the game.” – MV’s Tim Mucher

Records: John Stark 6-10; MV 7-9

Pembroke 81, Bishop Brady 36

Key players: Pembroke – Andrew Fitzgerald (28 points), Jacob Mather (12 points), Connor Craig (10 points), Aidyn Jeski (10 points); Bishop Brady – Ryan Casey (24 points)

Coach’s quote:  “Tonight was a game for our bench and they performed well. Was very happy with the effort of our guys tonight. We gave our starters the night off and our bench was prepared to play. Ryan Casey had a great night for Brady, scoring 24 points. He is only a sophomore and is going to be real good over the next two years.” – Pembroke’s Mike Donnell 

Records: Pembroke 13-2; Bishop Brady 0-15

Girls’ Basketball

Concord 42, Manchester Memorial 32

Key players: Concord – Whitney Vaillant (16 points, 10-for-14 FT), Delany Duford (8 points, 8 rebounds), Aidah Smalley (7 points)

Highlights: It was a good defensive battle back and forth, but Concord took a 10-point lead to end the third and held it from there to win its fifth straight game.

Coach's quote: “Always tough playing back-to-back games. Winning both is even tougher. Proud of the effort once again. These girls keep digging deep and pulling out wins.” – Concord’s Rob Darrell

Records: Concord 7-8; Memorial 5-11

Coe-Brown 58, Kennett 35

Key players: Coe-Brown – Kalina Kasprzak (22 points), Jennifer Noni (12 points), Emma Lapierre (11 points); Kennett – Georgia Coleman (15 points), Samantha Sidoti (11 points)

Highlights: The Bears led 25-18 at halftime, but took over in the third quarter, outscoring Kennett 14-7.

Coach’s quote: “The girls did well with our defensive game plan and had a good flow offensively.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon

Records: Coe-Brown 8-7; Kennett 6-9

John Stark 60, Merrimack Valley 44

Key players: John Stark  – Eleanor Girardet (17 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks), Abby Duclos (12 points); MV – Annika Horne (16 points), Kayla Smith (12 points)

Highlights: The Generals had balanced scoring throughout, taking a 25-17 halftime lead, and shot well from the free throw line.

Coaches’ quotes: “This was a game we needed after the loss last Friday at Derryfield. We’re looking to finish the season strong and get ready for playoffs.” – John Stark’s Tiffany Lewis

“We got down early and battled back to keep it close at half. In the second half Stark just out played us. They hit shots, beat our press and we just couldn’t get enough stops.” – MV’s Bob McNutt

Records: John Stark 12-4; MV 7-9

Pembroke 52, Bishop Brady 30

Key players: Pembroke – Annelise Dexter (19 points), Anne Phillips (12 points), Kaitlin Arenella (10 points); Bishop Brady – Payton Bryson (9 points), Claire Jackson (7 points)

Highlights: Arenella and Dexter combined for 13 of the 17 points in the second quarter as the Spartans started to pull away. Phillips took over in the third quarter, scoring eight points as Pembroke extended its lead to 14.

Coach’s quote: “This was a good solid win. Our defense was outstanding and the girls adapted well to what Brady tried against them.” – Pembroke’s Steve Langevin

Records: Pembroke 14-1; Bishop Brady 4-12

Franklin 53, Holy Family 45

Key players: Franklin – Kourtney Kaplan (29 points), Lily Cornell (13 points), Savaughna Slocum (7 points)

Highlights:  Franklin led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter and 30-17 at halftime to secure the Tornadoes’ first winning season in several years. Franklin will have the No. 9, No. 10 or No. 11 seed for the Division IV postseason tournament.

Coach’s quote:  “The girls really wanted this win to close out the season and avenge a (Dec. 12 44-35 loss) to Holy Family. All the girls followed the game plan and played a great game together. First winning season in so many years, and the girls deserve it for working so hard.” – Franklin’s Mark Dionne

Records: Franklin 11-7; Holy Family 11-7

Boys’ Hockey

Hanover 4, Concord 1

Key players: Concord – Jaden Haas (goal), Carter Doherty (assist)

Highlights: Hanover jumped out to 2-0 lead after the first period and added two more in second to go up 4-0, handing Concord its first loss in a regular season game since Feb. 12, 2021. Haas scored early in the third to put the Tide on the board.

Coach’s quote: “Hanover played a really good game. They were physical and outplayed us tonight. Tomorrow is another day and need to play well at home vs. Exeter.” – Concord’s Dunc Walsh

Records: Hanover 9-5-0; Concord 11-1-1

Gymnastics

State championship

Key players: Winnisquam – Skye Tibbetts (8th all around, 5th vault, 13th beam, 14th floor, 19th bars); MV – Sierra Mercer (21st all around, 27th vault, 29th beam, 31st floor); Bow – Emma Stocks (26th all around, 27th bars), Ryleigh Riggs (30th all around, 22nd bars), Maia Kimball (48th all around, 26th vault); Pembroke – Kate Epright (29th all around, 27th floor)

Highlights:  Several area gymnasts competed in the state championship on Saturday at A2 Gym & Cheer in Salem. Pinkerton (146.600 points) won the team title, followed by Salem (141.400) and Bishop Guertin (141.125). No area high schools have full teams, but locals did well individually, led by Tibbetts who finished eighth in the all around.