D-IV Boys’ Basketball

No. 8 Portsmouth Christian 53, No. 9 Franklin 40

Key players: PCA – Connor Hickey (15 points), Cai Summers (14 points); Franklin – Zeke McCoy (14 points), Nathan Holmes (9 points), Harrison Kaplan (7 points), Grayson McLaughlin (6 points)

Highlights:  Franklin led 10-8 after the first quarter and trailed 23-20 at halftime, but the Eagles controlled the third quarter to lead 43-30 heading into the fourth, ending the Tornadoes season in the D-IV preliminary round. Franklin ends the season with the most wins in a single season since 2015-16 (the Tornadoes went 15-5 and reached the quarterfinals that year).

Coach’s quote:  “Proud of the effort we put forth tonight. We knew we had to play good defense to have a shotand we did for a majority of the night. Unfortunately, PCA went on a run in the third that stretched the lead out to 13 and we weren’t able to climb back in after that. Credit to PCA, they are a good, fundamentally sound team. It’s tough knowing the season is over, but the boys should be incredibly proud of what they accomplished. Going 11-7 in the regular season was our first winning season in eight years. We were just a couple wins shy of hosting a playoff game and we’ve shown consistent improvement each of the past few seasons going from six to eight to 11 wins. It will be a challenge to replace this senior group, especially an All-State player like Zeke McCoy, but we got good contributions from younger guys this season, and I’m excited to see how the continue to develop and where the program goes from here.” – Franklin’s Dave Bedard

Records: PCA 13-6; Franklin 11-8

No. 5 Holy Family 67, No. 12 Concord Christian 61

Key players: Holy Family – Gabe Lacasse (19 points), Patrick Gillis (15 points), Jeremiah Guererro (13 points); Concord Christian – Isaac Bowers (16 points), TJ Charbono (16 points), Jaden Young (12 points), Isaac Kirby (12 points)

Highlights:  The Kingsmen kept it close early, trailing 33-27 at halftime and outscored the Griffins in the third quarter, 19-6, to take a 46-39 lead heading into the fourth, but Holy Family outscored Concord Christian 28-15 over the final eight minutes to advance to the Division IV quarterfinals. The Griffins focused on getting to the basket in the final quarter, drawing fouls and getting 17 free throw attempts. This game was a rematch of last year’s D-IV semifinal, a game that the Griffins won in double OT.

Coach’s quote:  “It was a game of runs … We were able to put up 15 (points) in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to hold on to the lead. In the end it was a great season. The improvement from the start of the season to the end was significant. The boys worked hard to learn a new system and find their roles on the team. It really came together for us over the past few weeks with a very close game against Farmington, an overtime win against Franklin and a battle tonight against Holy Family. I don’t think anyone expected that from us at the beginning of the season. With four starters coming back and a bench that is developing nicely, we hope to make even more noise next year.” – Concord Christian’s Greg Farland

Records: Holy Family 15-4; Concord Christian 9-10

Girls’ Basketball

Coe-Brown 52, Pembroke 49, OT

Key players: Coe-Brown – Kalina Kasprzak (21 points), Hannah Meehan (13 points), Jennifer Noni (11 points); Pembroke – Annelise Dexter (22 points), Kaitlin Arenella (12 points), Hailey Steinmetz (8 points)

Highlights: Pembroke took a 27-22 lead into halftime, but Coe-Brown outscored the Spartans 17-9 to take a 39-36 lead heading into the fourth. Pembroke regained the lead late, but Noni connected on a pair of free throws to force overtime and the Bears won the extra period, 9-6.

Coaches’ quotes: “You work so hard at practice and we have been getting better every game. Nice to see the girls’ work pay off against one the best teams in our division.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon

“It was a tight game throughout. We had our chances, but were not able to convert. You have to credit Coe-Brown for a great effort.” – Pembroke’s Steve Langevin

Records: Coe-Brown 9-8; Pembroke 15-2

John Stark 58, Sanborn 42

Key players: John Stark  – Avery Geaumont (16 points, 6 rebounds), Eleanor Girardet(14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks)

Highlights: The Generals had consistent scoring throughout the entire game and had eight different players score. Stark got on the offensive boards which created several second chance opportunities

Coach’s quote: “This was a win that we needed and we played very balanced tonight which was great to see heading into playoffs next week.” – John Stark’s Tiffany Lewis

Records: John Stark 13-4; Sanborn 5-12

Boys’ Hockey

Concord 1, Bedford 0

Key players: Concord – Trevor Craigue (goal), Carter Doherty (assist), Dawson Fancher (assist), Luukas Mayer (18 saves); Bedford – Tristin Kerr (50 saves)

Highlights: After two scoreless period, Craigue broke the tie with 2:49 to go in the third on a great pass from Doherty with Fancher also picking up an assist. The Tide outshotBedford, 51-18

Coach’s quote: “It was a struggle tonight to score. (Kerr) was outstanding tonight. We had a bunch of chances, but could finish. We finally got one late to win it. It was a frustrating game but we will take the win.” – Concord’s Dunc Walsh

Records: Concord 14-1-1; Bedford 6-10-0

Bowling

Team state championship

Highlights:  Coe-Brown Northwood Academy lost in the preliminary round of the bowling team state tournament held on Saturday at Yankee Lanes in Manchester. The No. 9 Bears lost to No. 8 Goffstown, 3-1. No. 2 Stevens defeated No. 5 Bishop Guertin in the final, 4-2. The individual state championship is this Saturday.