D-II Boys’ Basketball

No. 11 Merrimack Valley 60, No. 6 Laconia 57, OT

Key players: MV – Aiden Gray (16 points), Trevor Simonds (16 points), Andrew Suprenant (11 points); Laconia – Keaton Beck (20 points)

Highlights: Simonds hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime to lift the Pride over the Sachems in a rematch of last year’s Division II quarterfinal. The Pride will play at No. 3 Pembroke in Friday’s quarters. Laconia led 9-4 at the end of the first quarter, but MV took a 22-21 lead at halftime. The Sachems led 39-38 heading into the fourth and Beck scored the game-tying bucket to make it 51-51 with four seconds left to force overtime.

Coach’s quote: “Big game for us tonight, proud of how we finished. Now we got to keep taking one game at a time and believe ‘why not us.’” – MV’s Tim Mucher

Records: MV 9-10; Laconia 12-7

No. 3 Pembroke 62, No. 14 Oyster River 49

Key players: Pembroke – Joe Fitzgerald (19 points), Evan Berkeley (13 points), Zach Al-Shawafi (12 points, four 3-pointers), Devin Riel (10 points, rebounds), Mason Gagne (4 points, defense, assists), Andrew Fitzgerald

Highlights:  The Spartans led the Division II prelim matchup from start to finish, but the Bobcats didn’t let Pembroke get too far out of range. The Spartans led 18-14 at the end of the first quarter, with 10 of those points coming from Fitzgerald. Pembroke hosts No. 11 MV on Friday night in the quarterfinals. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Coach’s quote:  “This game was a lot closer than the score shows. Oyster River came out aggressive and challenged us. First-game nerves were evident on the floor and we seemed to be pressing and rushing a little too much, but our boys got the job done in the end.” – Pembroke’s Mike Donnell

Records: Pembroke 17-2; Oyster River 7-12

Girls’ Hockey

No. 6 Exeter 3, No. 11 Concord 1

Highlights:  The Crimson Tide fell to the Blue Hawks for the second time this season, bringing Concord’s season to an end in the preliminary round of the postseason tournament.

Records: Exeter 14-5-0; Concord 7-12-0