Tuesday,
December 28, 2004
Winter 2004 - 2005
Winnisquam
Division: Class M.
Coach: Larry Gibson (fourth year).
Last year: 8-11, lost in the first round to Belmont, 52-26.
Returning starters: Lindsay Andrus, so., F; Heidi Miller, so., C.
Top newcomer: Phylicia Martel, so., C.
Outlook: Winnisquam enters the season with a plethora of young players and not a single senior on the roster. Andrus and Miller (10 points per game) started as freshmen last season and will be looked on to provide leadership as veteran sophomores.
"We are going to have to rely on athleticism and quickness on defense to help us score some points,"Coach Gibson said. "...Our goal is to be competitive and improve each game and to make the playoffs."
Winnisquam 48,
Franklin 37 December 22, 2004
After seeing the third quarter end with the Bears down, 32-29, Winnisquam retaliated, outscoring the Golden Tornadoes 19-5 in the final frame to earn the comeback victory. The Bears are now 2-2, while Franklin falls to 1-3.
"The game was back-and-forth most of the way," Winnisquam Coach Jim Belair said. "We put on full-court pressure in the fourth, and that allowed us to build up the lead." Shawn Andrus led the team with 19 points to go with nine rebounds, while Chris Tibbetts put together eight points and 14 rebounds, and Chuck Sullivan chipped in 13 points and five assists.
Winnisquam
48, Laconia 34
Dec 27,2004
Winless Winnisquam shocked
Laconia as it downed the Sachems 48-34.
The Bears advance to play
Prospect Mountain in today’s semifinal (7 p.m.).
Winnisquam trailed 21-19 at
the break, but didn’t give up. The Bears went to work on the defensive end
when all was said and done in the third quarter outscored the Sachems 13-4. From
there it was all Winnisquam as it hung on for the victory.
Heidi Miller netted 19
points to lead Winnisquam. Melissa LaBranche (13) and Amanda Lowrey (7) made
contributions for the Bears in the win. Laconia was led by Kate Stewart (9
points) and Alisha Crete (8).
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Tuesday,
December 28, 2004 |
Bears
clamp down By AARON HOWARD Staff Sports Writer GILFORD — The
Winnisquam boys basketball team went on the defensive Monday night. The Bears pressed
Laconia into submission as they held on for a 49-40 victory over the
Sachems in the first round of the 31st Annual Lakes Region Holiday
Basketball Tournament. "We’ll take
it," said Gilford coach Jim Belair. "I thought our defense was
fantastic. Whenever you can hold a team to 40 points, that’s good
defense. If we can play defense like that the rest of the way against a
few of the better teams we’ll be in pretty good shape. I think our
offense needs to pick up a little bit, but it’s a good team win." Leading just 33-31
heading into the final stanza, Winnisquam’s defense went to work. The
Bears held the Sachems without a bucket for most of the quarter as it
turned up the pressure and Laconia had no answer for it. "They ran the
court well in the second half," said Laconia coach Glen Bolduc of
Winnisquam. "We didn’t play any transition defense in the second
half. We were 8 of 17 from the foul line and that’s nine points. "You’re not
going to shoot 100 percent," continued Bolduc, "but that’s
nine more points right there that at critical times could have made the
difference. It could have tightened the score up a little bit and put some
pressure on other people." While the Sachems were
struggling to find its offense Winnisquam was able to find its touch in
the fourth quarter. Led by Mike Boisvin (18 points), Joe Robinson (10),
Chris Tibbetts and Sean Andrus (8), the Bears were able to up their
advantage to nine (43-35) midway through the fourth quarter. From there,
Winnisquam’s defense was able to hold the Sachems off the rest of the
way. "We really
didn’t do anything differently," Belair pointed out. "We just
went out and told them they had to win the next two periods in order to
win the ball game and in order to be successful. "I think Mike
Boisvin probably played his best overall game. He was fantastic on
defense. We have a kid, Johnny Robinson whose really picking it up for us
off the bench. Our point guard’s somewhere out in Minnesota and
Johnny’s started the last couple of games, and this kid’s going to
have a hard time finding the floor when he gets back." Neither team could
make any headway in the first half as each team played stellar defense.
The Sachems trailed 20-14 just before the break, but went on a 6-0 run to
close out the half to draw even. Peter Dargy (15 points) and Brian
McCarthy (7) led the way as the teams went into the half tied at 20. "We come back
(today) and play the loser of the Gilford, Prospect Mountain game and see
what we can do (today)," said Bolduc. "We can’t stop working.
We have to keep working at it. The boys seem to be working and doing the
things I ask and that’s all I can ask." Winnisquam will now
turn its attention to Class M and two-time tournament champion Gilford
tonight (8:30 p.m.) for a final berth. Laconia will look to get on the
winning track when it battles Prospect Mountain (2). "We’re going to
score at least one more point than Gilford does," said Belair.
"Gilford on their home court is tough, but we’ve played pretty well
up here. I don’t know what it is about this place. We gave them all they
wanted last year and hopefully we can come in here and do the same
thing." Winnisquam, 49-40 WRHS (49)
—C. Tibbetts 0-3—3, Robinson 3-4—10, Sullivan 0-3—3, Boisvin
8-2—18, Andrus 3-2—8, Ploof 1-0—3, Allard 2-0—4, Woods 0-0—0,
Coffey 0-0—0. Totals: 17-14—49. LACONIA (40)
—Totals: Kerns 2-1—5, Dargy 5-4—15, Lahey 3-0—6, McCarthy 2-3—7,
Groleau 1-0—2, Colby 0-0—0, O’Brien 2-1—3, Bell 0-0—0, Evans
1-0—2. Totals: 15-9—40. WRHS 11
9 13 16 — 49 Laconia 14
6 11 9 — 40 3-pointers: L-Darby. W-Ploof. |
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Winnisquam’s
Rose Chapman (bottom) wrestles with Pinkerton Academy’s Matt Calabrese
during Tuesday’s Winnisquam Wrestling Invitational. (Citizen
Photo/Kevin Sperl) |
Bears take third at
invitational
From Staff Reports
TILTON — Winnisquam
wrestling took a giant step forward Tuesday in becoming a true contender in
Class IMS wrestling.
The Bears put together a
solid all-around effort as they placed third in the Winnisquam Invitational
Wrestling Tournament. Winnisquam finished with 109 points, behind only Class L
schools Pinkerton Academy (150.5) and Concord (135).
Alvirne was fourth with 105
points. Locally, Franklin was eighth. Newfound also competed in the tournament.
The Bears had several
grapplers lead the way to the third place showing. Ryan Deroy was named as the
tourney’s Most Valuable Wrestler as he placed first in the 135-pound division.
Also winning their weight
classes for Winnisquam was Jeremy Walker (152) and Nate Anderson (250).
Also for the Bears, Rose
Chapman was second in the 140-pound class, and Francis Howes was third in the
160-pound division.
|
Tuesday,
December 28, 2004 |
Face Newfound in
tonight’s title game Staff Sports Writer GILFORD — All
Winnisquam coach Larry Gibson wanted for his team for Christmas was a win
at the 31st Annual Lakes Region Holiday Basketball Tournament. After two days of
action, Gibson got that and a whole lot more as the Bears earned a spot in
the tourney title tilt with an impressive 49-33 triumph — it’s second
in as many nights — over Prospect Mountain. Winnisquam will battle
Lakes Region rival Newfound in the championship game tonight (6). Newfound
downed Belmont 54-40 in the day’s other semifinal. "I’m happy for
the girls," said Gibson whose team is 0-7 in Class M in the regular
season. "It’s a big confidence builder for us. We got some great
balanced scoring tonight. We came into the tournament 0-7 and to come out
of the tournament with at least two wins hopefully will carry over to the
second half of the season for us. "Who would have
thought that we would be playing in the championship game," continued
Gibson. "It’s a credit to the girls because even in our 0-7 stretch
they never quit. They continued to work." It wasn’t easy for
Winnisquam by any stretch of the imagination though. The Bears held a
20-12 advantage at the break, but came out firing in the third quarter.
Led by the inside, outside duo of Lindsay Andrus (11 points) and Amanda
Lowrey — who buried two critical three-pointers in the frame — the
Bears extended their lead to 32-18 midway through the quarter. Winnisquam looked to
be in control, but looks can be deceiving. Prospect Mountain fought back
behind the play of Jennifer Matthew (9 points) and Brittany Rackliff (12).
The Timberwolves would eventually trim the Bears’ advantage to just five
(36-31) in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter on a bucket by Amber
Couture. "I thought both
teams played well," said Prospect Mountain coach Mark Anthony.
"I know that Larry Gibson’s girls get charged up for their games
and we were hoping to match that intensity tonight and I thought for maybe
a couple of quarters, at least, we matched their intensity. It seemed like
they made less mistakes in the second half than we did and I think that
was the bottom line of the game. "We made a couple
adjustments on the (Heidi) Miller girl and the (Lindsay) Andrus
girl," continued Anthony of how his team got back in the game.
"I thought for the most part we contained Miller. I say contained
because I thought she was one of the bigger threats. Andrus was the stud
for them tonight ... she really bailed them out." Winnisquam would
answer in a big way. Andrus hit a bucket and made two free-throws to give
Winnisquam more breathing room and break the game open. From there the
Bears’ defense was on point as Heidi Miller (13 points) and Phylicia
Martel (11 points) owned the paint down the stretch as Winnisquam pulled
away. "Lindsay’s been
struggling offensively for us," said Gibson. "For her to come
out tonight and have 11 points it’s a great confidence booster for her.
She can do it. She plays tremendous defense for us. It’s just a matter
of time before she steps up on the offensive end and she did that
tonight." "Tonight we
didn’t make things easy," added Gibson. "We were forcing
things and we had some turnovers and things like that, but overall I’m
happy with it." Winnisquam now turns
its attention to area foe Newfound tonight in the championship game.
Gibson is hoping for one more holiday gift when all is said and done. "Newfound’s a
run and gun team," said Gibson. "We played them just before the
Christmas break and we stayed with them for maybe two quarters and then we
got out of our sync and out of our offensive patterns. You can’t do that
against a good team and obviously they’re good. "They’ve got some balanced scoring," added Gibson. "They’ve got an inside game and they’ve got an outside game. They did a number on Belmont tonight so obviously they can play and we know we have a challenge ahead of us. I’m just happy. I’m happy for the girls and I’m happy we’ll be representing Winnisquam in the championship game." |
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©
2004 Geo. J. Foster Company |
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Winnisquam
50, Gilford 44 ---
December 28, 2004
The Bears earned their
second straight final game appearance by knocking off the hosts.
Winnisquam got a balanced
attack to defeat the defending Class M champions. Sean Andrus led the way with
12 points, followed by Mike Boisvin with 11, and Chris Tibbetts with 10. Chuck
Sullivan chipped in with eight points for the Bears.
The Golden Eagles were paced
by Bryan O’Leary who poured in a game-high 18 points. Patrick Saunders added
10 points, and Greg McClary finished with eight.
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Thursday,
December 30, 2004 |
Newfound
holds off WRHS By AARON HOWARD Staff Sports Writer GILFORD — It
wasn’t a masterpiece or even a work of art for that matter, but Newfound
wasn’t trying to sell a painting. It was trying to win a
basketball game, and that’s just what it did as it held off upstart
Winnisquam 34-30 in the schoolgirl basketball final of the 31st Annual
Lakes Region Holiday Tournament on Wednesday. "That’s
huge," said Newfound coach Karri Peterson of winning the tournament
after finishing second last year, "because I thought last year was
such a good experience to go to the finals. It was the first time
Newfound’s ever been in the finals for the girls and then to comeback
again this year was great. "(Tuesday) I
thought was a great game, to come out with a win," continued
Peterson, "but it doesn’t even seem like we won because I think
everybody knows we didn’t play well. It wasn’t a good showing of what
we can do and hopefully we can learn from this because we’ve got Mascoma
on Tuesday." Struggling to hold
Winnisquam off heading into the fourth quarter, Newfound needed someone to
step up — enter freshman Caitlin O’Connor. O’Connor scored seven of
her eight points in the final stanza to help Newfound maintain its
advantage. In fact, O’Connor hit a key three-pointer to begin the fourth
to push Newfound’s lead to 28-19. Winnisquam though
would not go down quietly as they outscored Newfound 11-6 the rest of the
way. Led by Heidi Miller (14 points), Leigh Smith, Amanda Lowrey and
Melissa LaBranche, Winnisquam slowly, but surely crawled back into the
game. Lowrey drilled a
3-ball with a little over two minutes remaining and LaBranche made a
free-throw with 27.5 seconds left to keep Winnisquam in the game.
Winnisquam though couldn’t capitalize on three Newfound turnovers in the
waning moments as Newfound was able to hold them off. "It was a
tremendous second half," said Winnisquam coach Larry Gibson. "I
just wish we had that intensity in the first half. The second quarter we
scored two points and you have to match baskets with a team like Newfound.
It was two different halves. The first half I wish we could have it over
again, but unfortunately you can’t. You can’t turn the clock back. "I’m still
proud of the girls," continued Gibson. "They worked hard and I
think they saw that when you continue to work hard you get positive
results. The first half we didn’t run any offense, we didn’t handle
the press very well, we were throwing the ball all over the place, we were
missing shots and that was really the difference in the game." It was all Newfound in
the first half as its pressure defense had Winnisquam dazed and confused.
Newfound put the clamps on Winnisquam’s offense as it allowed just two
free-throws the entire second quarter. Unfortunately for Newfound, it only
held a 10-point 17-7 advantage at the break. "I don’t know
what happened the whole game," Peterson pointed out. "I thought
the whole game was ugly. I don’t know if it was coming off the win
(Tuesday). It was such a big win for them that we played well, executed
well and then all of sudden we couldn’t even see anyone that was open.
Then when we when tried to find someone that was open we tried to force a
pass through. "I said going
into the fourth I don’t even know who I want to put out on the court
because there’s no one that I want to put out there," added
Peterson. Newfound had solid
efforts from Maggie Seaver (6 points), Ashley Merrill (7) and O’Connor
(8). Winnisquam received contributions from Erin Roark and Phylicia Martel
(5). Newfound now travels
to perennial power Mascoma on Tuesday to open the Class M season back-up
again. Winnisquam will battle Prospect Mountain in hopes of its first win. "It’s
definitely a confidence builder," said Gibson of his team’s
performance in the tourney. "Hopefully that will carry over into the
second half for us. Hopefully we’ll learn from this and get some
positive results from this." p
p p After the final,
Gilford Athletic Director Dave Pinkham announced the All-Tournament first
and second team. The second team consists of Lauri Cotter of
Moultonborough Academy; Ally Murphy of Gilford; Pittsfield’s Nicky Hill;
Prospect Mountain’s Jennifer Matthew; and Phylicia Martel of Winnisquam. Heidi Miller, the
tourney MVP, leads the first team and is joined by Laconia’s Kate
Stewart; Bridgette Hooker of Belmont; Newfound’s Shyla Young and Ashley
Merrill. Newfound, 34-30 Newfound (34) — Merrill
3-0—7, Young 2-0—4, O’Connor 2-3—8, Auger 1-1—3, Temple 1-0—2,
Seaver 3-0—6, White 1-2—4, Escobar 0-0—0, Mattson 0-0—0, Watson
0-0—0. Totals: 13-6—34. Winnisquam (30) —
Lowrey 1-0—3, Smith 1-0—2, Martel 1-3—5, LaBranche 0-2—2,
Andrus 2-0—4, Miller 4-6—14, Johnson 0-0—0, Boyce 0-0—0, Roark
0-0—0. Totals: 9-11—30. Newfound 8 9 8 9 —
34 Winnisquam 5 2 12 11
— 30 3-pointers: N-Merrill, O’Connor. W-Lowrey |
Winnisquam
91, Newfound 72 Jan 11, 2005
BRISTOL — Trailing by two
after one frame, Winnisquam Regional heated up on the offensive end and never
looked back in downing Newfound 91-72 in Class M schoolboy basketball action.
Winnisquam moved to 6-2 with
its fifth straight victory. Meanwhile, Newfound (0-9) is still searching for its
first win.
"There’s no doubt
there was a lot of scoring," said Winnisquam coach Jim Belair. "We
really picked it up in that second quarter. We started to get hot and we played
pretty good defense."
Newfound hung tough with
Winnisquam, owning a 16-14 edge after one quarter. The visitors were just
heating up though. Winnisquam outscored Newfound 30-6 in the second quarter to
take a commanding 44-22 halftime lead. They never cooled off, adding 29 in
building a 73-44 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.
"Defense was
non-existent in the second quarter," Newfound coach Chuck Kenney said.
"That was a big change."
Leading the Winnisquam
offensive onslaught were Chris Tibbetts (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals), Chuck
Sullivan (16 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists), Sean Andrus (15 points) and Mike
Boisvin (14 points). Jay Coffey (9 points) and Kevin Tibbetts (8) also played
well off the bench for Winnisquam.
Phil Plummer and Chris
Peterson netted 17 points apiece to pace Newfound. Mike Dade chipped in with 8
points.
Both teams return to action
Friday with Winnisquam hosting Littleton and Newfound traveling to Franklin.
WRHS wrestlers top Franklin
From Staff Reports
Jan 13,2005
TILTON — The Winnisquam
wrestling team came up big in several key matches to knock off shorthanded rival
Franklin, 51-18, in a Class I-M-S dual meet Thursday evening.
Franklin entered the meet
without Brent Desnoyers (215-pounds) and Derek Benwel (heavyweight). Both are
sidelined with knee injuries.
The difference on the mat
though came at 135-pounds and in the 160-pound class. At 135, Winnisquam’s
Ryan DeRoy posted a critical 8-3 victory over Franklin’s Jack Hamilton. At
160, Winnisquam’s Francis Howe pinned Paul Duford.
"We felt there were a
few matches that were and they beat us in them," Franklin coach Don
Bergeron said.
Franklin got a win in the
171 class by Ryan Keane, who won by fall in 47 seconds. The Golden Tornadoes
also got forfeit wins from Julie Rondeau (112) and Kevin Baca (130).
Winnisquam
52, Littleton 47 Jan 14, 2005
TILTON — Clinging to a one
point lead in the final minutes, Mike Boisvin and Chris Tibbetts both knocked
down two free-throws around a Littleton miss to help the Bears avenge one of its
losses in Class M play.
Winnisquam (7-2) led
throughout the contest, owning a 17-12 lead after one, a 29-21 advantage at the
break and a 42-36 edge heading into the fourth quarter. The Bears built a nine
point cushion in the final frame before Littleton came roaring back to set the
stage for Boisvin and Tibbetts.
"We were pretty much in
control the whole game and we started throwing the ball away," WRHS coach
Jim Belair said.
"We’ll take it
though. We’re not use to winning big games with teams in front of us,"
added Belair. "We are use to beating teams below us and losing to teams
ahead of us."
Sean Andrus powered
Winnisquam with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Boisvin also had 14 points
and played a strong defensive game. Chuck Sullivan tossed in 14 points and
dished out 7 assists.
Tibbetts finished with 6
points and 10 rebounds, while limiting Littleton go-to player Justin
Robinson-Miller to just 7 points. Robinson-Miller tossed in 23 in Littleton’s
48-26 victory over the Bears back on Dec. 17.
Winnisquam visits
Inter-Lakes Wednesday.
Winnisquam
56, Littleton 53 Jan 14, 2005
LITTLETON — Erin Roark hit
two key free throws late to help the Bears hold on for their second victory of
the season.
Winnisquam is now 2-9.
"It was a great win for
us and hopefully we will be able to build on this," said WRHS head coach
Larry Gibson.
Heidi Miller led Winnisquam
with 23 points, and Amanda Lowrey added 10. Lindsay Andrus chipped in with nine
points, Phylicia Martel added eight, and Leigh Smith finished with four.
Winnisquam overcomes rough start to top pesky Belmont
By SCOTT SERRANO
January 25, 2005
Assistant Sports Editor
TILTON — After being off
nearly a week, it took a little time for the Winnisquam Regional boys basketball
team to get going Tuesday night.
But after a tough first
half, the Bears finally got untracked against a gritty Belmont squad and held on
for a key 51-42 victory in Class M action.
With the win Winnisquam
improves to 8-3 on the season while the Red Raiders fall to 6-6.
"We hadn’t played
since last Wednesday (a heartbreaking 54-51 loss at Inter-Lakes), but that
shouldn’t have been a factor," said WRHS head coach Jim Belair. "We
certainly didn’t come into this game taking Belmont for granted. They are not
the most talented team, but they are so well-coached that they force you into
doing a lot of things you don’t want to do."
What the Red Raiders were
forcing the Bears into doing was creating turnovers and keeping them out of
their offensive flow. That allowed the guests to claw their way to a 17-9 lead
midway through the second quarter.
That’s when Winnisquam
finally started to get back into their groove. The hosts scored the final eight
points of the half, then opened the third quarter with eight more points to open
a 25-17 advantage.
"It’s disappointing
because we played well enough early on to beat these guys," said BHS head
coach Rick Acquilano. "But late in the second quarter we stopped executing
and doing the things according to our game plan. Then in the third quarter we
came out flat."
Chris Tibbetts scored four
points late in the second quarter to get the Bears rolling. Mike Boisvin then
keyed the second half surge by opening the third with three consecutive field
goals, and Chuck Sullivan closed the 16-0 run with a baseline runner.
"Finally we came out
and played our game and took the lead," said Belair. "It was ugly on
both sides before that even though they opened an eight point lead on us. We
battled back after they made us do those things we don’t like to do."
Jose Alkathiri hit a free
throw for Belmont to end their seven minute scoring drought, and Phil Joyce hit
a jumper to pull the Red Raiders within 26-20.
Tibbetts responded with
back-to-back baskets, and Sullivan drained a pair of free throws to build
Winnisquam’s lead back to 32-20. Belmont’s Dan Roach sandwiched a pair of
field goals around a conventional 3-point play by Bear Sean Andrus to make it
35-24 in favor of the hosts heading into the fourth quarter.
Belmont got baskets from
Eric Trendell and Joyce to open the final quarter to pull within seven, but they
would get no closer. A basket by Tibbetts and two Sullivan free throws built the
lead back to 39-28.
From there the teams
basically traded points down the stretch to close things out.
"I thought we fought
hard tonight and played right until the end," said Acquilano.
Boisvin led the Bears with
17 points, while Sullivan added 13 (11 from the free throw line), and Tibbetts
finished with 12.
Belmont was paced by Joyce
and Trendell who each scored 14 points. Joyce also pulled down nine rebounds.
Both players helped the Red Raiders open their early 17-9 lead as Joyce had a
basket and a conventional 3-point play, and Trendell added a pair of field goals
midway through the first half.
"We’re 6-6 and we
still have to work on some things to get better," said Acquilano.
"That’s because this team (Winnisquam) is 8-3 and we feel we can beat
them."
Both teams are back in
action Friday with Winnisquam hosting Prospect Mountain and Belmont traveling to
Newfound.
Winnisquam, 51-42
BELMONT (42)
— Joyce 6-2-14, McLellan 1-0-2, Trendell 6-2-14, Roach 3-0-6, Alkathiri 1-3-5,
Harrison 0-1-1. Totals: 17-8-42.
WINNISQUAM (51)
— Boisvin 7-3-17, Andrus 2-2-6, Tibbetts 6-0-12, Speikers 1-0-2, Sullivan
1-11-13, Robinson 0-1-1. Totals: 17-17-51.
Belmont (6-6)
10 7 7 18 — 42
Winnisquam (8-3)
7 10 18 16 — 51
3-pointers:
B-None; W-None.
Winnisquam 51,
Belmont 42 Jan 25, 2005
Tied at halftime, Winnisquam (8-3) used an 18-point third quarter to pull ahead of the Red Raiders (6-6), and the Bears played hard the rest of the way to finish of the win.
Chris Tibbetts led the team with 12 rebounds, and he also accumulated 12 points and five steals. Michael Boisvin turned in a team-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Chuck Sullivan turned in a solid second half that helped win the game for the Bears.
"We really began to play our game in the third," Winnisquam Coach Jim Belair said. "We got a lot of points off transition, and we were able to maintain that momentum."
Gymnastics
Concord first, Bow third Jan
31, 2005
With the state meet less than two weeks away, Concord is hitting its stride at the perfect time. The Crimson Tide bested its highest team score of the year by more than four points to win a five-team meet at Granite State Gymnastics Center.
Concord's 138.3 points put the Tide ahead of Trinity (135.6), Bow (124.7), Nashua South (117.55) and Nashua North (90.15).
"The girls hit tonight," Concord Coach Stu Goldstein said. "I wish it was states - that's when we need to hit. ... Hopefully we can keep it up for another week."
Christine Cate captured her first all-around victory of the year, bolstered by a victory on vault, a second-place finish on beam and a fourth on bars.
Teammate Josie Unger was third in the all-around, winning the floor exercises and placing third on vault.
Concord also received excellent outings from Kasey Brennan (second on bars, tied for third on floor, fourth on beam), Becca Hogan (tied for third on floor, seventh on beam), Brittni Ross (seventh on vault) and Courtney Morse (strong on vault).
Stephanie Cormier led the Falcons, finishing fifth in the all-around while taking fifth on vault and floor, and seventh on bars. Christy Acorn was 11th in the all-around, taking seventh on vault and eighth on floor.
Also turning in strong routines for Bow were Laura Oberwitz (13th on floor, 16th on vault), Maddie Keyes (ninth on vault, beam), Rebecca Keyes (floor and beam) and Jenna Greenman.
Competing independently, Winnisquam's Emily Rose took fourth in the all-around, and Gilford's Jillian Richards was sixth in the all-around.
Winnisquam
39, White Mountains 36 Feb 8, 2005
TILTON — It’s been a
tough season for Winnisquam, but that hasn’t kept the Bears from fighting.
On Tuesday, all the Bears
hard work paid off as they earned a 39-36 win over White Mountains. In winning,
Winnisquam upped its record to 3-14 in Class M.
"It was a good win for
the girls," said Winnisquam coach Larry Gibson. "We ended a five game
losing streak and it was really good for the girls to get rewarded for all their
hard work."
After falling behind 13-7 at
the end of one quarter, the Bears fought back and outscored White Mountains 13-5
in the second frame to take a 20-18 advantage at the break. The Bears led 31-26
heading into the final stanza. White Mountains fought back in the fourth
quarter, but Winnisquam made some key free-throws and were able to hold it off.
The Bears were led by Heidi Miller who tossed in 15 points. Amanda Lowrey (7 points), Leigh Smith (6) and Phylicia Martel
Winnisquam 31,
Franklin 29 Feb
11, 2005
TILTON — The foundation for the future has been laid for the Winnisquam
girls basketball team.The young Bears finished the year with two straight wins including Friday’s 31-29 victory over Lakes Region rival Franklin.
Winnisquam ends its season at 4-14 while Franklin dropped to 8-10 in Class
M."I thought we played well. We gained a lot of valuable experience this year.
They worked hard throughout the year and I’m very proud of the girls."
Trailing 22-19 heading into the final frame, Winnisquam went to work on the
boards. The Bears were able to get several second half chances and they
cashed in, outscoring Franklin 12-7 to capture the victory.
Phylicia Martel (10 points), Heidi Miller (9) and Lindsay Andrus led the
charge underneath."Rebounding and second chance points," said Franklin coach Tom Pabst of the difference in the contest. "We gave up too many second half chances and rebounds. We were just atrocious on the boards."
Amanda Lowrey and Leigh Smith each netted three points apiece for
Winnisquam. Kaylee Johnson (2 points) and Melissa LaBranche (2 points)also
played well.
Winnisquam 71,
Berlin 39 Feb 18, 2005
TILTON — With an impressive performance, Winnisquam Regional may have landed one more home game for its lone senior — Chris Tibbetts.
The Bears powered their way to an early 20-6 lead and never looked back,
leading 41-25 at halftime and 56-29 after three. Winnisquam finishes the
regular season at 11-7, which could land them as high as seventh in the
final standings."We’re starting to get healthy," Winnisquam coach Jim Belair said. "We lose four in a row and we had a kid missing here, a kid missing there.
"The entire team played," added Belair. "The bench came in and did a great
job."Michael Boisvin tossed in 18 points, while Sean Andrus netted 15 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds for the Bears. Tibbetts netted 12 points in his final
regular season game.The Class M tournament gets underway Thursday with eight preliminary round contests.
Bears
survive in OT
Earn 1st trip to PSU in
21 years
TILTON — With a place in
history on the line, Winnisquam refused to lose — there’s no other way to
describe it.
The Bears stared defeat
right in the face and lived to play another day. The seventh seed needed
overtime to defeat 10th-seeded Mascoma 57-47 in a Class M schoolboy basketball
preliminary round contest on Thursday.
For Winnisquam (12-7), the
victory also marked the first time the Bears have advanced to the quarterfinals
since 1984. The Bears battle No. 2 Conant in Sunday’s 6 p.m. contest on the
Foley Gymnasium hardwood at Plymouth State University. The Orioles (17-2)
stopped No. 15 Epping 67-53.
Mascoma’s season ended at
11-8.
"These kids play with a
lot of guts and a lot of heart," said veteran Winnisquam coach Jim Belair.
"They want to go where teams before them have never been. It’s been 21
years since we’ve hit the hardwood in Plymouth so we’re kind of looking
forward to it."
That ticket to Plymouth
State was two seconds away from belonging to the Royals. Mascoma held a 44-42
advantage with just under a minute to play, but Winnisquam held possession.
After a time-out with 30
ticks on the clock the Bears worked the clock down for the final shot. Senior
Chris Tibbetts then came up with the play of the year as he fought his way
through traffic and put the ball off the glass and in to send the game into
overtime.
"When I got the ball I
didn’t even know I had two seconds on the clock so I just kind of grabbed it
and threw it up," Tibbetts pointed out. "It’s exciting. We get to
move on to Plymouth for the first time in 21 years so hopefully we can make it
happen. I’ve never been to Plymouth State myself so we’ll see what
happens."
In the extra session,
Winnisquam broke Mascoma’s will. The Bears used their relentless defense to
force the Royals into bad decisions. Andrew Welenc though gave Mascoma a 46-45
advantage two minutes into overtime, but that’s the last bucket the Royals
would score until a late free throw. Winnisquam outscored its visitors 13-3 in
the extra session.
"Our trademark is our
defense," Belair pointed out. "We play a great help, team defense and
the kids want the ball and somehow they seem to come up with it. They go after
it. One guy picks the pocket the other guy’s right there to retrieve the ball.
We had some tired guys out there working for what they wanted."
The Bears, who forced 23
turnovers, capitalized on the Mascoma miscues in overtime. Winnisquam kept the
pressure on as it pounded the ball inside to post players Mike Boisvin and Sean
Andrus, who seemed to wear the Royals out. Winnisquam’s Chuck Sullivan also
came up huge as he went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the extra frame to
close out the victory.
"I think if we had a
more experienced group I don’t think overtime would have been that much of a
factor," Mascoma coach Mike Gaudette pointed out. "Unfortunately, the
kids came over to start overtime and some of them did have their heads down.
"I tried to get them
re-focused, but I don’t think that occurred in overtime," continued
Gaudette. "A lot of those kids were shell-shocked. Playing on the road,
playing in overtime in front of a big crowd, I think really hurt us in
overtime."
Every time Mascoma appeared
poised to break the game open, Winnisquam came fighting back. The Royals ran out
to a 28-21 advantage on a Mario Gould three-ball with just over two minutes left
in the third quarter. The Bears then proceeded to finish the frame on 9-0 run to
lead 30-28 heading into the final frame.
Bryan Ploof came off the
bench to give the Bears a lift as he drained a 3-pointer during the stretch.
Boisvin then banked home a pair of bunnies and Tibbetts to closed out the
quarter with two freebies.
Things again looked bleak
for Winnisquam late in the fourth as Mascoma led 43-38 with just over three
minutes remaining. After a Sullivan free-throw, Ploof again came through in the
clutch for the Bears — knocking down a trey to close the gap to 43-42 with
2:53 left to play.
Mascoma would make just one
of its three free-throws during the final two minutes to set up Tibbetts’ late
heroics.
"We didn’t
finish," said Gaudette. "I thought in the first half the nerves played
a little bit into it. The second half we finally settled down a little bit. We
just ran out of gas in overtime. The kids played hard. I give the Winnisquam
kids credit. They played hard. They didn’t fold when we made some runs at
them."
Boisvin paced the Bears with
19 points. Sullivan netted 11 and Andrus dropped in 10. Mascoma was led by
Welenc, who tallied 14 points. Matt Pollard and Gould chipped in 10 apiece for
the Royals.
Next, it’s uncharted water
for Winnisquam. While the Bears haven’t been to PSU in a while, coach Belair
and his squad aren’t going to back down.
"We aren’t happy just
to be there," said Belair. "We’re not happy unless we move on.
We’re looking to move on. We have kids night in and night out that one kid
picks up the other kid along the way. If somebody falters the other one’s
right behind him to grab him by the shorts and drag him along. Regardless if
it’s Conant or Epping we’re coming after them."
Winnisquam, 57-47 (OT)
WINNISQUAM (57) — Boisvin
6-7—19, Tibbetts 2-3—7, Andrus 4-2—10, Robinson 0-0—0, Sullivan
1-9—11, Coffey 1-0—2, Ploof 3-0—8, Speikers 0-0—0. Totals: 17-21—57.
MASCOMA (47) — Matner
0-0—0, McElroy 2-2—6, Waterman 1-1—3, Nestrant 0-0—0, Gould 4-1—10,
Braley 0-0—0, Findholt 0-0—0, Welenc 6-1—14, Evans 1-0—2, Pollard
3-3—10, Stearns 0-0—0, Cornell 1-0—2. Totals: 18-8—47.
Winnisquam (12-7) 10
8 12 14 13 — 57
Mascoma (11-8) 10
6 12 16 3 — 47
3-pointers: W-2
(Ploof 2), M-3 (Gould, Pollard, Welenc)
Class M boys' first round
No. 7 Winnisquam 57, No. 10 Mascoma 47, OT
The two teams were deadlocked at 30-30 and 44-44 at the end of the third and
fourth quarters, respectively. However, the overtime period belonged to the
Bears, as Mascoma (11-8) sent Winnisquam (12-7) guard Chuck Sullivan (11
points) to the line eight times. Sullivan would score 10 of his 11 points
during the overtime period, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw
line."We came down and scored the first points of overtime and then they started
putting us on the line," said Winnisquam Coach Jim Belair. "Chucky
(Sullivan) stepped it up in overtime for sure."Mascoma forced Winnisquam to shoot from the outside in the games opening quarters. The Bears failed in their attempts from the outside, keeping the game close."They (Mascoma) knew they didn't have anyone with any substantial size up front and they forced us to keep it outside," Belair said. "We just weren't hitting our shots early.Both teams stepped it up in the third and fourth quarters, with the edge going to Mascoma. The Royals garnered a five-point lead with 3:22 remaining in the final quarter before the Bears turned it up."We picked up the defensive pressure and started to hit our shots," Belair said. "They're a young team, they panicked, and we took advantage."Winnisquam outscored the Royals 13-3 in the overtime period, propelling the Bears to the Class M quarterfinal at Plymouth State on Sunday. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m.
