Plenty of spectators wanted to witness an intra-city basketball battle between Manchester West and Trinity, but not everyone could.

A large group of fans was shut out of a filled-to-capacity Trinity High School gymnasium, unable to watch the top-seeded Pioneers overcome a hot start by the eighth-ranked Blue Knights to win, 55-41, on Saturday, March 14, in a Class L boys quarterfinal contest.

West jumped to an 11-2 lead, thanks in part to two fouls in the first four minutes by Pioneer standout Jordan Laguerre, but Trinity gathered itself and eventually pulled away to victory.

The Pioneers advanced to play 12th-seeded Alvirne at the University of New Hampshire during the state semifinal scheduled for Wednesday, March 18.

Cormac Fitzpatrick’s hot shooting helped Trinity grab momentum back, as the Hooksett resident overcame tight defense to hit five three-pointers en route to 16 points.

Fitzpatrick’s biggest shot came just before the halftime buzzer when he nailed a fadeaway three, sending his team into the locker room with a 39- 26 lead.

“They played a tough zone and I started off 0-for-4,” said Fitzpatrick. “You almost have to be arrogant at times, knowing that they’ll start going in. Lucky for me my teammates kept getting me the ball.”

Laguerre was controlled most of the contest but still managed 14 points in the victory, including his 1,000th career point on a free throw with 1:23 remaining in the contest.

The Blue Knights advanced to face the Pioneers after a 40- 39 win in the preliminary round against Nashua South, and firstyear head coach Sam Carey’s team far exceeded the three-win mark it reached all of last season.

“The wins alone explain the biggest difference between this year and last year,” said Carey, whose squad ended the campaign at 12-8. “We set a precedent for incoming kids that they need to be ready to play.”

Carey’s team began the season with 13 players on the roster, but by the end of the regular season and beginning of the playoffs, the Blue Knights suited up just three to four bench players.

“I think Trinity has athletes, and we got tired as the game went on,” said Carey. “(The short bench) has been like that all year, and we’ve just made do.”

Connor McInerny played with a face shield after suffering a broken nose late in the regular season, leading all West scorers with 10 points.

Andrew Klimm added eight points in West’s loss, while Syla Besfort, Samy Abdalla and Jared Swiggard each chipped in six points.