BY MATT STOUT
Following the Concord boys basketball team’s 7-12 season, if it wasn’t one thing, coach Todd Steffanides said, it was another that so often spelled defeat for the Tide.
A sluggish start, a flat finish, too few rebounds or too many turnovers bit the Crimson Tide at various times this year.
On Thursday, March 8, in the team’s 55-39 loss to Nashua South in the first round of the Class L state tournament, it was an odd mix of nearly all those things, plus an Achilles injury to senior captain Dana Brearley during warm-ups, that led to Concord’s sixth straight first-round exit.
“I think there have been some inconsistencies at times,” Steffanides said following the loss to South, which also defeated Concord, 48-44, during the regular season. “And you can’t play like that in Class L because there are a lot of good teams, and they’re going to capitalize on those lapses during those times in the games.
“It’s something we worked out,” he continued, “but tonight, we weren’t able to limit Nashua South’s runs, and they were certainly able to capitalize on our mistakes.”
Playing a possession-oriented offense similar to 15-6 South’s, Concord began slowly, going down 9-0, then faltered late.
After South’s Matt Feehan hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third to make it 39-34, the momentum-less Tide went exactly six minutes without a point, notching only five in the fourth frame.
Three turnovers in the final three minutes didn’t help matters, either, but by that time, the Panthers hit 10 of 13 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
One of the few bright spots in the loss, however, was Tim LaVallee, who notched 17 points and hit 5-of-5 three-pointers. The senior guard continually kept Concord close, especially in the third quarter when he scored eight points, helping the Tide cut an 11-point deficit to two points.
But soon after, Feehan’s game-changing three from deep in the corner next to the South bench spelled the beginning of the end for Concord.
“That was a dagger,” Steffanides said. “We kind of dropped things into a 1-3-1 (zone) to try to mix it up for a possession, and credit Nashua South. They stay poised, and they waited for their opportunity, and they made the most of their opportunities tonight.”
Seniors Ryan Scura and Zach Carey added eight and six points, respectively, in their final game for Concord, and will be joined at graduation this year by David Stickney, who had four points; Andrew Black, who had two; Matt Ouellette; Tyler Massey; LaVallee and Brearley.