Concord News : basketball

Second-half push sends powerful Salem past winless Concord in Class L Basketball

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:09:00 GMT

CONCORD – The Concord High School girls basketball team was “hungry” for its first win of the season, but Salem High School wasn’t letting that get in the way of its fast start to the year, cruising to a 63-47 road victory.

Concord kept the contest on Friday, Jan. 25, within shouting distance into the halftime break, but the Blue Devils pulled away to improve to 9-1 on the season.

Amanda Saab turned in a solid game for the visiting Blue Devils, playing especially well in the final quarter to push the Salem lead to as many as 23. Despite playing a winless opponent, Salem head coach Elizabeth Briggs said her team faced a tough task.

“It was a battle tonight. They’re hungry, and I was impressed by how they played that third quarter,” she said. “In the second quarter we sat back and our defensive effort was lacking, and we let them back into it. In the third quarter we were on a mission to come out with intensity and work harder.”

Saab scored six points in the fourth, including a breakaway layup that pushed the Blue Devil lead to its peak.

“(Amanda Saab) really took over the fourth and made a difference,” said Concord head coach *** Pratt. “She’s a nice player. She’s a difference maker, and she really was one in this game.”

Concord’s closest margin of loss this season has been 11 points, leading to the Crimson Tide’s current 0-10 record.

“They were 0-9 coming in, but they were scary as heck,” said Briggs. “We were certainly not overlooking Concord. We maintained the lead with some key subs, and were able to come out with a win.”

Kelsi Record and Sarah Raye came off the bench to play well on both ends of the floor for Salem. Pratt said his team has not been pushing harder than usual in an attempt to come out with its first win.

“Downstairs I told them that the word upset was invented for a reason. We go in there thinking we can win. We made mistakes of an inexperienced team. They are an experienced team, and they converted,” said Pratt.

“Every game is a new game, and our record is immaterial. It doesn’t change anything, and it doesn’t raise our panic level.” The Crimson Tide, following a 67-44 loss at 8-3 Merrimack on Tuesday, Jan. 29, continues the search for victory hosting twowin Spaulding on Friday, Feb. 1.

Hall call – NHTI’s Hogan earns induction into Plymouth State H of F

Bow Editor — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:20:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

When the house Paul Hogan grew up in became part of the Plymouth State campus, he seemed destined to be a part of the school. On Sept. 30, he becomes a part of the school’s history.

Hogan, now the men’s basketball coach and athletics director at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, awaits induction into the Plymouth State Athletic Hall of Fame following eight successful seasons with the school. He will be enshrined in the 23rd annual induction ceremony at the Hall of Fame Banquet on Sunday, Sept. 30, at Plymouth State University.

After growing up in Plymouth along with eight other brothers and sisters, Hogan attended the school, where his father was a professor.

During his sophomore year, he served as the head coach for Plymouth Junior High School’s baseball, soccer and football programs, something he said helped set him up for a successful career.

“I knew I wanted to coach when I was in eighth or ninth grade,” he said. “The reality is that all the things you do along the way amount and account for something. You try to learn from each step. I was with some great people.”

After a whirlwind five years from 1985-90 that included teaching, assistant coaching and going back to school for his masters, Hogan was named Plymouth State’s head men’s basketball coach in June 1990.

Hogan, known to many for his accomplishments with college students, also hosts numerous camps to teach younger athletes basketball, something that always impressed his former assistant coach James Carey.

“He is able to have success at any level with any type of kid. He used to go from elementary physical education to coaching college kids, and work with those two different extreme levels and really draw the most out of them,” said Carey. “It’s because he treats people with such respect, and he draws the most out of people because of the relationships he develops with them.”

The pair worked together for three years and developed a close friendship. Carey said Hogan had a tremendous impact on his coaching career. Carey is currently at Plymouth Regional High School, where he serves as a physical education teacher and boys basketball coach.

“He’s a great mentor of mine, and he has been the most important person to me and my coaching career and philosophy. He’s really helped me develop through playing and working with him. It was a great learning experience,” he said.

Dave Levesque, who was recruited out of high school by Hogan to play at Plymouth State, said it was the coach’s attitude toward players that has made him so successful.

“He let players play and was honest with them. He took an interest in their lives outside of basketball. He was always asking what he could do to help after graduation,” said Levesque. “As a coach he knows how to work in the whole scheme of the team aspect. He treats all of his players as family, which is a lost art today.”

After moving to NHTI in 1999, Hogan has collected successes as both coach and athletics director. His men’s basketball team won the 2005 USCAA Division-II National Championship.

Hogan said his style of coaching has changed through the years.

“At this point in my career I am probably a lot more relaxed,” he said with a laugh. “If you saw me a few years ago, I was probably a lot more animated.”

More of the same – CHS drops in opening round, again

Bow Editor — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 20:50:00 GMT

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.