Sitting inside one of the many locker rooms buried in the bowels of Lundholm Gymnasium, the Manchester Central boys basketball team did as it usually does following a game Thursday, March 15.

Coaches talked and players listened. Players talked and coaches listened. The Little Green’s post-game discussion has been known to teach outsiders awaiting its conclusion a lesson in patience, regardless of that particular game’s significance.

Certainly, that night’s contest was important. And so was the team meeting.

Savoring their final moments as a squad following a 52-49 loss to No. 3 Trinity in the Class L semifinals, the secondseeded Little Green emerged from their dressing room nearly 30 minutes after the ref’s whistle signaled the end to their season.

The two-time defending state champs, in great position to challenge for a third straight crown after shooting 68 percent from the field en route to a 38- 21 halftime lead, faltered late.

They scored 11 second-half points to the Pioneers’ 31 and hit zero field goals in the fourth quarter, when Trinity exploded for 19 points.

“That was the best half of shooting I’ve seen in my life,” Trinity coach David Keefe said of Central’s performance in the first two periods. “So that’s a lot of credit to those kids. But some kids would have folded, and I said there is no way with the season that we had that we’re going to fold.”

Trinity didn’t, and, facing a little pressure and some cold outside shooting, Central watched as all the success it enjoyed in the first half turned into frustration in the second.

The collapse, however, stemmed primarily from two of Central’s biggest problems during the season – rebounding and foul shooting – as the Little Green missed all six of its free throws with under five minutes to play and couldn’t seem to convert a put-back when necessary.

That opened the door for Trinity, which closed the game on a 12-0 run to capture its first finals appearance since 1985. It also closed the door on the Central locker room, which for the first time since 2004 wasn’t home to a championship plaque.

“We spent time in the locker room thanking the seniors. We had three senior starters and another two off the bench, and two of the three starters didn’t see the light of day on our team last year,” said Central coach Dave “Doc” Wheeler, referring to starters Will Brooks and Hooksett native Bill Statires. “That’s the first thing we do after the last game.

We thank the seniors for their effort and the example they set for the younger kids.”

Despite the heartbreaking finish, that example surely won’t be lost. In addition to Brooks and Statires, who scored 16 and six points, respectively, Central also rode the strength of Hooksett native Josh Last all season, including Thursday.

The 6-foot-4 guard hit two of his team’s four three-pointers – Statires knocked down the other two – and hit its only two free throws in the fourth quarter to finish with 12 points.

That production will surely be missed next season, along with Central’s other seniors, George Maclellan and Brandon Coutts.

But it’s the things box scores don’t measure, the “work ethic, the leadership, the communication skills,” Wheeler said, that the coaches hope the returning players picked up.

Hooksett native and junior forward Michael Stys, who matched classmate J.J. Jackson’s six points in the semifinals, will need to prove that next year when Central looks to improve upon its 18-3 record.

If it can, that may mean a fifth straight berth in Class L’s final four, a shot for its 18th state title and a reason to make that postgame meeting another long – but joyous – one.