Pelham entered the Class I boys basketball finale with a 21-1 record, but it was six-loss Portsmouth that once again proved superior, pulling away late to secure a 61-48 victory on Saturday, March 14, at the University of New Hampshire.

The Clippers, after all, were the lone group in the last five years to win in the Pythons’ gymnasium. They snapped the locals’ 37-game home winning streak with a 54-53 decision on Jan. 2, 2008.

They were also the only ones to knock off Pelham this season, delivering a 66-60 Seacoast setback on Jan. 6.

Though the Pythons exacted revenge on Feb. 3 with a 51-42 home triumph, Pelham head coach Todd Kress was admittedly concerned after watching the sixth-seeded Clippers post double-digit defeats of the state’s No. 3 and No. 2 seeds, Oyster River and Pembroke Academy, respectively.

“Portsmouth, right now, is the team that everybody all summer long, all fall long and all preseason said they were going to be … Everybody they’ve gone up against in the tournament now realizes this is the team to beat. This is the team everyone feared,” said Kress following his team’s 56-54 semifinal victory over Laconia on March 11.

“They’re the team that causes us the most problems because their size isn’t just big size, it’s athletic size. They can get out on the floor, they can play great defense … They’re going to be a hungry team that wants their state championship.”

Yet even with star guard Justin Hojlo playing with an injured thumb, shooting 3-for-16 and scoring 10 points – 18 below his average – the Pythons managed to trade blows with the Clippers for three and a half quarters.