Pembroke News : basketball

Pembroke one of three top seeds to fall to state champion Portsmouth

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:55:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Last year, it took a stunning underdog effort for the Pembroke boys basketball team to reach the Class I semifinal round. This season, the secondseeded Spartans were expected to be there.

Unlike 2008, when No. 9 PA knocked off undefeated top seed Oyster River, it was the locals who were upset in this year’s tourney.

The Spartans lost, 58-48, to No. 6 Portsmouth, which also beat No. 3 Oyster River in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Pelham for the state title.

“Last year, we came in being the spoiler. It just feels different this year,” said head coach Matt Alosa. “Last year, you weren’t expecting us to beat Hanover (in the semis). I felt that this game, we had more of a chance to come back, even being down like we were, to come back and win.

“Everybody’s down. You know, nobody wants to lose, and this team knew they were championship quality,” he continued.

“They went out there and they fought, they left their heart on the court tonight, but ... we couldn’t get over that, eight-, 10-, 12-point point hump, and in the final four you’ve got to make some shots, and I just don’t think we had a typical Pembroke shooting night.”

Indeed, the Spartans, in both the second and fourth quarters, took some wind out of the Clippers’ sails, holding them scoreless for more than five minutes late in the first half, but time and time again the locals failed to take advantage.

Yes, they cut an 18-point third-quarter deficit to seven in the fourth, but that was the closest they came.

“In the second quarter we stopped them seven or eight times in a row, and we got nothing out of it,” said Alosa. “Tonight, I think the defense did a pretty good job. I just don’t think we finished on the break, I don’t think we finished the shots we normally make, and when you don’t do that with a team like Portsmouth, that’s running on all cylinders now, you’re going to have a tough time.”

Still, the fact PA has fallen in consecutive final four appearances carries with it this reality: the program is now among the best in Class I.

“That’s just it. We’re trying to have a program, not a team. Not a team one year that you get lucky and have some kids that are good. I think these kids have been developed now for three years, and you can kind of see the progression from my first year, second year, third year,” said Alosa. “We graduate five seniors – all of them play – so we’re going to be younger next year ... but I think you’ll see Pembroke in the mix. We’re trying to develop a program that can consistently get into the tournament, can consistently make noise and be competitive.”

The Spartans, who finished the year 19-2, will undoubtedly miss graduating floor general Tyler Yeaton and fellow seniors Nick Porter, Christian Davis and Pat McCormick, but plenty of talent is expected to run the PA floor next season, including the likely prolific backcourt duo of junior Sheldon Benson and sophomore Taylor Vasquez.

Others returning include juniors Brad Freeman, Dalton Cheney, Zach Cogswell and Jackson Riel, as well as freshmen Tyler Morrison and Kent Noyes.

Game notes
Grenier led the contest with 19 points. Nick Porter contributed 10 markers. Benson added six, and McCormack and Vasquez offered four apiece. Davis and Yeaton chipped in with three and two points, respectively.

Pembroke escapes quarterfinals with win against visiting Milford

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:38:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Pat McCormack made what his coach called “the worst possible play he could make.”

Then he redeemed himself.

McCormack committed a foul in the backcourt with his team clinging to a 54-53 lead with just 5.6 seconds remaining, but made two from the charity stripe after Milford’s Michael O’Loughlin missed his pair of shots, and Pembroke Academy snuck into the Class I semifinals with a 56-53 win.

Pembroke appeared in control of the game on Friday, March 6, taking a 51-43 lead with two minutes remaining. Milford battled back with multiple three-pointers in the final minute, including one that banked in, cutting the deficit to one.

With 8.3 seconds remaining, Taylor Vazquez rimmed out the front end of a one-in-one freethrow chance, leading to the McCormack foul.

“Our fate was in (O’Loughlin’s) hands,” said PA’s head coach, Matt Alosa, who called a timeout prior to the free-throw attempts. “We knew if he made both we were down one with enough time to drive to the basket. If he made one, we would have been even with the last shot and a chance to win it.”

After O’Loughlin misfired, McCormack was fouled and hit two of his own to give him 10 points and 14 rebounds and, more importantly, his team a three-point cushion. A desperation three-point attempt by Milford at the buzzer failed.

“We were fortunate enough to get out of there with a win,” said Alosa. “That last foul (by McCormack) had my heart rate up a bit, but he played an amazing game other than that one moment.”

Second-seeded Pembroke was scheduled to face number No. 4 Laconia on Wednesday, March 11. With a win, PA advances to the Class I title game against either Pelham or Portsmouth on Saturday, March 14, at the University of New Hampshire.

Tipoff is 2:30 p.m.

Milford jumped to a 14-3 lead in the opening period before Pembroke fought back to take a 27-26 halftime lead.

“I don’t think they were nervous,” said Alosa. “All it took was a possession or two and the next thing you know it’s 14-3. The most impressive part of the game was that they were able to come back from that.”

The Pembroke gymnasium was filled to capacity – and then some – with student sections from both schools standing throughout, creating an electric atmosphere.

“The last time I heard a gym that loud was when I was playing,” said Alosa. “There were times when you couldn’t hear the whistles. It was so loud you could feel it.”

Jon Grenier led all Pembroke scorers with 15 points, while Nick Porter, like McCormack, netted 10 points.

The game wasn’t without last-second drama, but the Spartans survived.

“When (O’Loughlin) was shooting those free throws, it was the first time we didn’t have control of that game in the second half,” said Alosa. “That was a lot of pressure. Thank goodness he missed them.”

Pembroke Academy continues its rise in win over struggling Stark

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:40:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

On a night when the Pembroke Academy boys basketball team was ice cold shooting from the outside, head coach Matt Alosa couldn’t help but think of warmer days in March.

Despite shooting 12 percent from beyond the threepoint arc, the Spartans managed a 56-45 victory against John Stark on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at NHTI, Concord’s Community College.

Following a 75-60 victory against Bedford on Saturday, Feb. 14, and a 59-46 triumph over Merrimack Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Spartans improved to 15-1, leaving Alosa with the hope his charges are about to play their best basketball.

“Whoever wins (the Class I championship) needs to be hot at the beginning of March,” said Alosa. “You can catch anyone when you’re having a bad night, and that’s when you lose.”

Despite the poor longrange shooting, the Spartans still hit 40 percent overall after shooting 31 percent during the first half. At the break, PA led by four points, 23-19.

“Turnovers and missed free throws really hurt us,” said Stark’s head coach, Mike Smith, whose team was 17-for- 29 – roughly 59 percent – from the charity stripe. “Pembroke is a very hard team to match up with because they’re so athletic. They took us out of a lot of the things we wanted to do.”

Despite its 10th loss, John Stark remains in the hunt for a playoff spot. Smith answered quickly when asked how many wins his team needs to sneak into the tournament.

“Seven wins should be good enough to get in,” he said. “We’ve got a steep road ahead. We’ve played everyone in the division close, and everyone we have left is going to play us tough. We have to win three out of four, and it’s not impossible for this team.”

On Friday, Feb. 13, John Stark hosted 7-7 Plymouth Regional in what Smith called a “must win.” His team responded, cruising to its fifth victory, 71-42.

But the team absorbed another setback after a 79-72 loss to 10-5 Milford on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Lebanon, with a doubledigit victory total, visits next on Friday, Feb. 20. Stark’s regular season ends at Kearsarge Regional, another of a handful of squads seeking the 16th, and final, spot in the postseason.

In the game versus John Stark, Pembroke’s Jonathan Grenier, Sheldon Benson and Christian Davis all scored in double figures, with Grenier’s 17 points leading the group.

Taylor Vazquez led PA against Bedford with 19 points. Kevin LeBlond’s 18 points paced the Generals against Pembroke, while Nick Campono dropped in 11 markers.

Alosa said his team has four scorers averaging in double figures this season, with a fifth hovering around nine points per game, and that makes the Spartans a difficult foe in the tournament.

“We don’t have just one guy. It’ll be a different guy every night, and you never know who that will be,” said Alosa. “That’ll be important in the playoffs. Rarely do you have a whole team not shooting the ball well in one night.”

Pembroke Academy’s young roster filled with hard workers, quick learners

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:15:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

She can teach them the fundamentals – how to pass, box out, defend and shoot. But neither Rose Galligan nor any other coach can teach hustle.

Luckily for her, the Pembroke girls basketball team is flush with just such a necessary tendency.

So even though the Lady Spartans lack experience, Galligan believes they have a legitimate chance to win most games they play.

“I think we’re going to be competitive, and I think we’ve already made great strides from the first game,” she said.

PA has competed twice this season, winning the first contest against Merrimack Valley, 41-38, then dropping game two, 47-44, to Bow.

“We haven’t shot the ball particularly well, but we have a lot of speed and just need to take the time to work out the kinks,” Galligan continued. “I still think I have the top player in the state, but the challenge is getting all the girls to work around her.”

That player, senior standout Alex Hall, enters her second season at Pembroke after transferring from Trinity.

“She’s a great role model … a great teammate who loves working with the other kids,” said Galligan of Hall, who scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Bow. “As talented as she is, I give a lot of credit to her parents because she’s a great individual, too.”

Though the Lady Spartans finished last December with a winning record, they struggled at times through January and February and missed the final playoff spot.

This year, Galligan hopes Hall can lead the locals to the postseason.

Hall’s classmate and co-captain, Mollie Griggs, contributes with solid play and a knack for motivation and communication. When sharp-shooting sophomore Alesha Girard is hot, such as in the season-opener when she led the team with 12 points, Pembroke can win most contests. When she’s cold, such as the Bow game, when the team produced an 18-for-72 performance from the field, the Lady Spartans struggle.

Sophomore guards Marissa Letendre, a 10-point contributor against Merrimack Valley, and Sarah Chouinard play well up top and have already shown a knack for stringent defense. Chouinard, for example, made three steals and grabbed nine rebounds vs. Bow.

Paige Bilodeau, a transfer from Bishop Brady, is still learning the new system, but Galligan expects her to contribute with greater frequency as the season progresses, and 5-foot-11 sophomore Sarah Kelley locks down the inside from her starting position at center. Sophomore Sarah Vien and junior Danielle Blanchette, who scored 10 points against Merrimack Valley, have also exhibited an aggressive style underneath the basket.

Freshman Hannah Pinard and sophomores Briana Austin and Jocelyn Cray round out the young varsity roster.

Pembroke cagers, last year’s semifinalists, seek next level in ’09

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:12:00 GMT

BY MARK PETERSON

A roster full of experience and talent has Pembroke Academy believing it can make another run to the Class I boys basketball semifinals – and beyond.

With a lineup that’s almost entirely upperclassmen, the PA coaching staff is confident every player enters the season gameready.

“We’re going to have 11 players that can come in and help us out … at any time, which is pretty unheard of in high school basketball,” said Dave Segal, PA’s assistant head coach. “A lot of people are talking about us as being one of the top four teams in the state along with Pelham, Portsmouth and Laconia. So I hope that’s true.”

The Spartans must replace productive guards Justin Muniz and Drou Goff, as well as sixth man Matt Lavoie. Yet Segal and head coach Matt Alosa are confident yesterday’s role players can become today’s stars.

“We’ve lost three key players from last year’s team. However, we’ve been able to fill those gaps pretty easily,” said Segal.

The coaches expect sophomore Taylor Vazquez to see an increased amount of playing time this season at various positions on the floor.

“Vazquez has improved tremendously over last year,” said Segal. “Taylor’s going to open some eyes out there for us this year.”

Along with experience, size is on Pembroke’s side this season, with 6-foot-6 senior Tyler Yeaton expected to anchor the center position for the Spartans. He offers a strong interior defensive presence and was consistently among the team’s top scorers in games last season.

Yeaton should spend nights flirting with double-double statistics, as he did in last season’s Class I semifinal game against Hanover, when he scored eight points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Yeaton was a key reason the Spartans remained competitive against a Marauders team that outsized PA everywhere else on the floor.

Seniors Jon Grenier and Nick Porter were among the most likely candidates to be named team captains. Porter is in line to start at forward, along with junior Sheldon Benson.

The rest of the roster includes seniors Christian Davis and Pat McCormack; juniors Coleton Neely, Jackson Riel, Dalton Cheney, Zach Cogswell and Brad Freeman; and freshman Tyler Morrison.

The Spartans begin their season with a home date against Hanover on Tuesday, Dec. 16. It’s a chance to avenge last year’s semifinal loss, during which PA stormed back from an 18-point second-half deficit, closing to two points before falling by eight.

PA also visits Bishop Brady on Friday, Dec. 19, then hosts Plymouth Regional on Monday, Dec. 22, before taking a Christmas break.

Pembroke Academy comeback not quite enough for a finals appearance

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:11:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Hanover coach Tim Winslow and his defending state champion Marauders thought they were seeing double most of the second half.

With his team ahead, 37- 19, early in the third quarter of the March 5 Class I semifinal against upstart No. 9 Pembroke, Winslow said he assumed his fourth-seeded squad was well on its way to the title game.

The pesky Spartans had a different idea, however, forcing fans to wait until the final seconds before the outcome was determined.

The Marauders won, 56- 48, but they’ll likely see visions of Pembroke green in their sleep for weeks.

After failing to score the first several minutes of the second half and watching Hanover extend its lead to 18 points with a 6-0 run, Pembroke, led by the up-tempo play of senior guard Justin Muniz, scored the next eight points – and 26 of the next 34.

“We were just getting in each other’s heads, trying to psych each other up,” said Muniz of the second-half run. “The feeling is so hard to describe. You’ve just got everything in your body pumping, and you just want to go a thousand miles (per hour).”

For those on the Hanover bench, it was obvious the Spartans had indeed shifted into overdrive.

“The thing that makes Pembroke great is it seems like they have seven players on the floor, and that’s what you want,” said Winslow. “You want your defense to make it seem like there’s more than five jerseys out there, and that’s what they did in the second half.”

The Spartans also shut down 6-foot-4 Class I player of the year candidate Casey Maue, who entered the contest averaging more than 19 points per game. He scored nine points in the semifinal matchup.

“They contested everything,” said Winslow. “Every time Casey went to the basket there was someone right there, and they made him work to earn everything.”

The Spartans came all the way back, bringing the score to 47-45 and then 49-47 with under three minutes remaining in the contest.

At that point, the game became a free-throw shooting contest. While the locals shot 1-for-4 from the charity stripe in the last two minutes, their opponents went 5-for-8.

“We’ve got to make those free throws, and maybe a couple of those shots that we made against Oyster River didn’t go down, but we got good looks, and if we tie the game or go ahead, maybe it’s a different result,” said PA coach Matt Alosa, who added his squad wouldn’t have been in that position without its frantic full-court press.

“We go on spurts. We don’t do it all the time, but when we need it, it’s there for us. We pressed from the beginning, but it wasn’t as aggressive as (in the second half),” added Alosa. “We had to turn it up because otherwise they were going to beat us by 20.”

While each player contributed on defense, there was no presence more noticeable than junior Tyler Yeaton.

With the Spartans facing a team that outsized them at nearly every position, Alosa said he knew the 6-foot-5, athleticallybuilt center had to play well if the Spartans were going to compete. Yeaton pulled in 10 rebounds, netted eight points and garnered six steals.

“Those Hanover guys are pretty spectacular. To tell you the truth I just tried to keep my hands up and stay out of foul trouble,” said Yeaton, who laughed about a sore hip and limp created by one too many meetings with the hardwood floor.

And Muniz, of course, was invaluable to both the game’s and season’s success, said Alosa. “Muniz is our heart and soul. The way he goes, we go, and they follow him,” said the coach. “We just try to ride him with his defense and heart and handling the ball. He’s just tenacious.”

Now, the Spartans must move forward without their spark plug, as well as his backcourt mate, Drou Goff, and sixth man Matt Lavoie, each instrumental in the postseason run.

Even in defeat, the experience will do nothing but benefit the young squad, said Alosa. “The kids who played, and even the kids who didn’t play, Hanover is so composed, and that comes from experience, and I think that experience, for us, is huge,” he said. “We’ll have a little bit of a different team next year, but we’ve got a lot of kids who you haven’t even seen this year that are going to get a chance next year, and I think we’ll be back.”

Game notes
Goff dropped in 13 points, and Muniz contributed 10. Guards Jon Grenier, a junior, and Sheldon Benson, a sophomore, each contributed six to the scoreboard, and freshman Taylor Vazquez added five points.

Pembroke shocks unbeaten Oyster River

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:50:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

The Pembroke Spartans, a squad that failed in four regular-season opportunities to beat a team ranked higher in the standings, slew topseeded Oyster River, Class I’s lone undefeated squad, in the quarterfinals of the state basketball tournament.

The 45-44 win was a huge step forward for the program, said Matt Alosa, who a week earlier acknowledged his hoopsters were winning the games they should but had yet to earn a marquee victory.

“I could sense it a little bit... we had focus, you know,” said PA’s head coach. “We didn’t have the best record (12-6), but we had the best defensive team in the state in terms of points allowed. I thought we matched up well with Oyster River size-wise, guard-wise. They have a lot of guards. They spread. We spread … I was excited, and I thought if we could win a game, it would be tonight.”

Oyster River’s coach was more to the point. “It’s pretty easy to go out there and shoot shots when you’ve got nothing to lose and nobody expects you to be there. It’s a whole different story when everyone expects you to win,” said Don Maynard.“They did exactly what we thought they were going to do. They just did it better than us.”

At halftime, the squads were locked in an 18-18 defensive battle. Neither team made a move until the fourth quarter. Midway through the period, the favorites opened a 39-34 lead and looked poised to add to it, but turned the ball over on a traveling call.

Pembroke senior guard Drou Goff responded with a three-pointer.

With Oyster River becoming visibly tense as the seconds ticked off the game clock, Goff hit another trey with just under two minutes to play.

After a quick response by the Bobcats, sixth-man Matt Lavoie drained a three – his fourth of the day – from right in front of his bench, and the Pembroke cheering section behind him went nuts.

Trailing, 45-43, Oyster River called a timeout to regroup.

After the Bobcats missed a three-pointer and a putback, Zachary Benuck went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game. He missed the first attempt and made the second.

Goff was then fouled but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Oyster River took the ball back with less than 15 seconds left and called its final timeout.

Goff redeemed himself, though, knocking the ball loose shortly after Oyster River’s inbound pass and diving for it to prevent an Oyster River recovery.

By the time teammate Jon Grenier took control of the ball, the buzzer had sounded, and Pembroke was headed to the semifinals, which were scheduled for Wednesday, March 5.

“I’m speechless right now,” said Lavoie. “Playoffs are just about going on runs. Right now we’re the underdogs, and we’re running.”

Three days earlier, in the preliminary round, the Spartans avenged a 19-point regular- season-ending setback to Laconia, winning on the road, 57-48, on Thursday, Feb. 28.

For Bow coach Chris Gaudreau, on the outside looking in, the victory was no surprise to anyone privy to Class I basketball.

“That’s a tough situation from Laconia’s perspective, to beat a team like Pembroke like that and feel confident, then turn around and play that team right away again,” said Gaudreau, whose 10-8 squad lost, 55-48 and 58-36, to PA earlier this season.

“Pembroke had the mental edge knowing they played poorly the first time and had the opportunity to change things around and get instant revenge.”

Game notes
Against Oyster River, Lavoie led the Spartans in scoring with 12 points. Grenier and Goff each netted 10, and Sheldon Benson offered six points. Grenier, Benson and Tyler Yeaton each added four rebounds.

PA coach says bad loss a ‘blip’ before playoffs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:56:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Three nights after visiting Lebanon snapped the Pembroke boys basketball team’s four-game winning streak with a 55-40 thumping, the Spartans resumed their winning ways by taking their anger out on winless Merrimack Valley.

While the 65-33 victory on Monday, Feb. 18, was nice, coach Matt Alosa was the first to acknowledge that his 11-5 squad has spent the season beating up on teams it should dominate – while coming up short against the top teams in Class I.

The Spartans have four wins against projected playoff teams Bow, Kearsarge and Monadnock, but they’re 0-3 against teams ahead of them in the standings. Still, they are nearing their goal of hosting a first-round playoff game.

Alosa's hoopsters are currently eighth in the Class I standings, with 8-8 Kearsarge scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20, and 10- 6 Laconia slated for Thursday, Feb. 21, and he said he hopes to regain and maintain momentum headed into the postseason.

“Right now, we’re just getting ready for the playoffs and trying to get everyone healthy and playing the best they can for March,” said Alosa. “Except for the blip against Lebanon, we are right on track.”

On the subject of health, Pembroke received some unexpected – and good – news.

Junior guard Christian Davis, listed in Friday night’s program as out for the season with a fractured wrist, will likely return next week after finding his injury is nothing more than a severe sprain.

While Davis fills a reserve role for the guard-laden Spartans, Alosa said experience is a necessary component for winning in the playoffs.

In addition to Davis, sixth man Matt Lavoie and freshman standout Taylor Vazquez come off the bench to spell seniors Justin Muniz and Drou Goff, who each average double-figure points.

“With the way we run, (Muniz and Goff) need help. They can’t play it the whole game,” said Alosa. “We go four or five guards deep, which definitely helps when we get into some tough situations.”

Though the Spartans can keep pace with anyone in Class I, Alosa said it is their defense that keeps games tight against teams such as John Stark and Portsmouth, both 15-2 and likely the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the playoffs.

Pembroke lost to Portsmouth, 42-37, on Jan. 4 and suffered a 69- 67 setback to Stark on Jan. 11. But if they get too far behind, teams like 13-4 Lebanon take advantage by slowing the pace down, as was the case on Friday, Feb. 15.

After falling into a first-quarter, 18-8 hole against the Raiders, the Spartans drew to within six by halftime, 28-22.

But they came out of the locker room flat, failing to score in the first five minutes of the third quarter before absorbing the 15- point loss.

Lavoie led Pembroke in scoring with 10 points, Goff dropped in nine, Jon Grenier offered eight, and Vasquez contributed seven points in the losing effort.

For now, PA boys just short of Class I’s top teams

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:19:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

They were right there.

Hosting one of the state’s most formidable squads, 6-1 John Stark, the Spartans were tied at 67-all on Friday, Jan. 12, with under 10 seconds remaining on the game clock.

But they allowed Stark’s Ben Titcomb to sink a 15-foot jumper with six seconds remaining, and then Drou Goff’s three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.

And the 4-3 Spartans were left stuck in Class I boys basketball’s version of purgatory – able to hang with the best, but still missing that marquee win indicative of a true contender.

Pembroke’s other losses also came at home to perennial powers St. Thomas Aquinas, 63-58 on Dec. 21, and Portsmouth, 42-37 on Jan. 4.

“I’m trying to establish them as an upper-level Class I team, and we just have to continue playing like we did tonight and be in games,” said second-year head coach Matt Alosa, adding that the field is wide open right now, giving his team a legitimate chance come playoffs in March. “At the end of the year, maybe we can host a tournament game … We’re trying to end up in the top echelon of six, seven, eight teams.”

Despite facing John Stark’s full-court press the entire evening, the Spartans committed just six turnovers. The game included 37 lead changes or ties, including 18 in the first quarter when the squads combined for 51 points.

“John Stark played really well tonight,” said Alosa. “We tried to make kids that don’t normally make shots for them make them, and they did that. To me that’s all you can ask.”

Senior Justin Muniz led the Spartans in scoring with 15 points, followed by fellow guards Jon Grenier, Goff and Taylor Vazquez, 13 points each, and Nick Porter, who contributed 11.

Stark coach Mike Smith said the Spartans’ backcourt is as good as any in the state, something that caused his defense to struggle like it hadn’t all season.

“Both teams shot the ball phenomenally. I don’t think I’ve seen a game where both teams shot the ball this well in a long time,” said Smith. “… Both teams were getting in the way a little bit defensively, but I think anytime our offenses created open shots for people, they knocked them down.”

Addition of transfer gives Pembroke something extra

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:42:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

If the Pembroke girls basketball team is to succeed this year, a talented transfer may be a key component.

And that’s just fine with head coach Rose Galligan, who said new addition Alex Hall may be the best girls basketball player she’s seen take the court at PA.

“What doesn’t she do? I mean, she does it all,” said Galligan. “She plays defense. She shoots. She passes. She controls the ball. She’s just a great allaround player.”

And while the Lady Spartans are instantly better with Hall clad in green, Galligan admits that for her team to make a run in Class I, those playing alongside the junior standout will have to contribute as well.

“Last year, this team played solid defense, but struggled with ball control and shot quality.

With Alex around, I think that’s already started changing, and I’m just hoping to improve as the season goes along,” said the mentor. “I’ve already seen that improvement in the first three weeks of practice, but we’re going to need to see these other kids step up because obviously (Hall) is going to see a lot of attention.”

In fact, Galligan said her new star was double- and sometimes triple-teamed throughout Pembroke’s first contest, a 59-29 setback at Lebanon.

Those whom Hall will look to pass the ball to in tough spots include senior center Faye Lesniewski, who Galligan said posts up well and has a solid outside jump shot; senior Kaitie Scofield, who returns after two injury-plagued campaigns that kept her scrappy defense off the floor; and Samantha Boisvert, a senior sharpshooter who complements her three-point accuracy with above-average passing skills.

Senior Lisa Swanson and juniors Mollie Griggs and Charissa Elwell are each expected to see significant playing time, as will sophomore newcomers Danielle Blanchette and Sara Chevrette.

Others representing the Lady Spartans include freshmen Alesha Girard, Sarah Vien and Marissa Letendre.

“They’re all going to contribute,” said the coach. “It’s just a matter of getting the right mix together and getting them used to playing with someone this talented.”

No matter the final results, however, Galligan is hoping her team will enjoy the experience as much as she will.

“This is a good group of kids,” said Galligan. “They’re all hard workers, and they’re all fun to be around.”