PHS trio leads rout
Spaulding boys rally in fourth for win
PORTSMOUTH - The Portsmouth High School girls basketball team welcomed undefeated Salem to Stone Gymnasium on Friday night in a Division I battle, and the Clippers sent the Blue Devils home with its first loss of the season.
Led by 17 points from Avery Romps, 15 from Margaret Montplaisir and 10 from Bridget Emery, the Clippers defeated Salem, 54-32.
Portsmouth is now 3-1 on the season, while Salem is 4-1.
Salem jumped out to an 8-2 advantage, but Portsmouth went on a 52-24 run to end the game.
"It took a while, but started knocking some stuff down, and once we did, it gave us a chance to breathe a little bit," Portsmouth head coach Tim Hopley said.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Exeter 55
Central 50
EXETER - Sophomore Anna McGuinness's 17 points helped the Blue Hawks to this Division I win.
Freshman Lexy Rogers added nine points for Exetrer, while senior Ari Pompeo had 12 rebounds, junior Grace Weed had six assists, and junior Karli Scherpf had five steals.
Concord 52
Spaulding 14
CONCORD - Gabby Couture and Meagan Uraskevich each had four points for Spaulding, which scored three points in the second half of this Division I game.
Oyster River 46
Bishop Brady 31
NASHUA – Caitlyn Klein had 12 points and Wren Horne had 10 for Oyster River (5-0) in this Division II win.
Olivia Anderson added seven points for the Bobcats, and Vivian O'Quinn had six.
St. Thomas Aquinas 59 Belmont 26
BELMONT - Emilie von der Linden's career-high 20 points, to go with her 12 rebounds, led St. Thomas Aquinas (6-1) to this Division III win on the road
Genna Bolduc added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Saints, while Emma Toriello had 11 points, and Meg Leahy had five.
Berlin 49 Somersworth 16 SOMERSWORTH - Cayla Gonzalez, Jaiden Timmons, Kaylee Merrifield, Dominique Boles, and Leah Peña all played well in this Division III loss for the Hilltoppers.
Newmarket 50 Portsmouth Christian Academy 37 NEWMARKET - Amaya Beckles had 17 points and Jillian Long had 13 for Newmarket in its Division IV win.
BOYS BASKETBALL
St. Thomas Aquinas 68 Belmont 35
DOVER – Freshman Cole McClure's game-high 20 points helped St. Thomas Aquinas improve to 6-1 with this Division III win.
St. Thomas raced out to a 33-8 lead at intermission.
“That defensive effort in the first half was impressive,” STA coach Dave Morissette said. “It really set the tone for the rest of the night.”
Senior Will Mollica added 18 points for the Saints, while James Allen had nine.
Portsmouth 73
Salem 69
PORTSMOUTH - Sophomore Ryan Swartz had team-highs in points (15) and rebounds (nine) for Portsmouth in its Division I win.
Isaiah Reis had 13 points for the Clippers, while Miles de Iongh had 12 points and eight points. Cote Bellaud added 10 points in the win, and Jackson Jones had nine.
Spaulding 58
Concord 52
ROCHESTER – The Red Raiders scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring Concord by 23 in the final eight minutes and pulling out this Division I win.
“Very proud of the guys tonight,” Spaulding head coach Lorne Lucas said. “Our kids came out and pressured fullcourt and hit several big shots.”
Spaulding's Paul Butler scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, while teammate Marcel Rose had 10 of his 20 points in the final quarter.
Exeter 71
Central 60
MANCHESTER – Jack Cartwright scored a game-high 29 points, 14 in the first half and 15 in the second, leading Exeter to this Division I win.
Dylan Whelan added 13 points for the Blue Hawks, while Brady Rogers had 11. Dover 69
Timberlane 65, OT
PLAISTOW - Dover's Yavier MoralesPerez led all scorers with 22 points in this Division I win. Nate MacGregor added 11 points for Dover (2-3), while Johnny Arakelian had eight, and Amari Lewis seven.
Windham 55 Winnacunnet 40
HAMPTON – Winnacunnet was outscored 23-11 in the fourth quarter, falling to 2-4 on the season with this Division I loss.
Senior Tyson Khalil led the Warriors with 15 points, while junior Andrew Simmons had 13.
Oyster River 63
Bishop Brady 23
DURHAM - Luca Varney had 12 points, and Eli Pierce had 11 points and 10 steals for Oyster River (3-3) in this Division II win. Ethan Brewer added 10 points in the win for the Bobcats. Portsmouth Christian Academy 41 Newmarket 32
NEWMARKET - Cai Summers scored 22 points, and Yohan Koshy added seven for PCA (6-1) in its Division IV win.