Pelham repeats as state champions
Herrling nets 15 points, Pythons defeat Hanover
DURHAM, N.H. >> The first state title was special, but the second one meant so much more for Dom Herrling.
The senior guard netted a team-high 15 points, including 10 during a vital second-half surge, as the top-seeded Pelham High boys basketball team defeated second-seeded Hanover, 51-41, in the NHIAA Division 2 state championship game Sunday at the University of New Hampshire.
The Pythons (18-1 in New Hampshire) captured last season’s championship against Pembroke,
57-54. It was Pelham’s sixth finals appearance and third title, as the Pythons also won in 2006. Hanover ends its stellar season at 17-2.
“It feels amazing,” said Herrling. “Going back-to-back is something you don’t see as much. I’m very proud of my teammates and coaches as far as they came. It’s been an incredible journey. I’m truly blessed to be in this position.”
“These guys know how to win,” said Pelham coach Joe Morin. “I’m fortunate they play to win. Half the time it’s just letting them find ways, putting them in action and they’ll find ways to do it. You’ve got guys like Dom and Connor (Travis) and Zach (James), you could see it out there. It’s just all out effort. They just refuse to lose.”
Trailing 34-32 entering the fourth quarter, Herrling helped key the Pelham comeback with his relentless hustle and determination. The 6-foot-1 senior guard spearheaded the attack by netting 12 second-half points. He also helped anchor the team’s defense, pulling down a team-high nine rebounds, including eight defensive boards, to go along with four steals and three assists.
He was held to just five points
in the first half.
“I just had to flip the switch,” said Herrling. “I wasn’t playing so good throughout the game. Fourth quarter I just had to make a switch to help my team win.”
The Pythons received a great fourth-quarter spark from James (seven points). The 6-foot-2 senior buried a three-pointer, getting Pelham back in the game with 6:30 to play.
Herrling added several big drives, re-establishing a 47-39 lead. The pair continued to drive Hanover’s defense crazy. James netted a pair of free throws before Herrling added another basket to seal the 5141 victory.
“When they got the lead in the fourth quarter, we knew they were going to try to maintain it,” said James. “So, I knew that was a big shot. We just took it from there.”
But Pelham had to contend with a determined Hanover squad which dictated play for much of the first half.
Down 6-0, Hanover found its footing, embarking on an ambitious seven-point swing, putting the defending champs on their heels. When they extended it with another backet by Jaysen Oriol (eight points), Morin took his first timeout with 1:56 left in the stanza. Hanover held a 11-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Trailing 20-14 in the second half, Pelham spearheaded its comeback on a game-shifting 10-point swing. Senior guard Adrian Villanueva gave his team a jolt off the bench by netting eight points in the first half.
Herrling and senior forward Logan Dumont (seven points) added to the attack, each netting a handful of points by the intermission. The Pythons did the bulk of its damage on the floor going 12-for-18 in free throw shooting in the first half, holding a slim 24-20 lead at halftime.
Hanover’s Ryan Mclaughlin (game-high 17 points) rallied his troops to reclaim the 34-32 edge entering the fateful fourth quarter. And when the Bears’ Ryan Lucas buried a three-pointer to open the fourth, the Pelham faithful held their collective breath.
But the Pythons would ultimately have the final say, hitting the accelerator on a 14-3 run to seal the deal.
“That was insane,” said Morin. “But that shows my guys play. They are all-out all the time. I’m blessed to have this opportunity to be with a team like this.”
Senior Peter Hemmerdinger (eight points) helped stabilize the team in the second half. The coach was also quick to credit the stellar work of his bench, especially seniors Villanueva, Connor Travis (six points, six rebounds) and sophomore Brady Hegan (five rebounds), giving the club a much-needed lift at crunch time.
“Everybody thought we were five guys and we had kids like Adrian, who is a senior and has been on the travel team playing with them forever,” said Morin. “You don’t play with those guys and not get better. We kept telling Adrian all season long to stay with it. He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated. Today was his day. We had faith in Adrian and Brady was huge coming up with a couple rebounds for us. Justin Bowlan also gave us some big minutes as well.”
“Defensively we really stepped up and they really couldn’t hold us at all,” said Herrling. “We stuck through, played as a team and made it happen.”
“Last year we came out of the blue, nobody was expecting that from us except my wife,” said Morin. “We had five core guys that played a ton for us and thought last year we could really D it up. That was our calling card. This year we had a little more of an offensive team.”
Although they’ll lose seven seniors, including Jakub Fredette, Morin feels confident about his returning cast for next year.
“I think we look great,” said Morin. “I’m really excited about the JV program that we have coming up. My juniors are playing with these guys every day. Coming here, I had four underclassmen that were here last year. That’s their opportunity. They see what it takes. I’m excited.”