Winnacunnet returns to the seacoast with its first girls’ basketball loss of the year after falling to Manchester Central. 36-33.
Neither team could open up a lead of more than six points, as both teams held within a basket of each other for most of the contest.
This marked the first time Winnacunnet failed to score over 40 points this season, as the Warriors went 1-for-15 from beyond the arc and struggled converting on drives to the paint.
For Winnacunnet head coach Cassie Turcotte, the result provided her squad a valuable learning experience against a strong opponent.
“It’s obvious where are weaknesses were in it, but all-in-all, I’m really impressed with what we put out there tonight,” she said. “Central’s a good team, they work hard, they play hard, they’re aggressive. I wasn’t feeling too bad about this loss tonight.”
Central head coach Mike Wenners was also pleased with the effort of his girls, emphasizing the value of wins while also noting that the season is still early.
These two teams will meet again in early January, and Wenners expects a much harder showdown after Winnacunnet studies Wednesday’s game and adapts accordingly.
“We’ll just be prepared and see what happens and enjoy this one for tonight,” he said.
Keltina Francis led the way for Central with nine points and three rebounds. Jenny Freedman had seven points for Winnacunnet while Hannah Driscoll contributed six points, five rebounds and four steals.
Next up in regular season play, Central will host Dover on Jan. 2. Meanwhile, Winnacunnet returns to Manchester on Friday for a showdown against undefeated Memorial.
Here are some other recent scores from Manchester’s high school teams.
Boys’ Basketball
Dec. 13
Derryfield 77, Wilton-Lyndeborough 57
Dec. 15
Central 63, Portsmouth 46
West 66, Goffstown 58
Derryfield 73, Sunapee 48
Dec. 19
Alvirne 83, Central 56
Memorial 65, Salem 52
Concord 79, Trinity 72
West 71, Pembroke 68
Derryfield 68, Concord Christian 21
Boys’ Hockey
Dec. 12
Bishop Guertin 10, Trinity 1
Dec. 13
Hollis-Brookline/Derryfield 2, ConVal/Conant 1
Dec. 16
Londonderry 8, Memorial 2
Kennett 11, Hollis-Brookline/Derryfield 0
Dec. 20
Concord 10, Central/West 2
Salem 4, Memorial 0
Trinity 5, Nashua North/Souhegan 1
John Stark/Hopkinton 9, Hollis-Brookline/Derryfield 1
Girls’ Basketball
Dec. 12
Memorial 69, Merrimack 59
Bishop Guertin 65, Trinity 19
Windham 80, West 21
Dec. 15
Pinkerton 50, Central 28
Memorial 57, Nashua South 48
Kearsarge 61, West 8
Sunapee 57, Derryfield 36
Dec. 19
Central 45, Alvirne 34
Memorial 58, Salem 50
Concord 47, Trinity 32
Pembroke 63, West 31
Girls’ Hockey
Dec. 12
Berlin-Gorham 12, Central 0
Dec. 19
Lebanon-Stevens 9, Bishop Brady/Trinity/West 4
