MANCHESTER, NH – One night after traveling to Epping High School and earning a 23-point triumph, the Derryfield School girls basketball team returned home and had to fight for every point in a 33-31 nail-biter against the same foe Thursday night.
The difference, said first-year Derryfield head coach Courtney Cheetham, was pace of play.
“We try to play fast and see what we can get out of our defensive pressure,” she said. “We’re trying to only give up 30, 35 points a game, so sometimes that defense can lead to offense. I think they were trying to slow it down and we were trying to speed it up, so it was kind of a battle of two totally different approaches, but it worked out for us in the end.”
Unlike Wednesday’s contest, when Derryfield was able to set the tempo en route to a 54-31 final score, it was Epping which managed to slow down both the game and the Cougars’ quick-strike attack. Yet even down five points late in the fourth quarter Thursday, Derryfield, behind senior standout Emmy Plage, battled back to force overtime and then relied on suffocating team defense and a go-ahead putback rebound from senior Julia Martin to secure the 33-31 victory.
So what does the tight win after a blowout say about Derryfield this season?
“Resilience,” said Cheetham. “I think we always talk about getting better and better every day and getting better as the game goes on, so tonight I think it just came down to somebody had to put the ball in the basket and we happened to be the team to do it, but it just as easily could have been them.”
The win improved Derryfield’s record to 7-2 while Epping fell to 2-4.
“They’re bigger than us. They’re very athletic, and I have to say, Courtney’s done a fantastic job coaching those kids up,” said Epping head coach Andrew Marden. “They’re young and they play hard … if they keep playing this hard they’re going to be a tough out in the playoffs.”
Cheetham is putting no expectations on how far the young Cougars can go.
“I hope we can make a nice little run,” said Cheetham. “We’re going to need some of our younger kids to step up, I think, if we’re going to reach our potential, but who knows, that’s what they’ve been doing all season. A different kid steps up every night, and that’s what I love about them.”
Playing without senior Shawna Lesmerises, a four-year starter and second-team all-stater, who is injured, the Cougars are especially reliant on Plage, who led the cougars with 21 of their 33 points, including the last
points of regulation to force overtime.
“Emmy is drawing a lot of attention, but she’s a top-three player in this league, so she draws attention every night,” said Cheetham. “She’s been doing a nice job getting her other teammates involved, but you saw, down the stretch, she wants the ball, she wants to see what she can make happen, so I was proud of her for really stepping up and taking charge at the end of the game.”
In addition to Plage, Martin has been a bright spot inside as Derryfield’s top rebounder and solid contributor on both ends of the court. Not only did she score nine points, including the game-winner Thursday, but she produced 12 points the night before.
Derryfield returns to the court Monday night to face cross-city rival Holy Family, and then travels to Concord Wednesday for a significant test competing up two divisions against undefeated Bishop Brady.
Game notes: Lily Losey was the only other Cougar to score Thursday, draining a second quarter three, in addition to several assists. Junior guard Sarah Naje and freshmen Ava Plage each had several steals and made life generally difficult for Epping’s offense throughout the contest while also contributing to the offense with relentless perimeter ball movement. to open up space for the elder Plage to get to the basket.
Junior Jade Gagnon led Epping with 13 points while senior guard Erika MacLeod wasn’t far behind with 10 markers in the contest.