MANCHESTER, NH – Up 26 points following a dominant first half, the Derryfield School boys basketball team didn’t need its best effort the last two quarters to advance in the Division IV postseason.
And though the seventh-seeded Cougars didn’t go into full cruise control, they did throttle back a bit on offense before holding strong defensively against a late charge from tenth-ranked Pittsfield (11-8) to earn the 53-37 victory in their tournament opener Monday night.
“We played a great first half, but struggled a bit on offense in the third quarter,” said Derryfield head coach Ed Meade, “but we played well enough to put the game away in the fourth quarter.”
Meade credited Jack Krasnof Alex Drake and John McDevitt for their offensive efforts Monday night, while noting Zach Martin and Alex Comire for standout defensive performances.
The Cougars (13-6) advance to play 18-1 Concord Christian in the Division IV quarterfinals. That contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Capital City.
“We’ve played them twice this season and come up short both times, so this will be a major challenge for us,” said Meade, “but if we can keep it close, we’ll definitely have a shot at upsetting them.”
Indeed, the Cougars, in perhaps their worst showing of the regular season, fell to Concord Christian, 67-47, on Jan. 30, but showed they can compete with the defending state runner-up earlier in the season when they were edged 68-66 at home.
Now, Meade and his players, winners of five-straight games, hope the third time is the charm as they look to build off Monday night’s mounting postseason momentum.
“Overall, it’s been a great season,” he said. “This has been the hardest working team I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching and they’re also a lot of fun to be around every day. Hopefully we can keep it rolling!”
The victor faces the winner of No. 6 Holy Family (14-5) and No. 3 Farmington (17-2) on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the state semifinals at Merrimack Valley High School. Holy Family earned a 79-43 triumph over No. 11 Hinsdale across town Monday night.
