MANCHESTER, NH — In a tale of two halves, the Holy Family varsity boys basketball team picked the right one to flip the “on” switch.
Entering the second half of Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup down 32-20 to 14th-seed Newmarket – looking for its second road upset of the week after taking down third-ranked Epping Monday – the sixth-ranked Griffins came out in the third quarter with a relentless full-court press.
“In the second half, we changed to a zone press instead of a man press, and that seemed to knock (the Mules) off their game,” said Holy Family head coach Keith Lacasse.
That defensive effort led to a plethora of turnovers, which created plenty of opportunities on the offensive end, opportunities Holy Family took full advantage of, outscoring the Mules 38-17 in the second half to secure the 58-49 victory and advance to the Division IV semifinals.
“It’s tough to handle pressure when you’re not used to it,” said Newmarket head coach Brian Cronin. “(Holy Family) is a very athletic team, so when they’re up in your shirt, and we’ve got very young guys that aren’t ready for that pressure, it’s tough for them to get over that hump, so I commend them for pushing us around a little bit.”
That was certainly the plan heading into the second half, said Lacasse.
“We had a good talk in the locker room. The guys did not get down,” he said. “They kept their cool, and they knew this game was going to be won one possession at a time … that’s how Newmarket beat Epping, one little play at a time, patience, so that’s what we reminded our guys to do and they came out and got to work.”
Indeed, each timeout, the Griffins came out chanting “one play, one play,” and they executed that philosophy with precision.
Offensively, point guard Yves Mugiraneza paced the effort with 21 points and double-digit assists, while last year’s point guard, senior Karl Yonkeu, dominated the paint, pulling down several key rebounds on both sides of the court, making the lane nearly impenetrable on defense and adding 10 points to the scoreboard.
“It’s very helpful that we have other guys that can handle the ball,” said Lacasse. “Last year, Karl was our point guard because he was the best option we had. This year we’ve got some other options, so we can get Karl off the ball and feed it to him down low, so that’s really been working for us.”
Junior forwards Sean Sullivan and Jack Vicinanzo and sophomore guard Gabe Lacasse were also heavily involved for the Griffins. In addition to four points in the game, Sullivan had a big third quarter block that led to a transition layup that gave Holy Family their first lead in the fourth quarter, and Vicinanzo played stifling defense while netting 6 points. Lacasse was the Griffin’s second leading scorer with 17 points on the night.
Senior guard Colby Best led the visitors with 23 point, while junior guard Jameson Senesombath and sophomore center Baris Fortier contributed nine and eight markers, respectively.
Though the Mules season may have ended unceremoniously Thursday, they appear well positioned to make another run in 2023.
“It’s a young team I have, and my seniors played incredibly and were able to handle (the pressure), but when there are five guys out there who haven’t experienced this before and don’t know what to do with it, it’s tough,” said Cronin. “It’s something that brings us into a stronger next year where these guys will be ready to get pushed around and respond.”
Holy Family’s playoff campaign continues into the state semifinals, where they’re set for a clash with second-ranked Concord Christian. The contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at neutral site Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook.
“This team can (beat Division IV’s elite) but they have to be at their best the entire game long because we’re going to be facing some tough teams,” said Lacasse, who credited his players’ character and faith for the team’s success to date.
But do the Griffins have enough firepower and depth to win a championship?
In a word: “yes,” said Cronin.
