Chick-fil-A Holiday Tournament: Merrimack, Thornton to play in boys basketball final

NASHUA – The Merrimack High School boys basketball team was in pretty good shape to advance to the title game of the Chick-fil-A Holiday Festival Tournament for the second year in a row.

The Tomahawks had a 12-point lead over Nashua North late in the third quarter and looked to be in complete control. But then, all of a sudden, a game that was in hand wasn’t, as the Titans made a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

North cut the lead down to one possession three times, which included getting within one point with 13 seconds left.

But the Titans missed two opportunities to tie the game on the final possession and Merrimack held on for a 50-48 win Thursday to reach the tournament championship game. The Tomahawks will play Thornton Academy (Sacco, Maine), which defeated Nashua South 55-39, for the title at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Nashua High School South.

“We make life a lot more difficult than it has to be and as you saw we had a lead and we imploded for a couple of minutes and let them back in the game,” Merrimack coach Tim Goodridge said. “They’re great kids, they work hard, they’re going to be a tough out for somebody every night, but we could get beat every night the way they play.”

Ian Cummings led the Tomahawks with 17 points and Dan McKillop was also in double figures with 14, but the pair combined for just four points in the fourth quarter as Merrimack struggled against North’s full court pressure.

The problem for the Titans was that once they got within striking distance, they couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities. North was 6 of 11 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, and missed a handful of shots that could have made it closer down the stretch.

“The effort was unbelievable, fantastic,” North coach Steve Lane said. “To be down 40-28 at one point, to make that run, to have the will and competitiveness, that’s what I’m taking out of this, that’s what I’m proud of. But of course we had our chances. We had millions of chances up and down the court in terms of converting free throws and making layups.”

Alonzo Linton led all scorers with 18 points, but struggled at the line, going 5 of 11. Jordan Buckmire and Sclyler Boykin each had 10, as North outscored Merrimack 17-10 in the fourth quarter to make it a game.

The teams went back and forth in the first half, with the Titans going up 12-11 at the end of the first quarter on a 3-pointer by Linton. But Merrimack came back in the second quarter to lead 23-20 at halftime.

Merrimack then opened the third quarter with an 8-3 run, going up 31-23 on a three-point play by McKillop. A 3-pointer by Own Ploss and two free throws from Cummings gave the Tomahawks a 40-28 lead and it seemed like all the momentum.

But a 3 by North’s CJ Barrett with 40 seconds left in the third got the Titans back within single digits, and Barrett hit another 3 with 6:54 to go to cut Merrimack’s lead to 42-39.

“He hit two big shots for us to get us within single digits and then hit one to get us close,” Lane said. “CJ can shoot it. He doesn’t have any varsity experience, so this is great for him.”

Merrimack was able to keep North at a distance, doing just enough to keep a small cushion, and when Joe DeGregorio hit two free throws to put the Tomahawks up 47-40 with 1:56 left, they seemed to be comfortably ahead again.

But North answered with a layup by Boykin, and after a Merrimack turnover, Boykin got to the rim again to cut the lead to three. The teams traded free throws in the final minute, and a three-point play by Linton with 13.2 seconds remaining got North within one, 49-48.

Buckmire fouled McKillop with nine seconds left, and the senior made one of two free throws to give Merrimack a two-point lead. After a timeout by North, Boykin was again able to get to the basket, but his attempt was off the mark, as was Vishvak Vadivel’s putback, and Merrimack held on to the win.

“We’re seniors and juniors in high school, we’ve got to be able to deal with some pressure and make good decisions, and we don’t. That’s the bottom line. We’re going to have to learn how to overcome that.”

THORNTON 55, NASHUA SOUTH 39

David Keohan scored 22 points to help lead the Trojans past the Panthers and into the tournament championship game for the first time since 2012. Thornton will be looking for its first tournament title since beating Moore Catholic, of Staten Island, N.Y., in 2010.

Evan Christensen was also in double figures with 12 points for the Trojans, who held Nashua South without a point in the third quarter. After Thornton took a 19-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Panthers came back to get within three, 22-19, late in the second.

But the Trojans would score the next 21 points, holding South without a point for more than 12 minutes, to go up 43-19 at the end of the third quarter. The Panthers made just five shots from the field over the final two-and-a-half quarters.

Kevin Genao led South with 11 points, including two 3-pointers, while Richie Mercado and Tyler Bernard each finished with six points.

South will take on North in the third-place game at 4 p.m. on Friday.

ALVIRNE 52, GOFFSTOWN 40

Max Bonney-Liles scored 15 points and Ryan Ruigrok added 14 to help the Broncos bounce back for a win in the consolation bracket. Alvirne will face Milford in the fifth-place game at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Goffstown got nine points from Mat Eberhardt and Max LaPointe added eight while Jared Heidenreich and Aaron O’Meila each had six. Goffstown will take on Souhegan in the seventh-place game at 10:45 a.m. on Friday.

MILFORD 63, SOUHEGAN 57

Three players scored in double figures as the Spartans picked up their second win over the Sabers in two weeks by getting a win in the consolation bracket.

Ryan Banuskevich led Milford with 12 points while Nick Gutterson and Evan Ryan each had 10 points. Shane Winnett chipped in with eight points.