Nashua North boys, girls finish third at Chick-Fil-A Holiday Basketball Tournament (video)
Nashua North boys and girls beat Alvirne in the third-place game of the Chick-Fil-A Holiday Basketball Tournament.
NASHUA – For the second day in a row, the Nashua High School North boys basketball team needed a wakeup call.
On Saturday, the Titans were able to stay up the whole way through.
After falling behind 8-1 early in the first quarter against Alvirne, North outscored the Broncos 25-4 over the final 13 minutes of the first half and cruised to a 45-29 win in the third-place game of Chick-Fil-A Basketball Holiday Tournament at Nashua High School South.
Nathan Kane led North with 17 points, including four 3-pointers, and Brenden Choate added 10 points as the Titans tied the game at 8 late in the first quarter and opened the second with a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. Alvirne went more than two quarters without a field goal.
“We were down early and I had to light a little fire underneath them, tell them that the game is meaningful as far as us trying to improve,” North coach Steven Lane said. “I thought we recovered well, as far as that goes, and we executed a little better. I still think our defense is going to be our staple, which was really good again.”
Jack DeWitt led Alvirne with seven points while Paul Manzi added four and Jacob Hibbard hit a 3-pointer.
Girls: Nashua North 34, Alvirne 31
The Titans outscored the Broncos 8-2 over the game’s final three minutes to take third-place in the girls side of the tournament.
Bianca Gershgorin was fouled on a made 3-pointer with 2:33 to play to tie the game at 29, and the senior made the free throw to complete the four-point play, giving North a 30-29 lead. Grace Cardin followed with a three-point play to put the Titans up 33-29.
A basket by Abby Dubois made it a two-point game with 38 seconds left, and Gershgorin missed the front end of a one-and-one to give the Broncos a chance to tie or take the lead. But Alvirne couldn’t get a good look, North got the ball back and Lillian Brooks made one of two free throws to give the Titans a three-point lead.
Aliana Mercado led North with eight points and Cardin had seven while Gershgorin and Olivia Mazerolle each added six points.
Alvirne got six points from Alyssa Anderson while Hadara Ochieng and Eliana Ochieng had five points apiece.
