Nashua South boys basketball leads from start to finish in victory over Salem

NASHUA – During Friday night boys basketball action at Nashua High School South, the playoff picture became a little clearer as the Panthers defeated Salem 52-39.

South opened up the game feeding its big man Max Osgood, who had 10 first half points, and finished the game with 21, while leading the team in rebounds and getting himself a handful of blocks. This led Nashua South (7-6) to a 27-18 halftime lead, as Osgood’s size seemed to be the difference in the contest. South coach, Nate Mazerolle stated,

“We knew his size was going to be the difference this game,” South coach Nate Mazerolle said. “In the first quarter, I was joking and told my players I think Max scored the ball five times on his first four touches.”

In the first half, the Blue Devils (5-7) kept themselves in the game with their defense leading to easy transition buckets. Salem went on an 8-0 run that last much of the second quarter, capped by an easy transition basket by D.J. Coletti, who had 10 of Salem’s 18 points in the first half.

The second half has been a stronger half for Salem this season, and at one point, the Blue Devils got the game to a five-point margin at 30-25. But a lot of the reason Salem was in this game was due to errors by South.

“In this game we were fouling with a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter,” Mazerolle said. “We had a technical foul, and a mouth guard violation. Those things should not happen.”

Mazerolle seemed relieved that this game did not get close at the end, as the Panthers made many similar mistakes earlier in the week in their two-point loss at Manchester Memorial.

Salem was led by Coletti, who finished the game with 16. Chipping in for Salem was Griffin Curtis, who had eight points, and Jake Fantasia, who had five, including a last-second 3-point shot in the third.

Helping South to victory was Kevin Genao who added 10 points. Also a key to victory was Alex Amigo and Tony Agor, who helped break Salem’s press, insuring that they were on the way to a victory.

The Blue Devils look to bounce back when they host Keene on Thursday. The Panthers look to continue their momentum in their own gym as they host Winnacunnet for a Tuesday contest.