North’s big second half knocks off Dover
NASHUA – The Nashua High School North boys basketball wasn’t suffering from anything that a halftime pep talk couldn’t fix.
NASHUA – The Nashua High School North boys basketball wasn’t suffering from anything that a halftime pep talk couldn’t fix.
The Titans trailed by two Thursday night against Dover, but quickly erased the deficit and surged ahead, outscoring the Green Wave 42-26 in the second half, on the way to a 69-55 win.
North (9-3 in Division I) got 19 points from Ryan Gauthier and 13 points from Mike O’Connor, as the Titans used an 11-0 run to break a 31-31 tie in the third quarter and take control of the game.
“Tale of two halves right there,” North coach Steve Lane said. “We didn’t come out with much energy and Dover really played with a lot of energy. It seemed like they were more aggressive and they were hungrier in the first half.”
Dover (3-9) held a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, and after North took a 27-23 lead late in the first half, the Green Wave went on a 6-0 run to lead at the break.
“There was a little pep talk at halftime to give the boys the message and they came out firing in the second half,” Lane said. “Defensively, we picked up the tempo and got a couple of easy looks.”
North’s increased pressure forced Dover into several turnovers, and on four straight possessions, the Green Wave coughed up the ball before getting over half court. Two of those were for 10-second violations.
A layup by Dover’s Mike LeBlanc made it a seven-point game late in the third quarter, but the Titans made it an 11-point game on an alley-oop from Gauthier to Jake Mellin. Dover came right back, cutting the lead back to six on a basket by Billy Carrol to open the fourth quarter.
But Dover wouldn’t get any closer. North answered with a 10-2 run over just two minutes that put the Titans up 57-43.
“I was proud of the way they dug in,” Lane said. “They are seniors and there very few quarters, halves, games left. They played hard.”
Javon Williams also had 12 points for North while Mellin added 10. Dover was led by LeBlanc, who scored 18 points, and Colin Shaughnessy, who chipped in with 12.
