Pelham boys basketball advances to D2 final with convincing win over Sanborn
EXETER – After a back-and-forth first half, the Pelham High School boys basketball team found itself up a dozen at halftime against Sanborn.
The Pythons stormed out after halftime, scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter, and opening up a 22-point lead by the end of the period before cruising to a 62-43 win over Sanborn in the Division II semifinals at Exeter High School.
The win sends Pelham to a championship game for the first time since 2016 and to the D2 title game for the first time since 2009, where the Pythons will face Lebanon, which defeated Laconia in the other semifinal.
“We’ve had a tendency to have a few lulls here and there over the course of the season,” Pelham coach Michael Larson said. “With now this being the biggest game they’ve played, we talked at halftime about coming out and winning the first four minutes. (Sanborn) is a dangerous team. If they get hot and get rolling they can put up big numbers quick.”
The Pythons controlled the tempo throughout but couldn’t consistently hit shots in the first half. Sanborn kept the deficit in the single digits early, but Pelham’s rebounding advantage wore the Indians down.
Pelham controlled the glass 38-19 and had a 12-6 offensive rebounding advantage as well. Jake Cawthorn pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Pythons and Zach Jones added five while sophomore Jake Travis grabbed four.
Jones was a lynchpin on offense for Pelham, as the senior had 17 points, including seven during the big third quarter.
“We went in the (locker room) and we knew we had to come out and absolutely run up the energy, and that’s what we did,” Jones said. “Got (the deficit) up to 20, almost 30. Got the job done.”
Jake Dumont also had 17 points for the Pythons, including a trio of 3s to help spread out the Sanborn defense.
“I’m basically a shooter so I’m going to bring people out on me and that’s when my teammates can go in and make their plays,” Dumont said. “As long as I do my job, and hit my shots when I’m needed, I’ll be all set.”
Jake McGlinchey had 14 points for the Pythons as well.
Despite the defeat, the game was a historic one for the Indians, as this was the first time a Sanborn basketball team, boys or girls, had made it to the final four.
The Indians were led last night by a dozen points each from Nate Ashby and Seth Butler.
With only three players graduating, Sanborn coach Bob Ficker said he hopes this season was a building block to something bigger in the future.
“It was tough for them because they wanted to win their last game, but only one team can win their last game,” Ficker said. “But for them to come this far, considering their size and the division, it was a big deal for them. They’re bummed because they’re competitive.”
