Championship Saturday: Gilford, Woodsville boys take basketball titles

The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

Mar. 14—Sophomore Jalen Reese's palm secured the Gilford High School boys basketball team a 41-40 triumph over Hopkinton in the NHIAA Division III championship game Saturday at Laconia High School.

Gilford (14-1) has won two state titles over its seven final appearances. The Golden Eagles shared the Division III crown with Mascenic of New Ipswich last year after the COVID-19 pandemic halted the postseason.

Hopkinton (11-6) inbounded the ball with four-tenths of a second remaining and got a potential buzzer-beater that Reese promptly swatted to the floor.

The Hawks had a 14-point lead in the third quarter that Gilford erased with a 14-0 run and forced a 30-30 tie entering the final frame.

Hopkinton led, 10-4, after the first quarter and 21-13 at halftime.

Reese's younger brother, Isaiah, a freshman, led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 12 points, all of which came on 3-pointers. Junior guard Riley Marsh had nine points for Gilford. The final Reese brother, Malik, a senior, added five points.

Junior Quinn Whitehead logged a game-high with 14 points for Hopkinton. Classmate Brendan Elrick tallied 12 points and senior Owen Milchick added nine for the Hawks.

Division IV: Woodsville 52, Portsmouth Christian 30The Woodsville High School boys basketball team turned a two-point halftime lead into a rout with its second-half performance in the Division IV championship game Saturday at Plymouth Regional High School.

The Engineers had a 19-17 lead over Portsmouth Christian Academy of Dover after the opening 16 minutes and did not give up a field goal in the third quarter on their way to a 52-30 triumph.

The state championship marks Woodsville's first since 1977 and seventh overall.

The Eagles, who made their third final appearance, finished with a 14-6 record.

Woodsville (10-3) took the lead for good on junior Elijah Flocke's two free throws that broke a 19-19 tie at the 1:45 mark of the third quarter. The Engineers led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Flocke scored 11 of his 15 points over the final frame. Sophomore Cam Davidson led the Engineers in scoring with a game-high 16 points. Teammate Cam Tenney-Burt added 15 points. Davidson and Tenney-Burt combined for Woodsville's first nine points of the game.

Junior guard Caleb Runey scored a team-high 10 points for Portsmouth Christian Academy.

Yockel wins bowlingRaymond's Madilyn Yockel bowled a 178 to defeat Keene's Gabe Wunschel (163) in the finals to capture the state individual bowling title on Saturday at Strikers East in Raymond.