Exeter girls basketball loses to Manchester Memorial in overtime heartbreaker

EXETER - With a 45-44 lead and no time on the clock in overtime, all the Exeter High School girls basketball team could do was stand and watch as its season and Division I state championship quest hung in the balance.

The Blue Hawks had to watch Manchester Memorial's Madison Pepra-Omani go to the free throw line for a potential two shots after Exeter was called for a loose ball foul. Pepra-Omani stood alone near the free throw line, as both teams watched from the background in anticipation.

Pepra-Omani swished her first two free throws and the 11th-seeded Crusaders upset No. 6 Exeter, 46-45 in a Division I first-round game.

Exeter's Marlie Macek made a go-ahead layup with 25 seconds left. Memorial's Emma Rossi missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession which was rebounded by Exeter's Rachel Ludwig. Ludwig passed to Grace Weed who was quickly fouled with 5 seconds remaining. Weed missed both free throws, Memorial secured the rebound, setting up the final play.

"We knew Memorial was going to come out and we knew they were going to come strong," Exeter head coach Sam Wuebbolt said. "Our girls fought and they fought until the end. Our team had great leadership and a lot of heart, it just didn't work out for us."

Senior Emma Smith led the Blue Hawks with 23 points and Hailey Harrington had seven. Pepra-Omani had a game-high 26 points..

Here are five highlights from Exeter's loss.

Smith sends game into overtime

As the clock trickled down in regulation and Exeter trailing by 3, Smith had possession of the ball and was probing around the perimeter before settling for a 3-pointer from the right wing.

Smith sank the shot which tied the game at 39-39 with 2.6 seconds left

"That defines Emma Smith to a T," Wuebbolt said. "That's how she's always been. She's been a trendsetter for us and a momentum getter for us. She always makes good plays like that for us. That's Emma Smith."

Smith scored all of Exeter's fourth-quarter points.

Trailing 36-32, Smith scored on a layup to cut the lead to 36-34. Then after forcing a turnover, Ludwig found Smith cutting to the rim for another score, making it 36-34. After two free throws from Pepra-Omani, Smith added two free throws on her own to make the game 38-36.

Pepra-Omani added a free throw with 29 seconds left to give Memorial a 39-36 before Smith's game-tying three-pointer.

Turning defense into offense

Throughout the first 5 minutes of the game, Exeter was scoreless and was down 4-0 when the Blue Hawks turned their defense into instant offense.

With 2:50 remaining in the first, Smith came up with a deflection and steal near half-court, and took it all the way for Exeter's opening score.

Similarly, it would be Weed who would come up with a two-way play of her own as she stole the ball from Pepra-Omani and scored on a layup with 30 seconds left in the quarter. Those two plays were Exeter's only baskets in the quarter.

"Those two are always really aggressive for us," Wuebbolt said. "They're a great spark for us. We've got a lot of offensive threats, so anything to shift momentum that we can get is good."

Momentum carries

The momentum from how the Blue Hawks ended the first quarter carried over to the second quarter where Exeter, which trailed 6-4 in the first, scored 18 points, and outscored Memorial by 10.

Ali Campbell kicked the scoring with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Following two free throws from Pepra-Omani to give Memorial a 8-7 lead, the Blue Hawks went on a 10-0 run in roughly 3 minutes.

Smith scored six points and Harrington scored four during the run. Harrington's 3-pointer put Exeter up 17-8 which was the Blue Hawks' largest lead in the first half.

"They were just gelling," Wuebbolt said of the second quarter. "They were just gelling and it was clicking for them, they had confidence."

Prepping team for final four minutes

Exeter closed the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run setting up overtime, and Wuebbolt said the message to the team was simple.

"Play with confidence," Wuebbolt said. "Work together, stay together and just play the best basketball you played all season."

Tough end to solid season

Exeter improved on last season's record by five games as the Blue Hawks finished with a 13-6 record, compared to 8-11 last season.

Exeter didn't lose back-to-back games all season - Portsmouth (17-1), Goffstown (15-3), Bishop Guertin (18-0) and Bedford (16-2) were the only other Division I teams that also didn't lose back-to-back games this season.

"We're really proud of these kids," Wuebbolt said. "They had a lot of adversity this season and they led us to a home playoff game. They did that together. They're a great group of kids, and they really supported each other. We're super proud about how this season went, I wouldn't have asked for a better season, it was great."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter girls basketball lose to Memorial in overtime heartbreaker