Penacook, n.h.
Behind eight 3-pointers from the team and a Graham Chickering double-double, Lebanon rolled to a 63-45 win over Merrimack Valley on Tuesday. After the game, with the team gathered in the locker room, Chapin informed all that the victory was the 300th in Matte’s Lebanon career.
Lebanon improved to 7-0 overall, 4-0 in NHIAA Division II play with the win over the Pride (1-5). All seven wins have come away from the confines of Lang Metcalf Gymnasium.
“I actually thought (the 300th win) came a couple weeks ago,” said Matte, whose in his 20th season at Lebanon since taking over upon Metcalf’s retirement. “Dave announced it and surprised me. The kids were great; it was very cool.
“It’s not 300 wins for me; it’s 300 wins for a lot of guys, a lot of great assistants. (Assistant coach) Paul Karp has been with me every step of the way, even back in the very early days when it was a little rocky, but he stuck with it. Really, this just means I’m old.”
As has been the case in the early going this season, the Raiders took control from the start and led 30-13 at halftime.
“To hold a team to 13 (points) in the first half, you know you’re going to be in a good position,” Matte said. “We know that defense is something we can control. We take pride in it, in making stops, holding teams down. It’s been a focus all year.”
The Raiders drained eight 3-pointers, including a pair from leading scorer Chickering (19 points). Chickering added 10 rebounds and a handful of assists in playing what Matte called his most efficient game of the season. Ryan Milliken added 18 points, and Hunter Bienvenu and Chris Nulty each netted eight points.
Lebanon’s long season-opening odyssey ends on Friday night when it hosts Plymouth for its first home game of the season.
Bradford, Vt.
Oxbow held a 26-24 lead coming out of halftime when “we got a little cold, and they got a lot hot,” coach Steve Carson said. Owen Pelletier scored seven of his game-high 22 points in the third for the Raptors, who took a 46-34 lead into the final stanza.
That’s when Oxbow’s pressure defense began to wear the visitors down, Carson said. It brought the Olympians back into the game, but not quite into the win column.
Zach Gould had nine points while Shane Smith and Chris Gendron added seven apiece for Rivendell, which meets Whitcomb on Friday.
Ben Emerson hit for a team-best 14 points and Lincoln Illsley posted 13 for the O’s, who host Lamoille on Friday.
Sharon
Josh Amodeo had 10 points for Sharon. Harvey Kelley added six points, seven assists and eight steals. Billy Connelli chipped in seven points. The Phoenix led 30-9 at halftime. Sharon visits South Royalton on Friday night.
Colby Washburn had 10 points to lead Whitcomb (1-5), which plays at Arlington on Jan. 21.
North Clarendon, Vt.
Ben Meagher had three 3-pointers to finish with nine points for Windsor. The Jacks visit MSJ on Thursday.
Wolfeboro, n.h.
Down 42-25 midway through the third quarter, the Marauders rode the back of guard Benny Gantrish to nearly overturn the result. Gantrish scored 23 of his game-, season- and career-high 25 points in the second half to bring Hanover to within a possession of tying the game.
Gantrish buried seven 3-pointers on the night, four in the third quarter and the remainder in the fourth. Fellow guard Martin Paulsen also had a big game in defeat for the visitors, netting 21 points.
Hanover (0-4 league, 1-6 overall) heads to Souhegan on Friday.
Lebanon
The play of Josie Brown was of particular import, Lebanon coach Tim Kehoe said. Filling in for injured starter Meredith Melendy, Brown scored all nine of her points in the first half as the Raiders took a 29-13 lead at the half. Anna Wolke led the Raiders with 12 points and was largely responsible for also shutting down the Pride’s top offensive player.
Rebecca Wright finished with 11 points while Maddie Hastings and JoJo Wainwright both netted nine for the Raiders, who head to Plymouth on Friday night.
Newport
“We played hard all night long, which is good; it’s what we’ve been working on,” Newport coach Ross Dole said. “We had 26 turnovers. That was the difference.”
Brooke Aumand scored the bulk of her team-high 10 foul shots in the final quarter to help Fall Mountain get some distance. Aumand had a game-high 18 points for the Wildcats.
“We played hard, and I thought we competed much better than what we’ve been doing,” Dole added. “We turned a corner a little bit.”
Kyrstin Kibbey had six points and Selena Coronis netted five for Newport, which goes to Windsor on Friday night.
Manchester
The hosts led 3-0 heading into the third period. Hanover got on the board on Will Smith’s slapshot from the blue line at the 11:03 mark of the final stanza. David Lehmann and Elias Zinman assisted. Jonathan Goff then scored on a penalty shot 90 seconds later to bring the Marauders within one.
“We had a lot of pressure in the third period,” Hanover coach John Dodds said. “It would have been nice to win, but the fact that we came back hard and played our best period of the game in their building was encouraging.”
Goalie Gabe Loud had 24 saves for the Marauders (5-4 overall, 2-3 NHIAA), who host to Trinity on Saturday.
West Lebanon
Cate Wagner started the scoring with an assist to Mahler Meyerrose. Briland Laycock and Clare Gardner would also add first-period goals. Hannah Curtis closed the scoring after the visitors added a goal to pull within a pair.
Meyerrose would add another assist. Wagner, J.J. Taube and Maddie Lyons also had assists. Goalie Cici Barton had six saves for the Marauders (4-1), who play at Con-Val on Saturday.
West Lebanon
Grace Lindsay and Sage Ballard each had two goals and an assist to lead Lebanon-Stevens, which trailed 7-4 through two periods. Isabella Harriman added two assists and Elizabeth Jones had one. Goalie Halle Drew made 32 saves.
The Exeter captains presented a $900 donation to the fund benefiting injured Raider skater Julie Barber before the national anthem played. “That was nice of them; we much appreciate that,” Lebanon coach Brad Shaw said.
The Raiders were down a player due to illness and lost another to an injury in the second period. Lebanon-Stevens finished the duration with three substitutes, and the Blue Hawks took advantage as the third period wore on.
The Raiders (2-3) visit Bishop Guertin on Monday.
Hanover
Dartmouth captain and senior forward Mackenzie St. Onge scored the third goal of her 102-game collegiate career and her first since 2014. Forward Cecilia Lopez also tallied, the freshman’s first strike for the Big Green. Kate Landers, Tess Bracken and Kennedy Ottenbreit had assists.
Honor, a sophomore backup who entered the night 0-5-0 as a collegian, stopped 15 shots during the third period and benefited when a Wildcats drive from the point struck a post with five minutes remaining.
Dartmouth opened the scoring for the third time this season, St. Onge tallying during the 13th minute on a backhand shot. Another backhanded effort from Lopez made the score 2-0 a minute before the first intermission. UNH (9-13-1) got its goal two minutes into the second period.
— Tris Wykes