LANGDON, N.H. — If this game could have been decided by one shot, it was probably the three-point bomb that Stevens High girls basketball’s Molly Derosier connected on as time ran out in the third quarter.
It was the opening round of the M.G. Sports Basketball Tournament hosted by Fall Mountain Regional High School. Stevens was matched up with Mascoma on Thursday afternoon in a game the Cardinals would eventually win, 56-36.
Before Derosier made her shot, the Cardinals were nursing a three-point lead, 27-24, in a game that had been close throughout.
Derosier was the last person to handle the ball on a fast break, and as she dribbled past the Stevens bench, some yelled “shoo!”
Shoot she did, and the shot was true.
The Cardinals then went on to score 26 points in the fourth quarter to eventually win easily.
This is a six-team tourney with Hillsboro-Deering, Hinsdale, Littleton and host Fall Mountain also taking part in the three-day event.
Littleton and Hinsdale, last year’s finalists, were given first round byes.
Stevens will play again at 1 p.m. Friday against Hinsdale.
Mascoma will have an 11:30 a.m. game against the loser of Thursday’s second game between Fall Mountain and Hillsboro-Deering.
The consolation and championship games will be played on Saturday afternoon.
None of these games affect the NHIAA standings as the NHIAA does not recognize holiday tournaments.
For the record, both Stevens and Mascoma were in a bit of a slump. Both teams had won their season openers, but the Royals lost their next three and the Cardinals dropped two straight.
While Dersosier’s bucket got the Cardinals going, there were other factors that played into the victory. Stevens, which struggled with ball control in the first half, did a much better job taking care of the ball as the game progressed. “And we made some shots,” said Stevens coach Ivy Condon who felt good about how her team played in the second half. “We looked like we knew what we were doing,” she said.
Stevens had a decided height advantage and appeared to wear the Mascoma defenders down as the game progressed. But Mascoma coach Walt Hammond thought differently. “We quit,” he said. “We deserved to lose. They’ll be hearing from me.”
Mascoma was very much in the game in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, trailing just 32-28 with 6:45 to play.
Then boom — Stevens scored 13 unanswered points on a series of put-backs and a three-pointer from Sydney Miller, who not only led the team in scoring with 13 points, but rebounded well and brought the ball up the floor.
But Miller, a senior, had plenty of help from her young teammates as freshmen Alyssa Paquette and Jacie Morin had 12 and eight points, respectively, and sophomore Zahna Rice also had eight points.
Senior Michaela Dowd had 11 points for Mascoma.
After one quarter Stevens had a 14-9 lead, then it appeared as a lids were put on both baskets, as only two points were scored in the first 4:37 of the second period that finished in a 17-17 halftime tie.
Both teams will return to NHIAA action on Jan. 3 with Stevens at Oyster River and Mascoma at Winnisquam.