HANOVER — Monday night had a playoff game vibe to it.
With loud student sections, stout defense and a close second half, the Hanover High girls basketball team prevailed at home, holding off arch-rival Lebanon, 42-37.
Only 4.4 miles separate the two schools and each has found success on the hardwood as of late. Entering Monday’s game, both teams were undefeated in NHIAA action and each made the state semifinals last year. While the Raiders fell in the semifinals, the Marauders beat Kennett, 52-41, for Hanover’s first state title since 2008.
“This is the essence of high school basketball at its finest,” said Marauders coach Dan O’Rourke of Monday’s game. “Two well-coached basketball teams with a lot of tradition. Student bodies that are very supportive. It’s just a fun atmosphere.”
Down a point at the break, the Marauders took a 25-23 lead 23 seconds into the second half on a Willa Parkins layup. From there, Hanover’s defense caused problems for Lebanon (4-2, 2-1 NHIAA) with a tough man-to-man defense that switched to a full-court press at times.
After a Lebanon basket at the beginning of the fourth quarter to cut the Raiders deficit to two, Hanover responded with a 7-0 run. Maddie McCorkle had a layup and a free-throw, and Anna Kirkpatrick and Melissa Whitmore each had two points.
The Raiders wouldn’t go away, though. An Ella Longacre layup made it 39-35 with 1 minute, 14 seconds remaining. With 26.8 seconds to play, she hit another layup to bring Lebanon within three points, but it wasn’t enough.
A Charlotte Johnson layup with fewer than 10 seconds to play completed the Hanover (5-2, 4-0 NHIAA) victory. The Marauders outscored the visitors 19-13 in the second half.
The Raiders also found themselves in foul trouble in the second half. Sally Rainey and Becky Wright both fouled out with over a minute to play and each had to endure stretches on the bench.
After over three minutes of scoreless play to open the game, Catherine Cole hit a 3-pointer in the left corner to get the scoring started. The Raiders built a 12-3 lead with 2:20 remaining thanks to another Cole trifecta and layup.
Hanover cut the deficit to four with 4.5 seconds left in the first quarter when Stella Galanes collected the Marauders first 3-pointer.
The Raiders held a 17-12 lead a minute into the second quarter, but Hanover’s defense started to find its pace. With five minutes to play, Bella Bardales stole the ball, which resulted in a layup from Willa Parkins.
Then in a 24-second time span, Hanover took its first lead of the night. Caroline Adams was sent to the free-throw line on back-to-back plays and sank four attempts. A McCorkle score made it 20-19 with 3:40 to play.
Cole led Lebanon with 11 points. Caroline Adams and McCorkle each finished with eight for Hanover.
NOTES: Hanover visits Merrimack Valley on Wednesday. The Raiders continue their three-game road trip on Wednesday at Hollis-Brookline. … The two teams meet again on Feb. 10 when Lebanon hosts the Marauders. … Dartmouth men’s basketball coach Dave McLaughlin was in attendance.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com.