NEWPORT — The last home playoff game for the Newport High boys basketball team was a loss 11 years ago. The current version of the Tigers made it worth the wait on Tuesday night.
Seventh-seeded Newport provided a much happier outcome with a 66-46 win over No. 10 seed Newfound in the first round of the NHIAA Division III playoffs at Wheeler Gym. Seniors Aaron Fellows and Christian Forsythe led the Tigers (14-5) with 30 and 20 points, respectively.
Newport coach Rob Clark said his team played well defensively and did a nice job rebounding, especially in the third quarter.
“What I like about tonight is we were down early but we kept our heads and started working on offense, but our defense was the difference,” Clark said after the game.
Newport needed most of the first quarter to find its rhythm. But when it finally did, the result was never in doubt.
The opening quarter at saw a tight game, with Newfound up 9-7 with a little more than two minutes left. That’s when the Tigers went to work.
After a missed 3-pointer by the Bears (10-8), Tyson DiPaola scored on a layup and converted a three-point play with a foul shot for a 10-9 Newport lead. After another missed Newfound three, Forsythe made two foul shots, stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored before nailing his own 3-pointer. A two-point deficit was suddenly an eight-point lead, and the Tigers never looked back.
The game was played at a fast pace most of the night, with both teams pressuring the perimeters with zone defenses. Newport had the better interior play both offensively and defensively, contesting Newfound shots and with physical play on the boards. Newport’s offensive power soon became too much for the Bears but, early on, the contest was even.
Newfound — which didn’t play the Tigers in the regular season — hung around for most of the second quarter, keeping the Newport lead in single digits. The Bears cut the nine-point deficit to four at 21-17, but a layup by Forsythe, a jam by Fellows with a foul and a Fellows 3-pointer at the buzzer ultimately pushed the cushion back to nine, 29-20.
Newport took over in the third, outscoring Newfound 25-11 to build a 54-31 lead heading to the final quarter.
“In the second half, we knew the first four minutes were crucial. We came out really hard and made some key baskets,” Clark said. “I think we also rebounded really well in that third quarter.”
The Tigers’ lead was up to 17 points less than halfway through the quarter, with scoring contributions from Gabe Howe and DiPaola, who both hit threes. As the quarter wound down, Fellows and Forsythe went to the line and were a combined 9-for-9 in the final few minutes as Newport’s advantage steadily grew.
In the fourth, the fast pace continued as Fellows and Forsythe scored underneath and from the perimeter, with teammate Adrian Sanchez also getting a bucket. The defensive intensity continued, putting a stop to any thoughts of a Bears’ comeback.
“They earned this one tonight,” said a smiling Clark.
Jayden Belyea led Newfound with a 14-point outing.
Newport will face No. 2-seeded Mascoma Royals in West Canaan in the quarterfinals on Friday. In their only meeting of the year, the Royals defeated Newport at home, 49-33, on Feb. 13.
Mascoma knocked off the No. 15-seeded Stevens Cardinals, 57-46, on Tuesday night.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
