For the first time in years, not a single area school will even play in a championship game at the Keene State holiday tournament — let alone hoist the hardware.
Last year’s tourney saw Wilton-Lyndeborough win the White Division for the second straight year and Conant come in second in the Red bracket, their fifth straight championship appearance. Both would win their openers, but it was tough sledding for each on Day Two.
On Monday, Conant took down JoJo Minson and Monadnock, 59-45. In that game, freshman Peyton Springfield scored a career-high 19 points. Meanwhile WLC got the best of Sunapee, 67-48. The Warriors got inspired play from forward Cody Swett, who worked hard on the boards and ended up with a career-high 15 points on nine rebounds (seven offensive). Trey Carrier added 20 points and 16 boards.
ConVal and Mascenic were both in action on Day One as well. The Cougars lost to a tough Keene team (which would eventually go on to the Red Division finals), 84-58.
The Vikings played Division II team Coe-Brown, and played them tough; Brett Stauffeneker’s last-second three tied the game, but Coe-Brown hit free throws to win it. Stauffeneker scored 13; Daimon Gibson had 22, and Sam Stauffeneker and Trey Shaw had ten each.
Tuesday saw every local team come up empty in the win department.
Mascenic was right there with DIV Epping until the end, but the Blue Devils’ senior leader Jackson Rivers was too much for the Vikings. Rivers scored 29 and drew a controversial block call to foul out Brett Stauffeneker, and Epping won 73-68.
Travis Rautiola worked well as the pick-and-roll recipient, scoring ten in the game. Gibson scored a team-high 15, and Sam Stauffeneker scored 12, with ten in the fourth quarter.
ConVal looked promising against Monadnock, after taking them to the wire in their last regular season game before the break, but they lost this one, too, 71-60. Liam Baldwin scored a game-high 20 on four three-pointers; Griffin Werth scored 14 and threw down a fast-break dunk before he fouled out. The Huskies had 47 free throw attempts, to ConVal’s 20.
WLC had a great chance to make the finals, but mental mistakes and an inability to finish at the rim cost them against Fall Mountain. The final minute saw two Warrior turnovers on inbounds plays and Trey Carrier foul out, and WLC lost 60-57. Carrier scored 20, Sean McClure 16 and Swett 10.
Conant got Keene on Day 2. but couldn’t overcome the DII Blackbirds, losing 60-39, despite senior captain James Record’s 14 points.
On Wednesday, Mascenic avenged their regular-season loss to ConVal with a 65-60 overtime win. ConVal was leading most of the way, but it was the Vikings who nearly pulled off the win in regulation.
Down four with a minute remaining, Baldwin and Gibson got tangled up; Gibson hit the floor and Baldwin got hit with a technical which fouled him out. Gibson made the free throws and then Brett Stauffeneker tied the game at 50. Gibson hit two more free throws to give Mascenic a two-point lead. With four seconds left, ConVal’s Cam Buffum launched a prayer, which missed, but Ben Henry, standing under the basket uncovered, grabbed the rebound and laid it in at the buzzer for the tie. However, Mascenic outscored Conval 13-8 in overtime to get the 65-60 win.
Gibson scored 24 in the game with six rebounds; Brett Stauffeneker had 20. For ConVal, Isaac Bacon scored 16 and Werth scored 15.
WLC and Conant played their consolation games after press time.