Double the fun

Thursday, January 14, 2010

By MATT LORDAN

Correspondent

MILFORD – Maybe next year, the Verizon Wireless Arena?

Milford High School against Souhegan High School in almost any sport is guaranteed to be a big draw, but a girls and boys basketball doubleheader is just too much for Milford’s gymnasium to take.

It was standing room only during the 5 p.m. girls opener, and by the boys game, every square inch of the gym had been taken up, with as many as 50 people turned away at the door due to the gym’s maximum capacity being reached.

How big has this game become?

The local radio broadcast of the game featured four personalities and the boys game was delayed while the throngs were pushed back off the corners of the court.

For two great cheering sections both armed with a variety of clever chants, each got to see one of their teams win, though neither game was close.

In the opener, the Sabers girls (4-1) held the Spartans to just seven points in each of the first two quarters and glided to a 61-46 win. As the home gym filled up, Milford did mount a slight third-quarter comeback only to have Souhegan squash it with a key play.

A stagnant third quarter offensively led to an unusual explosion of offense early in the fourth quarter, and the teams compiled 18 points between them in the opening moments of the final frame. Milford’s Bri Corron cut the Sabers’ lead to just eight after she followed up a 3-pointer with an old-school 3-pointer (basket and free throw). But Souhegan’s Ceara McNamara, who scored all six of her points in the final quarter, righted the Sabers’ ship with a lay-in to bump the lead back to 10.

“We love playing here, but it is such a tough place to play – we always struggle,” said Sabers coach Nichole Flores. “In the third quarter, we were struggling with the offensive boards.”

Jane White led the Sabers with 18 points while Jackie Jones added 16 and Christan Wojtas had three 3-pointers. Corron and Jackie Caswell led the Spartans with 10 points each.

The boys game was in much less doubt from start to finish, as the Spartans pasted the Sabers 73-56. Feeding off the energy, Milford came out flying and were hitting from everywhere with ease, dominating inside and knocking down six 3-pointers outside.

The game was just 17-14 after one quarter, but Milford dominated the second quarter with a 25-16 effort and had the game well in hand by halftime. Mike O’Loughlin led the Spartans, scoring from everywhere – at the line (four free throws), behind the 3-point arc (three 3s) and in the paint (the rest of his game-high 23 points).

Jamie Holder added 14 points and Kyle Nelson had 11 for the hosts.

Point guard Mike Mitchell led the offensive assault (and had 12 points himself) and was a pest to the Souhegan guards all night.

The Sabers struggled to score inside as virtually every shot from the paint was at least harassed if not outright blocked or fouled.

“They’re a very athletic team,” said Sabers coach Mike Heaney. “We came in here thinking we might have a bit of an edge sizewise, but they negated that with the athleticism. They did a great job. Every shot that goes up, they run for it – they don’t wait for it. We have a tendency to wait for it.”

“We have talented athletes in there, but we’re forcing them to places where we want them to go,” said Milford coach Dan Murray, “forcing them to one side, and then we try to bury them.”

Only guards Seth Cordts (12 points) and Jack Nelson (10 points) managed to stand out offensively for the Sabers, while Brendan McKenna banged around inside for his 10 points.

Sabers coach Heaney was particularly pleased with the play of Nelson, just a sophomore, and McKenna, a junior under such a high-pressure situation. He also relished the opportunity to coach against Murray, who he referred to as “one of his favorite people.”

“Even though it’s a rivalry, we really enjoy it because of coach Murray and his kids,” Heaney said. “It’s a war on the court and when you’re off the court everyone’s shaking hands.”

Those are warm sentiments that may have been shared between the coaches and/or players, but possibly not among the cheering sections, or those jostling each other for a glimpse of the court on Tuesday night.