Basketball: Sabers get the best of Spartans again

Thursday, February 9, 2012

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MILFORD – The Souhegan High School boys basketball team went over five years without beating rival Milford.

Now the Sabers have done it three times in a little more than five weeks.

Souhegan overcame a slow start and poured it on late to defeat the Spartans for the third time this season, 63-47.

Two of those wins came in Division II play, including Friday night’s win that gave the Sabers a 10-1 record in the division.

Brandon Len led a balanced attack for Souhegan, scoring 14 points, and Shaun McKenna added 13 markers and Ben Peterson chipped in with nine. Four other players scored six points for the Sabers.

Milford got 18 points, including four 3-pointers, from Jared Lakin, while Jovi Philbrick, playing in just his second game this season, added 11.

The Spartans’ got just two points out of Richie Moore, who picked up a technical foul midway through the second quarter and didn’t return to the game.

Milford took the lead early, going up 7-0 with 3:38 left in the first quarter. Souhegan couldn’t get anything to fall and the Spartans weren’t allowing the Sabers any second chances.

But a layup by Len finally broke the ice and Souhegan outscored Milford 24-11 over the rest of the half to lead by six at halftime.

The Sabers stretched the lead 10 early in the third quarter, but the Spartans came back to make it a seven-point game moments later.

That’s the way most of the half went – Milford would get within six or seven and Souhegan would respond and push the lead to double digits.

A 3-pointer by McKenna and a layup by Len gave Souhegan a 51-38 lead with 2:40 to play, and the Sabers kept their advantage to more than 10 the rest of the way.

Souhegan 43, Milford 27

Jane White scored a game-high 17 points as the Sabers held off the Spartans to improve to 7-4 in Division II this season.

Mickenzie Larivee added nine points for Souhegan, which turned the ball over 24 times against Milford’s aggressive defense. But the Spartans struggled to shoot the ball, which included going 7 for 19 from the free throw line.

Jennifer Dupuis led Milford (4-8) with 10 points, and the second of her two 3s made it a nine-point game with four minutes to play.