Tomahawks open with some revenge

Friday, December 23, 2011

MERRIMACK – A huge crowd, the revenge factor and two talented teams champing at the bit was the formula for a classic season opener between the boys basketball teams from Merrimack and Alvirne high schools on Friday night.

The game didn’t completely live up to the billing, but the Tomahawks will take the 72-59 victory and try to build from it.

“The middle part of the game we played right with them,” Alvirne coach Seth Garon said. “The first four minutes and the last four minutes weren’t good.

“The bottom line is we did a horrible job moving the basketball. We were very, very selfish.”

Merrimack coach Tim Goodridge wasn’t exactly thrilled with his team either, especially after watching a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter all but disappear early in the second half, when a 3-pointer by Alvirne sophomore Tyler Brown made it a three-point game.

But the Tomahawks had the answer when they needed it, getting a solid game from senior forward Tyler Gendron, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

For Gendron and the Tomahawks, it helped erase the memories of Alvirne’s upset victory on the same floor in the preliminary round of last year’s tournament.

“We’ve been talking about this game on Facebook for three or four months,” Gendron said. “Everyone was pretty excited about this game.”

The Tomahawks had to play long portions of the first half without two of their best players. Junior point guard Dmitri Floras picked up two quick fouls, and sophomore starter Eric Gendron, who can easily slide over to the point, missed most of the second quarter after getting his second foul.

“I think we’re pretty deep,” Goodridge said, “and I though (Bryan) Courtemanche and Dylan (O’Brien) gave us some nice minutes off the bench.

“In this league you need to go deep into your bench in the big games.”

Eric Gendron had a solid second half and finished with 16 points. Floras, still bothered by an ankle sprain, finished with 12. Senior Jared Peobody finished with nine points and five rebounds.

Merrimack pulled away early in the fourth quarter, by as many as 18 in the waning minutes.

The Broncos, still looking to replace the scoring and leadership of graduated guard Caleb Donnelly, had four players in double figures, with Sean Dunn finishing with 16, 12 each from Tony Beaulieu and Tyler Livingston and 11 points and eight rebounds from Jim Tomaswick.

“Caleb was a calming presence on the court,” Garon said. “He could settle the kids down.

“Not only that, but when we need a momentum changer he could give us that. We’ll miss that, but somebody will step up.”