Lakes Region Sports Round-up for 2-29-20

Boys Basketball

Winnisquam 57, Inter-Lakes 47

Winnisquam continued to impress with another solid win, this time over a never-say-die Laker team. Coach Kevin Dame: “Nice team effort. I thought our defense was solid especially in the third quarter. Nice balanced scoring and solid contributions from many players.” Three Winnisquam Bears found double digits with Phil Nichols leading with 15, Anthony Perkins 14, Caleb Bushway with 10 and nine each from Jacob Seavey and Gunnar Horman. The Lakers saw Harrison Hicks go off for 21, and Van Buhrman score 18. The Bears are the fifth seed currently and the Lakers sit in the 13th spot with one to play.

Gilford 53, Belmont 43

The slide continues for the Raiders, losing their third in a row and sixth in the last seven while the Gilford Eagles continue to soar atop DIII with their 16th win. It wasn’t easy as the pesky Belmont boys put up a good fight and hung in with the best team in the division. Gilford coach Rick Acquilano talked about it. “Big win against a good team. Belmont is well coached and they play hard. It was good to get out to an early lead and hang in there on them.” Belmont focused on shutting down the Eagles' top dog Adrian Siravo, who scored just 14 points, but Riley Marsh stepped up big scoring 11 and getting six steals. Connor Sullivan also added 10 points in the win. Belmont coach Jim Cilley said his guys played well. “We executed everything perfectly except make the shots.” With Mascenic finishing the season with 17 wins, Gilford will have to win their final game against White Mountain to keep the top spot. Belmont is in 11th position now and could fall to 12 with a loss to Conant in the final game.

Girls Basketball Division III Playoffs Opening Round

Prospect Mountain 44, Belmont 36

In a game that could have gone either way, the teams entered the final quarter knotted at 23. With four minutes to play, Belmont took the lead but The Timberwolves made more plays down the stretch and pulled away. Foul trouble proved to be the difference, according to Raider coach Mark Dawalga. “We were in foul trouble early in the first quarter with Morgan Hall and Molly Sottak with 3 fouls each in the first six minutes of the game.” It caused some adjustments but he was happy with the play of his girls. “We had to go to a lineup that we had not used all year and the team really did a great job of adjusting. I was very proud of our kids' effort.” Belmont's Courtney Burke notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Savannah Perkins added 10 points. “Lena Rodrigues and Alyssa Edgren really stepped up and played well with all the foul trouble,” said Dawalga. “Rebecca Fleming was forced into the post and played on defense. Give Prospect credit they made some big foul shots down the stretch to seal the game.” Prospect Mountain is the 7th seed and now moves on to play the 2nd seeded Fall Mountain Wildcats who were on a bye. Good luck Timberwolves and congratulations on a solid season Belmont.

Tilton School

Girls Varisty Basketball

Tilton 68, Southfield 47

Tilton traveled to Brookline, Massachusetts, to take on one of the top teams in NEPSAC Class C, Dexter-Southfield. After a back-and-forth first quarter between the two teams, the Rams used a strong defensive effort to build a 37-20 lead at halftime. Leading by as many as 30 in the second half, The Rams finished with season highs: 27 offensive rebounds and 31 points off of turnovers. Sophie George had a solid game with 16 points, three assists and three steals, while Jaxson Nadeau had 12 points, six steals and four assists. Alyssa Moreland was all over the floor with 16 points, eight boards, three steals and four blocks.

Tilton 84, Pomfret 59

The Rams hit the road for their second road trip in as many days to secure their sixth straight win. It was a battle according to Coach Tara Brisson. “We were tenacious on defense, forcing numerous turnovers and creating many transition opportunities." The Rams put together a 22-4 run in the second half to pull away and never look back. Laconia’s Sophie George led the way with 15 points and four assists, Liza Field had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Kat Mansaray added 14 points, five boards and three steals. Also putting up a double-double was Alysaa Moreland with 11 points and 11 rebounds. With one game to play Tilton ran their record to 18-5 and looked toward the playoffs.

Girls JV Basketball

Tilton 51, New Hampton 34

On an afternoon that celebrated their seniors, the Tilton Rams dominated the Huskies behind Julia Dolpies, who dropped 20 points. Alex Garside had eight points, Ally Andrews seven and Sointu Ahola and Liv DeMatos each had six. Seniors that were honored included Doris Li, Elena Lei, Emily Du and Manager Sherry Chen.

New England Wolves

The New England Wolves will host round 1 of the EHL playoffs Wednesday, March 4 at 4:30 p.m. at the Merrill Fay Arena in Laconia against the East Coast Wizards of Bedford, Massachusetts. The Wolves are currently 25-14-4. It is their highest number of wins at the EHL level in the history of the franchise.