Two girls basketball teams won NHIAA state titles Saturday. One outcome was a complete surprise; the other was no surprise at all.
Sixth-seeded Groveton upset previously unbeaten Colebrook, 48-46, to win the Class S championship. Form held in the Class M championship game, where second-seeded Gilford posted a 52-45 triumph over fourth-seeded Campbell.
Groveton’s Emily Pelletier scored a game-high 16 points in the Class S championship game. Groveton overcame an early 14-point deficit to win its second Class S championship in as many years.
"We were buried in a pretty big hole early in the game, but the girls kept their composure and chipped away," Groveton coach Tim Haskins told the Manchester Union Leader. "We felt pretty good trailing by only one at the half."
Groveton received 12 points and 12 rebounds from Kelley Jo Collins. Jessica McKenzie added 11 points and was the only other Groveton player who scored in double figures.
Groveton raised its record to 15-5 and won the program’s 13th state championship. Colebrook, which was seeking its first Class S title, completed its season with a 19-1 record.
"There's a high level of expectation on our part because of our past," Haskins said. "We don't concede to any opponent. Last year we were the team to beat entering the tournament, but this year we had to struggle to get here. … We played our hearts out, and it was only a two-point margin of victory.”
Lindsey Carr and Rachel Landry combined for 35 points to lead Gilford to the Class M title
Carr, who is 5-foot-11, and Landry, who measures above six feet, each recorded a double-double to give second-seeded Gilford a 21-1 record and state laurels. Carr, a senior, collected 20 points and 18 rebounds. Landry, a junior, came off the bench to score 15 points and grab 11 rebounds.
Gilford sprinted to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter and ended its season with a 21-1 record.
Campbell rallied to tie the game, 32-32, on a Shannon Savard jump shot with 2:25 to play in the third quarter. The Cougars finished their season with a 17-5 record.
"Our plan was to spread the floor and it worked well in the first period, but they made some adjustments and sent someone back to break our transition game," Gilford coach Rick Forge said. "They tied the game, but were never able to take a lead."
Gilford outscored Campbell 20-13 in the fourth quarter to claim the title.
Kristen Hrubowchak scored a team-high 19 points for Campbell, which also received 12 points from Savard.
Track and Field: Briggs Wins New England Title
Winnacunnet’s Jocelyn Briggs won the long jump at Friday's New England Track and Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Athletic Center in Roxbury, Mass.
Briggs, a senior who was seeded second in the long jump, won the event with a leap of 18 feet, 5 inches. Top-seeded Olivia Massey of Staples (Conn.) High School finished second with a jump of 17-9½.
"(Briggs) is a tremendous big-meet athlete," Winnacunnet coach John Hodsdon said. "She hasn't jumped competitively in four weeks, but she always finds a way to come up big in big meets. She was subdued, but you could tell she was proud of her accomplishment."
Hodsdon said Briggs is the first New England champion from Winnacunnet in the program’s history.
Briggs did not place in her previous two appearances at the New England Championships.
Roger Brown covers New Hampshire and Vermont for MaxPreps. He can be reached at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com