By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
This year's Class L boys basketball championship game had a strong resemblance to the 2007 Class L title game.
Salem beat Trinity both years, although Saturday's championship came a little easier than the one the Blue Devils earned last season.
A year ago the Blue Devils prevailed on a shot at the buzzer. This year top-seeded Salem led by 18 early in the fourth quarter and breezed to a 66-45 triumph.
"Last year we had only seconds to celebrate," Salem coach E.J. Perry told the Manchester Union Leader. "This year we had plenty of time to appreciate our accomplishment."
Junior Josh Jones scored a game-high 19 points for Salem, which completed the season with a 22-0 record and stretched its winning streak to 32 games.
Salem received 17 points from Michael Kimball and 13 from Shawn Stoodley. The Blue Devils also got an eight-point, 10 rebound performance from Dan Kinney.
"That's why we're a great team," Kinney said. "Everyone contributes, so it's tough to stop five or six guys."
Senior point guard Ryan Bourgeois led second-seeded Trinity with 18 points. Sophomore Cormac Fitzpatrick added 12 points (all on 3-pointers) for the Pioneers, who finished their season with a 19-3 record.
Salem led 30-25 at halftime, but the Blue Devils built a 15-point lead in the third quarter and were never threatened.
"At halftime I was a little angry and got on Stoodley and Kinney," Perry said. "I told them I didn't want to see another red-shirted guy get a rebound and they went out and made me proud."
Boys Basketball: Conant Extends Winning Streak
Top-seeded Conant stretched its winning streak to 63 games and won its third Class L championship in as many years by beating third-seeded Newmarket, 55-48, in overtime Friday night.
The victory capped an emotional season for Conant, which had to deal with the loss of captain Stephen Record, who died in an automobile accident last December.
"I think we had a lot of help from above," Conant center Kyle Todd said.
Conant's James Pearl led all scorers with 17 points. Conant received 11 points from Sean Martin and 10 from Kim Kemph.
Curtis Williams scored a team-high 13 for Newmarket, which was outcored 12-5 in overtime. Joe Downing added 11 points for the Mules.
Conant led 24-23 at halftime, and 37-33 after three quarters.
"We're still happy," Downing said. "We played our hearts out, and there's nothing more we could have done."
Awards: All-State Teams Announced
All-State teams selected by the New Hampshire Basketball Coaches Organization:
BOYS
Class L: Chris Petzy (Exeter), Lucas Croteau (Spaulding), Josh Jones (Salem), Mike Stys (Manchester Central), Ryan Bourgeois (Trinity) and Ryan Herrion (Dover).
Class I: Casey Maue (Hanover), Justin Hojlo (Pelham), Trevor Maynard (Oyster River), Scott Faucher (Lebanon), John Mulvey (Portsmouth), James Tobin (Hollis-Brookline).
Class M: Kirk Crecco (Gilford), Erik Dean (Gilford), Kyle Todd (Conant), Chris Crowley (Epping), Ryan Hingston (Prospect Mountain), Curtis Williams (Newmarket).
Class S: Ryan Call (Colebrook), Stephan Chin (Wilton-Lyndeborough), Matt Cloutier (Nute), Kevin Eisenberg (Gorham), Eric Jensen (Gorham), Reno Gilbert (Colebrook).
GIRLS
Class L: Shannon Hassan (Merrimack), Samantha Wheeler (Timberlane), Tiffany Ruffin (Winnacunnet), Kelsy Hogan (Nashua North), Amanda Saab (Salem), Alicia Doucet (Manchester Central).
Class I: Jasmine Hardy (Lebanon), Anna Mapes (Kearsarge), Courtney Ness (Hanover), Shannon Kean (St. Thomas), Alex Hall (Pembroke Academy), Marie Girard (St. Thomas).
Class M: Lindsay Carr (Gilford), Brooke Springfield (Conant), Caitlin O'Connor (Newfound), Samantha Hemingway (Newport), Maggie Seaver (Newfound), Jerrica Dion (Belmont).
Class S: Jenn White (Lisbon), Emily Pelletier (Groveton), Katelyn Cloutier (Groveton), Lauren Andrews (Portsmouth Christian), MacKenzie Brooks (Colebrook), Stephanie Larpenter (Sunapee).
