001[music] [cheering] >> Great feed there by >> [music] >> man. There, Greco. After trying to make a goal, as it goes in. >> [music] >> That one was lucky that it bounced off of the goalie to go in there. >> [music] [applause] >> Welcome to Exeter Blue Hawk basketball. Tonight, the Blue Hawks take on the Little Green of Manchester Central. The Blue Hawks come in 10th in Division >> [cheering] >> with a record of 9 and 8. Central comes in with a tie for 16th and the final playoff position. I'm Bill Taylor and I'm joined by my partner in crime, Tim Hollister. And we're here to bring you the final basketball game, of the final home game, I should say, this of this year's Exeter Blue Hawk boys. And you know, it's been a very
002exciting season. Yeah. I don't think it's gone the way the Blue Hawks hoped that it would. Yeah, I would I would agree with you on that, coach. I think you know, they've had some tough games, some games that, you know, a couple of moments didn't go their way. You know, I think back to Portsmouth game where they just had a couple of plays here and there. That's tough. Portsmouth's way instead of theirs. And then you have that Merrimack game. You know, this team, even though they sit at 9 and 8, they could be at, you know, 12-win team, a 13-win team, you know, they had a close game with Bedford. So, you know, this is not a typical 9 and 8 team. This is actually a team they could go on a run in the
003playoffs. I think that's why a game like this is so important. Build some momentum for the playoffs. Okay, the starting lineup for the Blue Hawks. Number two, Tyler Reim. Number four, Abijah Griffith. Number 11, Jackson McDonald. Number 23, Jack Thibault. And number 34, Hunter Brown. For the Little Green, Chris Guma, number two. Number five, Kingston Patton. Number 13, Miguel Cruz. Number 14, Jeff Barabba. And number 23, Glody Hamici. And now the national anthem. >> [music] [music] [applause] [music] >> Great national anthem done by our band on the recording. Still prefer the person who did it last time against Memorial. She I still can't get over it. I was rewatching the game and man, she really killed that, so. You know, all year long we haven't mentioned the assistant coaches for uh Coach Holmes. Yeah, man.
004Dave Ivory and Tom Cudger. Yeah, they um they do a great job of, you know, making sure Coach Holmes is uh helping out Coach Holmes, make sure the players are all good and allow Coach Holmes to focus on what's going on on the floor right there while they figure out the other stuff and you know, did you ever coach with any of them? I'm I'm not sure if they were ever >> Uh no. No. You know, coach, going into this game, I got some keys to victory as usual. Uh you know, it's going to be get hot from the start. And you know, just keep shooting with confidence. Got to play possession by possession. Jack Thibault. Medium-range jump shot. Good start. The Blue Hawks come out in their 3-2 zone. And travel. Ooh. This Exeter
005defense will make you make mistakes. Third in Division 1 for points per game allowed. Only Ooh. Only 52.1. And Central comes out in a 1-3-1 zone. Let's see if they they don't look like they're trapping. But they wouldn't trap up top. We'll see what they do in the corners. This Exeter this Sorry, this Manchester team will pressure Exeter. Kind of like Memorial. They'll do the same thing. So, Exeter's got to stay poised and limit the turnovers tonight. Blue Hawks controlling the backboards. This is their fourth shot this possession and they get another one. Nice block. Nice block on Huxley Brown. Another offensive foul offensive violation. >> Yeah. Player control foul on number 23, Hamici. Let's not confuse him with Tomasi. To Speaking of Tomasi, even though they all lost to Nashua South, he scored 20
006points in that game as led Exeter in scoring. Perimeter. Tyler Reim for three. >> [applause] >> You know, Tyler Reim, he he's a guy who can get hot. And if he can get hot before the playoffs, he's a scary guy to defend. We've seen it with some of these late game threes he's hit in that full court pass to Tomasi against Goffstown that I'm sure everyone in the state has seen. Nice pass inside by Guma to who Hamici. I like Huxley there using his size and trying to gain an advantage. Great defense there by number 23, Hamici, so. Made it tough for him to make that shot. Blue Hawks push it up the floor. Back in their 3-2 zone. You can see why this extra defense so good. It's the hustle and it's the suffocation.
007They have great closeouts on every shot. Thing is with the 1-3-1 Notice Central, they don't have their hands up. Yeah. Only if their man has the ball do they get their hands up. Yeah, and you know, Exeter's kind of taking advantage of that. They're moving the ball around. It's helping Exeter limit the turnovers. We've seen that sometimes comes to bite them late in game. So, if Manchester's just going to let them move this ball around and not pressure Exeter, it's going to be a long night. Agi Griffith Euro Euro step to the basket Man. >> the layup on the break. That was nice. Nice footwork, too. You know, Guama's a guy who you don't necessarily want to let score. He's, you know, second in Division 1 in points per game. He's averaging 20.4 points per
008game. He's one of two Manchester players in the top 25. Who's the other one? That would be um Glody Hamasi, 15.1. He is 17th. Do we have anyone? Uh no, we do not. Not in the top 25. Jackson McDonald and Huxley Brown find themselves in the top 35, not quite top 25. Agi Griffith for three on the skip pass over the zone. And you know if Exeter can start finding their rhythm from three before the playoffs starts, it could be dangerous for the other teams. That's really what they've been missing this year that they've had years prior. Hamasi inside. He's got both baskets for Manchester right now. Now Central's gone to a man defense. I like to see them try and get inside on Ooh. I like seeing them try and get inside on Guama.
009You know, guys like Huxley Brown or Thibodeau, if we can get a mismatch there, that would be pretty successful, I think. 10-4 is the score. 2 minutes and 50 seconds to go in the opening quarter. Ooh. Thibodeau's got to hold his own there inside. Yeah, I thought maybe there was a little bit of a push in the back there. No call though. You know, Thibodeau just kept his head up, no complaining. I like that I like seeing that. Don't make excuses. Nate Hamasi just checked into the game as did Raymond Plant. Good discipline there. Raymond Plant had great discipline on the feet. He almost jumped for the fake, but also made sure he didn't create an opportunity for Manchester to get to the free throw line. Ooh. Ooh. Thought maybe he hit his arm there.
010Okay, Exeter now goes to the zone press. 1-3-1 zone press. Agi Griffith, nice pick. Man. Ooh. I was just about to say, you know, we're used to seeing that from Agi, just jumping around and making crazy athletic plays. He's so fun to watch. Oh, nice job. Hamasi Central back in the man. Ooh, wide open. Got to get him earlier on the cut. Yeah. Brown inside. Huxley Brown, great job using his strength there to uh to make that basket. Ooh. Hard foul. Another >> Huxley Brown Another tough shot, man. 1-3-1 >> [cheering] >> Good steal. Ooh. You know, we've we've seen that a lot this summer from or this not this summer, this season from Huxley Brown, just getting inside and making some closely contested layups. Ooh, Agi. >> Agi with the block. He was trying
011to get a jump on a on a transition bucket. But great block, man. He's got a crazy vertical. Central holding the ball for the last shot. Guama from the top of the key, no good. 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. Exeter ended that quarter on a four-point um back-to-back bus baskets, just quick spurt right there, and I think we're going to continue to see that tonight. So, what were the keys to a an Exeter victory? Uh get hot from the start. Yeah. Take it possession by possession on both sides of the ball, offense and defensively. And then, you know, Manchester's going to try and pressure them. They got to stay poised and limit the turnovers. Well, we haven't seen the Manchester pressure Yeah. yet. Uh I think we saw the little early on
012the the top half of the court. They were hustling a lot and really getting in Exeter's face, but we they kind of got away from it. Um but yeah, it's we definitely haven't seen I don't think Exeter has felt as pressured as they thought. I mean, they've been able to kind of pick and choose where they're getting their shots. I see number 22, Ben Smith, in the game. As well as number 10, Johnny Gillis. So, it's Hamasi, Thibodeau and the three I mentioned, the three guards. Manchester Central's ball to start the second quarter. 14-7 is the score. I would say this, they've kind of held Guama for a 20-point average. They've taken him kind of out of the offense. >> Yeah, no points from him and, you know, 0 for 2 from the field, all
013but more than that. That's just what I've caught. He's missed a couple of shots and, you know, he's definitely, I think, uncomfortable. But you know, they're getting all the Ooh. Three rebounds in a row by Central. They pounded the glass on that. You have to block out on Central cuz if you're going to go athleticism to athleticism, they're going to win. You know, they've they've gotten all their scoring, Manchester, from Hamasi. He's got seven points and, you know, that's just not going to win you a game. One guy cannot win you a game and >> [cheering] >> you know, they got to find something else. Charge. Charge. Who was there? >> [applause] [cheering] >> Yeah, not I'm not seeing any pressure here from Manchester. And Exeter's Ooh. What a rebound. You see him grab that
014with one hand. Another Another. >> [cheering] [applause] >> You know You know what? I think Exeter saw something on film that Guma likes to kind of put his arms out and push off and you know, he's definitely being physical but Exeter's doing a good job of making sure the ref see it and not letting him do that. He's already got two fouls back-to-back on both plays just like that. Tibbets with a good block. Man. He's just He's a tough guy to score on. You know, standing at 6'7", they just That's a tough guy to go up and jump over. Another block. >> block. >> That's two. >> [applause] >> Johnny Gillis did a good job drawing the foul on that one. >> Yeah, and getting the shot up so he gets the free throws. He
015I think he kind of you know, saw that a little bit but there was definitely a little bit contact. Good job making sure the ref see it. Oh, good rebound by Tibbets. >> [applause] >> Oh, they called that Exeter ball. I thought that I thought that came off of Tibbets' fingers. >> [cheering] >> Three-pointer by Ben Smith. >> [applause] >> That was a >> Blue Hawks in that 1-3-1 half court pressure. He did a great job of just finding the open spot in the zone and being quick with the shot. Travel. >> [cheering and applause] >> Great Great pressure here from Exeter. They They're really doing a good job of making Manchester uncomfortable. Oh. Tomasi hits the backboard. Good rebound there. One thing I've noticed with Central, Central relies on their athleticism to get the
016rebound. They do not block out well. >> Yeah. And you better block out against a Blue Hawk team because they'll kill you on the boards if you don't. Yeah, they they definitely rely on speed and just overall hustle. They'll try and dive at those balls but yeah, they're not going to try They're not trying to test, you know, Tomasi and Tibbets, the big men of Exeter on the boards and you know, like you said, they'll just dominate you. I mean, it's almost like an identity of Exeter. We see the girls team do it all the time too is both these Exeter teams just dominate the boards. That's when they have the most success. Blue Hawks in their man. Nice defense here from Michael Burke. >> [applause] >> Central calls time. You know, that's seven straight
017points for Exeter. And you know, Central hasn't scored this quarter. Yeah, they haven't They haven't scored this entire quarter and you know, Exeter ended that first quarter on the back-to-back baskets. So, it's been a little while and they're definitely uncomfortable and you know, Exeter does a great job. I mean, they they held Portsmouth who currently only has one loss, the top team in Division 1, to their second lowest amount points in a regular season game with 65. And I mean, like I said earlier, second or sorry, third best defense in points allowed, 52.1 and they've held five of their last seven opponents under 50 points. This defense is just I mean, it can carry them to a deep playoff run and if they can figure out the offense like they we've seen tonight and like
018we've seen, you know, late game, they've kind of figured out, you know, like Tyler Rain, get the ball in his hands, Jackson McDonald and Huxley, if they can figure out how to put it together, they could be a dangerous Cinderella team. I agree. I agree. They just have to get some cohesion offensively. >> Yeah, that's the big thing is they just A lot of it is they got to hit the open shots. We've seen some shots just haven't bounced their way this season and you know, if they can start to change that if they can start to get some of those shots to fall, I mean, they're you're talking three of their losses were by, you know, less than five points. So, especially that Bedford game. Oh. Number four. That it was Kingston Patton. I
019think those are the first points. Right? I was just about to say, first points scored by someone not named Tomasi. Yeah, boy, they picked up the fouls. We've got to make them pay at the foul line. Yeah. They have five fouls this game where we have yet to hit a free throw. So, hopefully Jackson McDonald can get them their first free throws of the game. He does. He hits the first. He hits the second. >> [applause] >> You know, Exeter, I think their communication is really what drives this defense. You know, they're they're so good at talking and you know, discussing the switches and making sure there's no miscommunication so no one gets open and man, I just think I think this defense is fantastic to watch. >> [applause] >> Man, everyone's picking up fouls
020on Manchester. Michael Burke shooting two. You know, with four minutes left to be in the bonus, that's pretty huge. I mean, and with the way that, you know, the Manchester is playing, I mean, Exeter could have 20 free throws by the end of this game. Blue Hawks with a 20 to 9 lead. Oh. Oh. Nice move. Changed hands in the air. Off the backboard, Guma. Just insane athleticism. He took Huxley Brown. That's not an easy guy to score over. I mean, Exeter in general just with their size. Oh, good movement off ball. Oh, he's Oh. Nice job by the Blue Hawks. >> Yeah, didn't let him hit off their foot. Oh. >> Oh, good block. What a block by Tomasi, man. He is really He is really doing a great job of, you know, helping
021Manchester just stay somewhat in this game. Exeter with the timeout 20-11. You know, we're getting a lot of possessions, but we're not scoring a lot of points on those possessions. And we need to maximize those possessions. >> Yeah, 100%. We're I mean, we're getting probably three possessions for each of Manchester shots. You know, and that's it's huge that you just capitalize and you take advantage, especially in the playoffs, you know, every possession counts. So, if you're talking about going up against against a team like Bedford, who you lost to because of a missed last second shot, you know, in that game, I'm sure there was a couple of possessions that went your way or didn't go your way. Every possession counts in the playoffs. Every possession counts in these games. So, if they can start
022capitalizing on that, you know, it's a lot more important than just this one regular season game. Blue Hawks in a 2-3 zone right now. Ooh. Man, Gomez he he just he was so quick. I know he didn't quite get to move on Reem, but he was just so quick to make a move. 2 minutes and 20 seconds to go in all [groaning] Huxley Brown. Man. Good pass inside by McDonald. >> Yeah, that was a great pass and you know, Huxley's three for four right now on those inside shots. Think the Blue Hawks got away with a kick on that one. Yeah, looks like it might have hit Reem's foot as he was kind of trying to block the passing lane. See if they capitalize on this possession. Central in a man. They get the ball
023inside to Huxley, inside out, nice play. Good job by Reem getting open there again. Those are just some of the some of the shots that we've seen from Exeter. They got a good look, haven't been able to have it fall this season. Hopefully tonight they can get some stuff they can use for Hamasi. He's almost at double digits. He's got nine points, which is a game high. You know, he's coming off of a 20 27-point game against uh Salem. So, he's having quite the end of the season. Gomez. Quick little back-to-back baskets here by Manchester. Yeah. Hit right off Tower Reem's knee. Good hands by Gomez there. 22-15, 28 seconds to go. Central's going to do the weave up top to hold the ball. Exeter in a zone will let them do the weave. Oh,
024nice job. That was by number 10. That's Zaid. That's his first make of the game. Oh, and a good block on McDonald. Yeah, Hamasi. Man, feels like we're just going to be saying his name all night tonight. 22-17 here at halftime. What have you seen? You know, six straight points there from Manchester. I think they kind of caught Exeter uh you know, sleeping a little bit. I think Exeter kind of originally was just okay with kind of coasting and you know, Manchester got a little uncomfortable, but they found their rhythm. And you know, Exeter's got to come out half firing off all cylinders and you know, really got to have a great second half here, especially if you want to take it into the into the playoffs. They need to score on more of their
025possessions. >> 100%. That's that's my takeaway. They are ahead by five. They're playing a really good defensive game. They're doing a nice job on the back backboards, but what they're not doing is converting when they get the ball. Yeah. Well, that's the score at half, and we're going to take a break. We'll see you for the second half. >> Okay. All right, we're back here at halftime. 22-17 is the score. The Exeter Blue Hawks have the lead. And you got any interesting stats for us here, uh Yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah, uh you know, we talked about Hamasi's at nine points, you know, for Manchester, he's got over half their points. He's done a great job tonight. He's got blocks on the defensive end, and and then, you know, Huxley Brown and six points, and then
026uh Aggie Griffith with four, you know, Exeter's scoring's a pretty spread out, you know, you got Reem in there with a three. You know, we saw him McDonald and Michael Burke even had one, and then uh Thibodeau. So, it's a lot more spread out than Manchester is. But, man, the real one is Gummy held to four points. Yeah, the Blue Hawks. Central comes out in a collapsing man. Huxley Brown kind of loses his footing and turns it over. You know, Aggie Griffith was open for a second. Great job by Manchester making sure he couldn't get the shot off. Hamasi. He enters double digits with 11. Central playing man. Nice. Jaelen Reem. You know, if this game gets close in the fourth, I'm not too worried as long as Jaelen Reem's out there. We've talked about
027he's hit some big shots. >> [cheering] >> Blue Hawks push it up the floor. McDonald to Thibodeau. Nice pass, good finish. >> [applause] >> Good job spreading this Manchester defense out a little bit, making them have to, you know, switch and kind of run a little bit. Oh. Blue Hawks running the floor. Oh. You know, this Exeter defense really locks down the second half. In the fourth quarter and overtime in their past two games, they've only allowed 10 or fewer points. You know, and then the second half, it's always under 20. Kingston Patton inside. 26-21 here in the third quarter. That's his second basket of the game. Travel. Uh Too anxious. He moved He moved before he bounced the ball. A little bit hot potato there. Like bounced off um Michael Miguel Cruz's hands. Oh.
028Good rebound. Uh Jump ball. >> [applause] >> Good rebound by number 23, Hamasi. Man, yeah. >> He went up between two big guys, and he pulled it. He's been just having a I mean, a great game. Like I said, uh and like you've said, we've been calling his name all night. Hamasi inside. Back-to-back baskets for him. And he's cut it to a one-possession game. >> [clears throat] >> Pick and roll with McDonald. >> [cheering] >> Central does a good job. Oh. Huxley Brown doesn't get the roll. He's fouled. Two shots. Foul on Reem, number 13, Miguel Cruz. That is his first. Huxley Brown to line shooting two. Huxley Brown does a great job a lot of doing this way. He drives inside, and he, you know, makes makes the other team foul him, or he
029just gets a good shot. I mean, he does a great job at making these close-up, tough layups. He's already at six points tonight. What are we from the foul line tonight? Do you know? Yep, we are three for three for 10. Three for 10. Yeah, and we are on pace for that 20 free throws I said in the early second quarter, but, you know, you and me were talking about halftime. You know, Manchester hadn't scored till about four minutes into the second quarter, and they ended up scoring 10 points in that in that second quarter. They have just kind of had a little bit of a run here. And uh Hamasi. You know, Hamasi's six straight points, and that's you know, six straight points for Manchester as well. Cutting Exeter's lead to one. But, you
030know, Hamasi's got 15. He's been almost impossible to stop. And he's been efficient, too. He's six for seven from the inside and one for one from three, so you know, or one for three from three. Uh sorry about that, but he's had a very efficient shooting night. He has. He's a bull when he gets the ball. Yeah. A Gee Griffith, no. >> just not rolling. This could be Manchester's first lead of the game. Oh, Hamasi. >> Hamasi. Man. Eight straight points for Hamasi. And you know what? They already have 10 points in this quarter. Oh. Chris Gamma. >> [groaning] >> Yeah, a needed timeout there from Exeter. 10 straight points for Manchester. And you know, uh they they came out and they are firing right now. 29-26, >> [snorts] >> Central with the lead. Well,
031again, it's hard awful hard to win a basketball game when you're three for 10 from the foul line. Yeah. >> You got to convert those. I mean, that's seven points right there. Yeah, and you know, this the this quarter that that kind of this quarter, but really the end of that second quarter, we started to see Manchester really start to get involved in this game. Right. >> And you know, Exeter had a pretty big cushion. They had a, you know, a double-digit lead and >> digits, yeah. you know, Manchester was just able to kind of After they scored those two baskets, you know, after four minutes of not scoring in the second quarter, they came out hot. They scored six straight to end that quarter. And you know, they've scored 10 straight now. I mean,
032it was This has just been, you know, crazy start for this Manchester team to this half. Central comes out again. Man. Gamma, nice pass. Oh. >> [applause] >> Excellent pass on the break. Tell you, you can see that he is a player. Yeah, he's I mean, he's second for scoring and in the state for a reason, but it's not just scoring. He can play make and we see his hustle on defense. And man, to be able, you know, everyone, if they shoot enough shots, can score 20 points a game, right? And to be able to not just be one-dimensional and create opportunities for your teammates to score and play selfless basketball, that is huge. Two foul shots by >> [cheering] >> uh Patton. Oh, just can't get to fall. Here comes Gamma in the break.
033Man, he's so quick. He just sprinted right down the entire court, probably about two seconds. Good defense there by Hamasi. Oh. You know, when you're going through a cold spell like this right now for Exeter, Hamasi's a guy you want to have on the court, just bring some energy. We need like a Hamasi dunk right now or block, just bring some energy for this Exeter team. Oh, Gamma for three. And you know what? We talked about earlier in the game, they did a great job of stopping him, but he's found his rhythm now. You can see he's feeling it. >> [cheering] >> Oh. Oh. Man. Patton. Patton for three. Yeah. Timeout, Blue Hawks. Got to burn another timeout there. Blue Hawks are now down by 11. We went from, you know, we were up double
034digits >> Right. pretty pretty late into that second quarter and then, you know, going into half, I think we're up nine or or, you know, um we're up five actually that cuz they had that burst, but you know, now with 18 straight points from Manchester, it's it's just it's They came out of that second half hot. They came out, they they were feeling good after that burst to end the second quarter, but you know, Exeter's just got to find their rhythm. They got to find their spot, you know, Coach Holmes is a great coach in that timeout. I'm sure he's talking them, you know, settle in. Uh we're a little bit out of rhythm. Hopefully, he can draw a play, get them back in rhythm, and start hitting some shots. And honestly, in my eyes,
035it's not really that we're, you know, forcing bad shots or, you know, really turning the ball over a lot. We have a couple of turnovers, but a lot of it is just open shots aren't falling. A Gee Griffith had a three-pointer that just rolled out. Thibodeau, you know, it just tough shots that just have not rolled our way. Plant in the game along with Ben Smith. They get it inside to Huxley Brown. >> Ooh. No rim. And you know what? Man has dominated the boards this half or this quarter. >> Travel on Central. I think Exeter's got to get some points to end this quarter, just close this deficit before we enter the fourth. >> [applause] >> That's his second. And you know what? Manchester's done a great job not fouling this quarter. Oh. Wow.
036You know, I was going to say at the end of the quarter, one thing I would I have noticed is Exeter's passes they've been, you know, obviously, you don't want to slowly pass the ball, but even the close ones have been a lot of zip on them. It's I've seen a lot like flinching when the ball is coming cuz it's, you know, close and the ball is coming at 100 mph. I think they got to kind of slow it down. And they're a little bit too riled up and, you know, I think they're a little rattled right now. They weren't expecting this kind of fight from Manchester. Central going to hold the ball. >> [applause] >> Yeah, I mean, >> 22 seconds still go. They're They're comfortable going in with an 11-point lead into the
037fourth quarter. Well, you know, I think they just don't want to give Exeter an opportunity to close that deficit. They want to give them only, you know, ONE SHOT MAX. OH. Tyler Reim for three. His second of the game. That is huge. That could just be a momentum play that you just need going into that fourth quarter. And you know, I I talked about it a little bit. Tyler Reim in big shots. I mean, it's like it's it's like cookies and milk. I mean, he hit a big shot with, you know, seven minutes remaining against Manchester Memorial to cut the deficit to one, then hit the game-tying shot, as you know, in that same game with under a minute. And then against Goffstown, hit a three to tie the game with, you know, 1.5 seconds
038left, and then had that full court pass with one Sorry, with eight seconds left, and then 1.5 seconds left, we had that full court dime to Nate Hamasi. I mean, there's any guy, you know, that I trust with making big shots like we saw at that third that buzzer beater, it's Tyler Reim. Hopefully, that can drive this Exeter team to a win tonight. Okay, the Blue Hawks cut it to single digits. They're down eight as we start the final quarter. But once again, the Blue Hawk defense has been great. The offense has not. And you know, Manchester was on 18-point run. 18 straight points without any answer from Exeter, so that three-pointer could be huge just to kill some of Nate Tomasie. Get some of that energy from Tomasie. But, yeah, I mean that that
039three could be huge just to kill some of Manchester's momentum cuz they were really feeding off of that run. Paton to the foul line for two. I notice the Blue Hawks are really trying to take the ball away from Guma. Yeah. God is And you know, it's it's let guys like Paton kind of hit some shots. I mean, he's you know, got 10 points now. And he's had a great night. Two foul shots by Paton. Eight-point game. >> [cheering] >> You do it one basket at a time. >> Yeah. Like I said pregame in the keys to victory is got to go possession by possession, especially right now. Nate Tomasie. And we're starting to see some of that some of that energy. You can hear him yelling on the court trying to bring that energy
040to his team. And you know, he's coming off of a 20-point game against Nashua South, so you know, he's definitely feeling it. >> [snorts] >> Blue Hawks man on the out of bounds. Oh, Tomasie. Good play, good steal. Man, I just can't speak highly enough of Tomasie. Huxley Brown. >> [applause] >> He's four for five from the two if my shots made and misses is correct, but he's having an efficient night. Nice pass. >> Oh, and I think he got a little bit of wrist there. Now, you got to make the foul shots. Yeah. That's his third. Huxley Brown makes one of two. The Blue Hawks are down three. Hemenway Reem, nine points for Huxley, Reem eight. They're really helping Exeter kind of stay in this game, especially during the during the run. Blue Hawks
041in the 1-3-1 half court. I didn't see what happened to him. >> I think he got poked in the eye. Looks like he's covering up that eye. That's Kingsley Paton who's had a very good game. Yeah, and you know what? He's got all four of um the free throws for Manchester. Oh, nice pass by Guma inside. And you know who it is? >> To Tomasie. Tomasie. 19 points. Oh, good job. Here comes Guma. He Oh, travel. Oh. Time out. And Central with a five-point lead. You know, uh coach, you're going to hate to hear this. Four for four from the free throw line for Manchester. That is almost the entire difference in the scoreboard right now. Obviously then you have Exeter four for 12 from the free throw line. I mean, it's just come comes
042down to the little things sometimes. >> Yeah. You know, Exeter, if they can just, you know, continue they can draw the fouls, they can get to the line. They've done great job tonight in getting to the line. It's just got to capitalize. That simple. Just, you know, a lot easier said um than done. You know, there's a reason why I throughout my four years of high school was never on the basketball team, so you know, these kids are extremely great players and it's just a tough game and you know, sometimes it's not your night, but if they can just turn some of these free throws into makes, they could have Oh, great play there. >> Good steal by McDonald. But, we don't convert. Guma does. And that's kind of been the thing we've talked about,
043you know, Exeter has had some extra possessions. Not necessarily able to capitalize. If they capitalize, this could be a different game. Tomasie, good rebound. Got off the the floor and got back into the action. You know, you know, you can see some frustration from these Exeter players. Nice shot there. >> [applause] >> You know, that they've played such a great season. This is really just kind of been a just a tough night for them. Good job by Tomasie there making the free >> Tomasie makes both. Blue Hawks down five. Less than five minutes to go in the game. Oh, that he Guma pushed off a little bit there. Good rebound by Tomasie. Who else, right? Oh. Jackson McDonald almost had a extremely tough rebound there. Oh, Tomasie, nice block. Whoa. >> [cheering] [applause] >> That's
044going to be Oh, that's number 12. That's going to be his third. McDonald makes the first. >> [applause] >> One-possession game right now. >> [applause] >> Just under four minutes to go. The Blue Hawks have clawed their way back in. And you know what? It's been the free throws. We've made four straight. That's really been huge. And that >> [applause] >> Guma with the offensive foul. That's his third. All three offensive. And you know what? I said to you in the first half, coach, he likes to push off. I brought up earlier he got away with one. The ref did not let him get away with that one. You know, he's a great player, but sometimes he does fully extend that arm. That's been through All three of his fouls have come from an offensive
045foul. They're going to call foul on him again. Yep. That's his fourth. Ooh. And he is not a guy that you want to lose if you're Manchester. You know what? Jackson Oh, I'm not going to say it actually. Don't want to jinx. He makes the first. >> [applause] >> And Guma's got to have to come out here with four fouls. That is a huge loss for Manchester. Oh, thank god. >> foul shots, McDonald. >> six for six from the free throw line. That's Didn't want to jinx him right before the line, but man, we've scored six straight points, all of them free throws. That has been the difference. Huge. Central and Weave up top. Oh. Tebow with a good rebound. They have almost completely shut down Manchester's momentum from that huge third quarter. >> [cheering]
046>> Oh. McDonald carried. Oh. No, they're going to call an illegal screen. On Tomassi. Great. >> [cheering and applause] >> With Gamma out, Exeter's kind of able to hone in on Tomassi. Good defense. Good rebound, Tomassi. Yeah. A lot of steps here. Yeah, you can hear that Exeter parents really wanted to travel there. TOMASSI. >> TOMASSI, AND ONE. >> [applause] >> With the hoop. Tomassi just bringing the energy. Huge. Giving Exeter the lead back. Gamma checks back in for Manch. Tomassi with the foul shot. That is seven straight free throws made for Exeter. That is huge. That's been the difference with this nine-point run we've been on. Great defense and discipline there from Tebow. And good rebound. Whoa. That's an intentional foul. Ooh. Oh. He just walked out the gym. Number 14. Baraba, he just
047He just walked right out. >> [snorts] >> I've never seen this before. Can't say Can't say that. >> Well, he They called an intentional foul. Now, I didn't see It was after the rebound. After the rebound, the ball and Exeter was in the process of bringing the ball up the floor when he must have >> [snorts] >> Yeah, looks like Tomassi took a shot to the face. He was laying I saw him laying on the ground and I saw, you know, uh Baraba was kind of in a a little bit of I thought maybe he was frustrated, but I guess he's in a little bit of pain, too. Well, the trainer's out there with him. Yeah. Yeah, that'll be a technical. Now, is that because he walked out of the gym? >> No, that intentional
048foul. >> Yes. Oh. He's out. Flagrant technical foul. >> So, they must have just called You know what? Tomassi made three straight. I know, but that broke our string there of >> Yeah, seven straight made. Okay, Tomassi makes the second. He's been to the line seven times tonight, made four of them. They call another technical, too. Well, they called an intentional foul and then they called I jinxed him. That's his first miss. A technical foul for leaving the court. Flagrant technical. Okay, McDonald makes the second. Blue Hawks with a four-point lead, 1:49 to go. And you know what? I'll take that. McDonald, that's on me for jinxing him. He was perfect up until then, but still seven for eight, and that's really been the difference for Exeter. We're on an 11-point run right now. Great
049way to close out this game. Oh. >> block. Good >> Tomassi. block. >> That's his fourth of the game if my count is still correct, but man, Oh. Tomassi inside. >> Who else? 12 for Tomassi, and he leads Exeter. Oh. >> [laughter] >> Gummer for three. He's got 14. That cuts it to a one possession. 1 minute to play. The Blue Hawks. Good job wasting some time here. They're going to make Central foul, you better get rid of it. Time out. That was a good good time out because that was going to be a five-second call. Yep. One left for Exeter. Well, the Blue Hawks with a three-point lead, 45 seconds to go in the game. Now, they came from a game that looked like it was going to be lost. >> Yeah. Yeah. >>
050And they turned it around in the fourth quarter. And they got a spark. And you know what? This has been the story of, you know, three of their last four games. The fourth quarter is just where they anchored down and they say, "We will not lose." We saw it with Memorial. You and me got the opportunity to call that game, which was just amazing. You know, we've been talking the entire first half how just Memorial was kind of out-physicalling Exeter, and then in the second half you started to see a little bit of that come back, and then really in that fourth quarter is where they hunkered down. Goffstown, fourth quarter, they hunkered down, overtime as well in both those games, but this game, man, it's it's been this fourth quarter. I mean, Manchester scored
05120 points in that third quarter. They outscored Exeter by 13 in that third quarter. This quarter, Exeter has outscored Manchester by 11, scoring 20 of their own. Oh, good steal. No foul. >> [cheering] >> Yeah, I'll be honest there. I I think he might have slipped, but Tebow did have like a hand on him. I can see why Manchester's upset. That's definitely close. Ooh. >> Oh, he hit it. 39 seconds to go. The Blue Hawks having issues inbounding the ball. You know what? This is the pressure I think we thought we were going to see the entire game from Manchester. Touchdown pass to McDonald. Huge call there for it to be on three and not Gamma. Yeah, well, it what it was on three. >> Yeah. He did commit the foul. But, Gamma was I
052was mainly just, you know, they were both trying to get the ball and good discipline from Gamma there not getting his fifth foul. >> [cheering] >> Okay, McDonald makes one foul shot. Makes it. >> makes it a two-possession game. Gamma is going to shoot and make a three. 17 for him. But again, I will say he did get away with a push off. He creates He creates separation. He does a great job using his dribble skills, but occasionally you will see him extend that arm Right. >> and kind of give a little bit of a push off to give him some more room. He's made two threes doing that move and you know, he's got to be careful, especially with five fouls here or four fouls. Five being the foul out number. Okay, it's a
053one-point game, 28 seconds to play. The Blue Hawks will be inbounding the ball in their backcourt on the end line. I'm sure they're drawing up a play to inbound the ball. Yeah. Got to expect Manchester to foul here. I I mean, I would and I would deny the ball. But if they get the ball in bounds, I would foul and Worst case scenario, if you foul, you're down three points. Right. You know, you're down Yeah, you're right. Down three points if they make both and you know, just with how tough of a night it's been for Exeter, it could be down only two. Nice job. Oh, and the foul. Who's it going to be on? 10. And I think I think McDonald thought he got the pass off before it foul. I think even McDonald
054didn't want that foul called. >> [applause] >> Griffith makes the first. Central playing offense defense. Yeah, I wonder if some of that's also some guys who can who have some fouls to give. There's a couple of guys on Manchester that are in foul trouble like Thomasi and Goma. Oh, big rebound. >> rebound by Thomasi. >> [applause] >> Huge rebound by Thomasi. And that is the fourth on Miguel Cruz. So, now it's a two-point game, 51-49, 24 seconds to go. >> [cheering] >> He makes the first. This is eighth and this will be his ninth free throw of the game. And now Exeter going a little bit bigger. I think they're going to look to kind of stop Thomasi here in case Or sorry, re Thomasi makes them both. 53-49. They got to get a shot.
055They got to get a shot. They can't be wasting too much time here. Oh. Man. Oh. Wow. But you know what? Amici. 4 seconds to go, timeout. They wasted way too much time getting that shot off. They I mean They faked they Exeter surprised them coming out in the zone. Exeter did a great And you know what? It's it's not really on Manchester. I mean, just Exeter was playing great closeout defense and they were really not I mean it's been the story we've been saying all year. This defense is the anchor of this team, especially when it comes to late games, fourth quarter. Uh but you know, Thomasi with the bucket there, that puts him at 21, back-to-back 20-plus point games for him. And man, you know, foul get a foul here. Hope Exeter maybe
056goes one for two, 0 for two at the line. Hopefully they make go two for two at the line. >> I'm sorry, I'm saying if I'm Manchester, if I'm Manchester, that's you know, if I'm their coach, but you know, Exeter obviously I would I would like to see just you know, quick pass, get to Aguiar, McDonald, these guys who can turn on turbo. That's Goma's fifth, he's out. He's out. He's done. And he threw off his jersey. And you know what? That was a great great job there from McDonald and Exeter as a whole to just try and get Goma out of the game and Yeah, I don't know what he was so kind of frustrated about. He clearly committed the foul. McDonald makes the first. >> [applause] >> This will be his 12th free
057throw, the second one. And that will be huge, two-possession game. Makes them both. That's >> makes it. >> huge. >> And it's timeout Central. They got one more. So, they got to be drawing up a Honestly, if I'm Exeter, I'm not even contesting the shot. The clock runs even if it goes in, correct? Correct. What No, you got to cut you got to You don't foul. But you get your hands up and if they try and lean into you, you jump away. Yeah, but I would say don't even necessarily take the risk because you got 3.4 left. You don't necessarily They need a four-point play. I would just weigh about even the Obviously, you don't want to give them a easy basket, but with the way the high school clock rules work you don't necessarily
058need to even risk putting them in a position where they can make the four-point play happen. >> Right. Well, if if the Central have a timeout left. Oh, right. They could call timeout after the basket. Right. >> Central has the ball at the end line. Get up there. Yeah, make him pick it up. And he touched it. The Blue Hawks Man, you know what? That's where not having a guy like Goma in who can just burst up the court. We saw a little bit of it. He is Manchester, I think they feel a little bit you know, frustrated with some of the They better get somebody because they're going after the official. Yeah, so Well, the Blue Hawks with a 55-51 victory. Shout out Miss Claremont, she's bolting out there. Yeah, that was quite the
059game. 26-point fourth quarter for Exeter. Well, you know what? And guess what? What did they do from the free free throw line in the fourth quarter? They made them. I I wish I wrote down the free throw before then. We know they were, you know, four for 10. At one point they were 12 for 25. They ended the game 19 for 30. And I talked about seven straight free throws made. So, hopefully my math my math works out, but you know, they they did a great job of, you know, making The biggest thing was making the high-pressure free throws. We saw Aguiar, you know, you got the Manchester students are, you know, coughing and trying to throw you off. It's not the first time we've seen him hit some huge free throws. Salem, I don't
060know if you remember that, coach. He hit some big ones, so >> agree. Huge huge game. Well, great win for the Blue Hawks. Uh Okay. Now, I don't know if coach Holmes is coming up. Yes. He is. Okay. All right. Well, I think we're going to I'm going to sign off because Tim's going to stay and interview. I've got to see Sherm. And uh Your player of the game? You have one? >> Uh I Okay, player of the game for Central. Thomasi. I agree. Yeah, Thomasi just, you know, 21 points. He really carried them. Player of the game for the Blue Hawks. I think it's got to be Thomasi. He brought in a lot of energy and hit some huge free throws, so >> I agree with you. Okay. Congratulations to the Blue Hawks, 55-51
061win when the game did not seem winnable. >> [laughter] >> All right, I'm joined here by coach Holmes. Thank you, coach, for giving me the time. I'm just going to have two quick questions for you. You know, that was a close game and your defense, me and coach coach T have talked about it almost all season. The fourth quarter defense has really been huge for you guys this year. Against Memorial and Goffstown, you guys allowed 10 points or less in overtime in the fourth quarter. In this game, I mean, you guys outscored them by 12 points and really anchored down those last couple of minutes. What has really been, you know, your coaching point and I know you don't want to give too much away, but what has been the your best thing that you've
062seen from your team? Well, I think we, you know, defensively has been our strength all year. We struggled at times with, you know, offensive consistency, but, you know, defense can always be there. So, uh you know, our offense was stagnant today and we, you know, missed a lot of easy shots and didn't shoot free throws well and uh but our defense was able to, you know, uh hold on throughout the game and uh you know, that was the reason why we we won. We finally started hitting some shots in the fourth quarter uh to pull to pull it out. And uh just last question here, you know, a player like Nate Tomasi who comes in and he just brings energy from the jump. You know, we had him yelling on the court after he made
063a uh huge basket. He made sure he yelled, "Let's go." He made some huge free throws down the stretch. What does a player like Tomasi just bring to the court and bring to your team? No, Tomasi's been great all year and he's really put on a last seven, eight games, he's been phenomenal. Um he had 20 against Nashua South against the tall front line and he was really key for us tonight. He's a versatile guy. He can guard multiple positions. He can rebound. He shows great energy and enthusiasm and uh I know he's had a great year for us. Thank you, coach. All right, thanks, Tim. Good night. >> [music] [music]