603 Playoffs: D3 Semi Finals - The Table is Set for Round 3

The story of the D3 Girls' semi finals in NH told quite a unique tale, with four teams of varied backstories in NH high school basketball.   <ol> <li>The senior laden power players with the aggressive play - Stevens</li>   <li>The uptempo paced, grind it out new kids on the block - Concord Christian</li>   <li>The athletic local neighbors with the hardworking culture - Hopkinton</li>   <li>The legacy program with the winning history - Conant</li> </ol>   The night opened with a back and forth, story of two different halves, nail biter in game one. Concord Christian took the victory in the end over Stevens 51-45. With a first half looking like Stevens could take it and run away with it, Concord Christian plugged away possession by possession to make the comeback and prevail in the end.    Top Performers on the night stood tall.   For Stevens, after some early fouls, their starting five really settled in , with some highlighted play and grind it out efforts until the end, even though falling short to CCA.   #23 [player_tooltip player_id='267153' first='Alyssa' last='Paquette'] stood out early, although sitting over 6 minutes in the first quarter with two early fouls. She is a versatile swing player who has a great athletic build and strong rebounding and scoring ability around the rim. She has smooth footwork so able to defend and move efficiently on both ends of the floor.    #2 Kiley Bundy was in the play as the point guard in every transition and offensive possession. She was aggressive on the perimeter on both sides of the ball. She scraped out plays and hustled for all loose balls. When given space, she could and would shoot the three ball.   #14 Stella Lavertue was the true definition of a scrapper. She to me was a hidden gem. Loved her heart and hustle battling on boards. She found herself in the mix on multiple occasions. Attacking the rim well, she found ways to draw fouls and get to the free throw line in this game efficiently.   Concord Christian turned the corner in the second half transitioning the game to an up-tempo full Court style, which is their ideal pace and some great unselfish play in scoring, prevailing in the end over Stevens and earning themselves a trip to the D3 championship in their first year in the division.   The player of the game was #30 [player_tooltip player_id='344311' first='Emma' last='Smith'] in my book. She finished the night with 26 points, with 14 of them coming in the third quarter. She is a very smooth shooter with a nice touch around the room. Her release is soft. She has a nice midrange ability, playing high post some of the night and using her length. She is smart, manages the clock well, and is not afraid to get in the mix for rebounds.    #3 Megan Muir was a “do the little things” type of player. Aggressive on defensive and not afraid to battle underneath, she was a hustler. She had a nice touch 15ft out, especially on the baseline. She read the defense well and often found herself in spots to take high quality shots. The offensive potential is there.   #5 [player_tooltip player_id='486359' first='Sarah' last='Muir'] was the engine that could. From the point guard position, she set the pace and the tone. She ran the offense as the point guard for this team. Loved to see her organization of the offense and her passing amidst a fast paced offense. She was relentless in pushing the ball in transition. Loved her toughness on defense too and her quick hands.    In the second game of the night, Conant's experience and poise helped lead them to the win over a scrappy and aggressive Hopkinton squad. With a history of playoff runs, Conant showed a strong winning culture in this game,    For Hopkinton, there were some excellent demonstrations on both ends of strong team basketball, but three players shined amongst them.    #5 Maddie Carmichael is the true definition of athlete. A softball player by nature, she was a beast on the boards and could finish around the rim. She played the paint very well. Defensively she had no quit in her. Every rebound, every loose ball, she was in every play for her Hopkinton squad. Her footwork was efficient, especially attacking the rim.   #3 Shaylee Murdough was fun to watch. She showed so much versatility in her offense. She has the ability to score in transition, shoot the 3, and find teammates off the dribble drive. She was involved in most offensive possessions. She guards aggressively on the other end as well and is not afraid to scrap it out. Loved her intensity,   #12 Elise Miner was a consistent shooter for the team. Impressed by her midrange touch. Enjoyed watching her find holes in the offense to get her shot. She has a nice release.   Conant showed their chemistry, experience, and teamwork early, even from warm ups when they did a mass defensive drill together with the coach pregame. They were steady and consistent in their ball movement, rebounding, and finishes around the rim.    Led by the dynamic senior duo of #5 [player_tooltip player_id='393161' first='Brynn' last='Rautiola'] and #22 [player_tooltip player_id='393162' first='Emma' last='Tenters']. Both were guarded tightly in a triangle and two from the start. Ratatouille was dynamic at that point. She has some of the swiftest footwork I have seen, and an impressive first step. With an ability to shoot the 3, it was her attack and finish midrange and at the rim that made her standout most. I enjoyed her game IQ immensely as she distributed the ball well. Tenters used her length early around the rim. She can finish and has a great step out midrange game. A strong 4-guard, she impressed with her competitiveness, ability to get hit and finish all around the rim, and her poise at the free throw line. This duo was fun to watch!   #3 Bella Hart was another scrappy guard who played hard on both ends. She could shoot! A smooth shooter, she moved well without the ball. Defensively she was smart. It was evident she understood defensive rotations, and offensive movement in the half court, finding some efficient scoring opportunities often and creating havoc on defense and initiating steals.   In the end, Round 3 will be the deciding factor for the Championship title, between Conant and Concord Christian, after splitting games during the regular season. A quick turnaround with the Championship game to be held 24 hours later due to weather.

The story of the D3 Girls' semi finals in NH told quite a unique tale, with four teams of varied backstories in NH high school basketball.