#2 Bedford v. #7 Goffstown: Dog Pound

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The New Hampshire Division 1 Quarter Finals took place Friday night, and I attended the #7 Goffstown vs. #2 Bedford matchup. The gym was packed for a game featuring premier prospects from the ’23, ’24, and ’25 classes. Bedford got out to a 19 point halftime lead behind the strong efforts of a stock-rising freshman. Goffstown made small runs in the third and fourth quarter but couldn’t put together enough stops to get the lead under 10. Bedford won 57-43 and now will advance to the semi-finals to play #3 Portsmouth. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Player of the Game: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387552" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/3051EAEB-14A8-40FB-BD8E-7E8E8C94B5D1-crop-1430x939-1644766114-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="282804" first="Kate" last="Allard"] - Bedford - 6’2’’ - SF/PF - ’25</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Allard continues her impressive freshman campaign with a big-time playoff performance! Her confidence was sky high, and Allard was easily the best player on the court, especially on offense. Allard set the tone for the Bulldogs with sound post moves on the block and showed her range with a three-pointer. Goffstown threw different defenders at Allard, but she still found ways to get her shot off and get to the free-throw line. She was engaged on defense and on the glass, putting together a solid all-around game. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Bedford Standouts: </strong> [caption id="attachment_387554" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/1053BCCF-3530-4E3D-9066-55C6A25384D0-crop-1130x742-1644766225.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-387554" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/1053BCCF-3530-4E3D-9066-55C6A25384D0-crop-1130x742-1644766225-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Meredith Ryan[/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="361079" first="Lana" last="McCarthy"] - 6’4’’ - PF - ’24</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">McCarthy did not have a monster scoring game, but she dominated the glass as usual and was a great passer in the high and low post. McCarthy did not allow Goffstown to get many second-chance opportunities and, after ripping down each rebound, kept the ball high and out of reach of defenders. I liked how McCarthy saw the floor when catching the ball in the post. She found [player_tooltip player_id="282804" first="Kate" last="Allard"] a couple of times for easy layups and located shooters, too. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="387557" first="Sydney" last="Grogan"] - 5’4’’ - PG - ’23</strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387558" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/179BF710-5F80-4129-AFBE-AB90310343A9-crop-988x649-1644766922-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Grogan scored 7 points in Bedford’s win, and I was impressed with how she controlled the tempo throughout the whole game. She knew when to push the pace in transition when needed and when to slow it down and get Bedford into their halfcourt sets. Her ball security was also very good. She kept her turnovers low and made good decisions with the ball. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Goffstown Standouts: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387560" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/15A7676C-AC28-4FA2-9C34-49A6EEFF5F75-crop-1451x953-1644767054-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="266519" first="Ava" last="Winterburn"] - 6’2’’ -  PF - ’23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Winterburn did everything she could to keep Goffstown in the game, and whenever the team needed a bucket, the 6’2’’ forward made it happen. Friday’s night game was the most efficient I have seen Winterburn shoot from the perimeter. I was impressed with her contested shot-making ability, especially against Bedford’s bigger defenders. Winterburn’s game with her back to the basket has improved exponentially and has become automatic from mid-range. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="387561" first="Noelle" last="Simmons"] - 5’5’’ - PG - ’22</strong> [caption id="attachment_387563" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/7C4C5FAE-1FDB-4652-A310-CBAEC873933B-crop-1424x935-1644767172.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-387563" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/7C4C5FAE-1FDB-4652-A310-CBAEC873933B-crop-1424x935-1644767172-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Meredith Ryan[/caption] <span style="font-weight: 400;">Noelle played with maximum energy and effort all night long. Defensively, I thought Simmons dug in more than anyone on Goffstown and made life difficult for the Bedford guards and wings. She showed the versatility to defend multiple positions and forced turnovers.</span>