NH D1 Title Game: 8 Ball, Championship Paquette

The D1 New Hampshire State Championship occurred last Saturday afternoon between #1 Bedford vs. #5 Bishop Guertin. Bishop Guertin is not your typical 5 seed, as they are loaded with scholarship talent and were battle tested all season. I knew this would be a competitive matchup because Bishop Guertin’s athleticism, length, and team defense could match up with Bedford’s size. Bedford was in control the first three quarters and held on to a 1 point lead entering the 4th. An intense final period went back and forth between the two teams, and down the stretch, Bishop Guertin made the plays necessary to secure the state title 48-46.   Player of the Game: [caption id="attachment_391402" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/026E6A9C-5845-448A-80AC-68CB2917AE13-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1645565633.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-391402" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/026E6A9C-5845-448A-80AC-68CB2917AE13-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1645565633-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Produced4Soul[/caption]   [player_tooltip player_id="267250" first="Brooke" last="Paquette"] - Bishop Guertin - 5’8’’ - CG - ’23 Paquette has been playing at a consistently high level over the past month and continued that play in Saturday’s championship game. She had another 20+ point performance that included the biggest shot of Bishop Guertin’s season. A little under a minute to go, the stingy Bishop Guertin defense forced a turnover, leading to Paquette drilling a cold-blooded three-pointer to put the Cardinals up for good. Paquette’s poise in high-pressure moments is highly impressive, and whether it be jump shots or free throws to clinch a game, she is nails. Her mental toughness is unlike most prospects, and Paquette was determined to win the state title with her scoring or playmaking and proved that she is arguably the best player in New Hampshire regardless of class.   Bishop Guertin Standouts: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-391407" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/C8C725EE-E250-424B-B779-B033EE24626C-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1645565865-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="269920" first="Hannah" last="Lynch"] - 5’10’’ - SF - ’24 Lynch has been one of Bishop Guertin’s x-factors all winter long because of her versatility on both sides of the ball. Her defensive pressure in Bishop Guertin’s trap was extremely valuable, and she came up with clutch deflections and plays in the game. Lynch also took advantage of opportunities on offense, chipping in 8 points, and did a good job finding holes in the Bedford defense to convert easy shots.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-391409" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/4BDA7955-F6C8-49D7-AD81-FE39DCFD06AC-crop-1167x767-1645565896-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="266713" first="Catelyn" last="Wheeler"] - 5’11’’ - PF - ’23 As usual, Wheeler did all the dirty work for Bishop Guertin and didn’t cheat anyone with her effort during their title game. She only had 6 points, but 3 of them came on a big three in the second half that gave Bishop Guertin a jolt. Defensively, Wheeler covered ground better than anyone and ran hard to get back into plays in transition. Wheelerwas diving on the floor for 50/50 balls and left it all out on the court.   Bedford Standouts: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-391411" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/A36DB365-F75F-40CA-AFBD-E23C98D21B6D-crop-1495x982-1645565979-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="361079" first="Lana" last="McCarthy"] - 6’3’’ - PF - ’24 McCarthy dominated the first quarter of the game and got Bedford off to a fast start. Another game where the opposing team had no answer for the 6’3’’ power forward. She finished with a team-high 14 points, and from the second quarter until the end of the game, she saw a double and triple team every time she touched the ball. Despite all the attention, I thought McCarthy did a good job locating the double team and moving the ball around to find the open teammate.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-391416" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/712BAB00-B119-4633-94DB-E2055AF9BCF1-crop-1537x1010-1645566184-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="391414" first="Emma" last="Kasyjanski"] - 5’11’’ - SF - ’22 Kasyjanski impressed me with her defense and rebounding. She chipped in 9 points, including a three-pointer, but I don’t think Bedford would have been in control of most of the ball game if Kasyjanski wasn’t locked in the way she was on defense. She can guard multiple positions, and her length on the perimeter limited Bishop Guertin’s penetration. Kasyjanski rebounded at a high level on both ends and gave Bedford numerous second-chance opportunities.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-391419" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/D9D81FF4-FC19-4144-858C-01C32AF17BB4-crop-1537x1010-1645566283-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="391415" first="Catherine" last="Penick"] - 5’9’’ - SG/SF - ’22 Penick was a workhorse on Saturday, and her efforts in the 4th were so impactful that if Bedford ended up winning, she would’ve been my "Player of the Game." She just made play after play down the stretch. Whether it be a big putback off a rebound, aggressive buckets at the rim, or out-hustling Bishop Guertin, Penick made sure to put her imprint on the game. Nothing about her game was flashy or stylish, just highly effective and almost led to Bedford coming out on top.