CLAREMONT — The Stevens High boys basketball team was missing several players for Monday’s home contest against Belmont. But it didn’t matter.
The Cardinals toughed out a 41-30 victory at Carr Gymnasium, their second straight win.
They prevailed thanks to a solid defensive performance. Stevens held Belmont to two points in the first quarter and five in the second.
The Cardinals emerged in the fourth quarter, thanks to nine points from junior guard Hunter LaRocque. He finished with 14 to lead the team. Junior forward Ty Theriault added 11 points.
Stevens head coach Ray Curren would rather see his team perform better offensively, but he’ll take any win.
“We were really short-handed tonight, so we don’t really want to make defensive struggles our thing,” Curren said. “But we gutted it out tonight for a big win.”
Stevens is back in action on Wednesday on the road against Hillsboro-Deering.
Mascoma 84, InterLakes 27 MEREDITH, N.H. — Mascoma (3-2) cruised to victory.
The Royals shattered their season high for points, topping their previous best effort by 20 points.
Junior guard Zach Thompson led Mascoma with 20 points. Senior guard Ben Seiler and sophomore guard James Thomas scored 15 each, and senior guard Michael Loynds added 11.
The Royals will host Hopkinton on Wednesday.
GIRLS BASKETBALL Mascoma 64, InterLakes 14 WEST CANAAN — Mascoma (2-3) set season-best marks in points scored and points allowed in a dominant home victory.
The Royals snapped a two-game losing streak with their win. They grabbed control of the game quickly, building a 21-2 lead in the first quarter. They capped the game off by shutting out InterLakes in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore forward Gabby Pierce led Mascoma with 13 points. Senior guard/forwards Liberti LaCasse and Chloe Crate added 10 points each. LaCasse is Mascoma’s leading scorer on the season with an even 10 points per game.
“I was incredibly impressed with our entire team’s effort,” head coach Tonya Young said. “We hustled and played great defense, and our scoring is coming along.
Mascoma hits the road to face Hopkinton on Wednesday.
Lebanon 59, Kingswood 21 WOLFEBORO, N.H. — Lebanon (4-2) kept its momentum going through winter break to pick up its fourth straight win.
The Raiders started strong on both ends. They scored 27 points in the first quarter, including 14 from senior guard Catherine Cole, while shutting out Kingswood. Lebanon was in full control the rest of the way.
Cole finished with 18 points to lead the Raiders. She’s the team’s top scorer this season with 16.4 points per game. Senior center Ella Longacre chipped in a season-high 16 points.
Lebanon head coach Chris Boucher praised junior forward Maddie Newton’s defense, senior guard Molly Smith’s passing and junior guard Keira Houdebe’s play off the bench.
Lebanon is set to host Pelham on Wednesday.
White River Valley 55, Green Mountain 34 SOUTH ROYALTON — Big games from junior Ella Perrault and sophomore Tanner Drury led WRV (4-3) to its second straight victory.
Perrault led the Wildcats with 21 points, by far a season high for the forward. Drury’s 17 points tied her second-best mark of the season, and the guard’s 15 points per game is the team’s top mark.
Junior guard Jillian Barry also scored in double figures, putting up 10 points.
“Our team is starting to believe in each other and gaining confidence every day,” WRV head coach Tim Perrault said.
The Wildcats will take on Mid Vermont Christian on the road on Wednesday.
Windsor 47, Springfield 27 WINDSOR — The Yellowjackets (7-0) leaned on their defense in Monday’s victory.
Their 47 points is the fewest they’ve scored in a game this season, but another strong defensive effort made up the difference.
Senior forward Reese Perry finished as Windsor’s top scorer with 16 points. She also grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds and recorded three steals. Perry’s 17.1 points per game leads the Yellowjackets and is among the top three averages across the Upper Valley.
Senior guard Elliot Rupp scored nine points, dished eight assists, hauled in five rebounds and swiped four steals. Senior guard Peyton Richardson recorded eight points, four rebounds and four steals.
Windsor will look to stay undefeated Thursday at Brattleboro.
Hartford 43, Mid Vermont Christian 28 QUECHEE — The Hurricanes scored the first 17 points of the game en route to a comfortable win over the Eagles.
Hartford (5-2) was led by 15 points from senior forward Beth Dobrich, who used her height advantage and did most of her work in the paint against an undersized MVCS squad.
Senior guard Hayley Goodwin scored 21 points for the Eagles (1-2), but it was an inefficient 21 — MVCS, per usual, ran its entire offense through Goodwin, and the Hurricanes defended her well.
“We had good energy coming in,” Hartford coach Heidi Bushway said. “Everybody was communicating; they were running the plays. We (forced) some turnovers when we pressed that allowed us to score.”
The Hurricanes host Thetford on Saturday, while the Eagles are back in action Tuesday at home against Arlington.
Woodstock 38, Rivendell 28 WOODSTOCK — Woodstock (4-2) held off a late run by Rivendell (2-5) to earn its third straight win.
After the Wasps led 20-9 at halftime, the Raptors cut the deficit to five points going into the fourth quarter. But Woodstock pulled away in the final period, as freshman guard Kamryn Jillson hit some clutch free throws to put the game away.
Senior guard/forward Emma Tarleton and sophomore guard/forward Georgia Tarleton scored eight points each to lead the Wasps.
Raptors senior guard Kylie Taylor put up a game-high nine points.
Woodstock will take on Springfield away on Thursday, while Rivendell will face Mid Vermont Christian on the road on Friday.
Stevens 73, Belmont 35 BELMONT, N.H. — Stevens (3-1) returned from winter break firing away from the floor.
The Cardinals came out strong, with 22 points in the first and second quarters. Belmont was unable to keep up.
Sophomore guard Kiley Bundy had a big game to pace Stevens. She scored 26 points, 16 of which came in the first half. This performance took her into the team lead in points per game at 14.3. Junior forward Alyssa Paquette also enjoyed a good outing with 18 points.
Stevens returns home to face Gilford on Wednesday.
Monadnock 52, Newport 20 NEWPORT — The Tigers (1-3) put up their coldest offensive performance of the season.
Monadnock led by 11 points after the first quarter, and Newport faced a 25-9 deficit at halftime. Monadnock turned it into a rout in the fourth quarter, when the Tigers scored just two points.
Freshman Maddox Lovely led Newport with nine points.
The Tigers will host Hillsboro-Deering on Friday.