Sunapee sweeps Nute

Sunapee Girls 50 Nute Girls 17

SUNAPEE – The Sunapee Lakers soared past the Nute Rams Friday night at Sherburne Gymnasium, 50-17.

At the start, it seemed like both squads would struggle offensively, as neither team scored until just over two minutes into the game. Nute turned the ball over on just about every possession, while Sunapee struggled to hit their layups. But once the Lakers started scoring, they could not be stopped.

After one, Sunapee lead 14-2. The action on the floor was very physical, at times looking like a football game had broken out. One main area in which the Lakers excelled, was on the offensive boards. Although they were at a clear disadvantage height wise, Sunapee was able to routinely get second or third chances on offense. “We have been focusing on rebounding in practice,” said Sunapee Head Coach Steph Larpenter. “We did a really good job boxing out.”

This focus on the offensive boards helped grow the Laker’s lead, as they went into the locker room at halftime up 33-4.

Another big reason for Sunapee’s large margin of victory was how many turnovers they forced. The Rams had almost every pass they threw picked off, leading to fastbreaks for the Lakers. “We played aggressive on defense, leading to several steals,” said Larpenter.

The offense of the Lakers slowed down a little in the third, but the defense kept it’s foot on the gas, as they went into the fourth leading 43-6.

The Rams got their best performance out of Junior Emilee Flanagan, who scored eight. Sunapee saw great games from two players. Freshman Miah Hamm came off the bench, played really well around the rim, also scoring eight. Freshman Anah Durkee played very well, leading all scorers with 14 points.

Nute managed to outscore Sunapee 11-7 in the final frame, but this last ditch effort was far from enough as they fell, 50-17.

For Larpenter, the most impressive thing about her team’s victory was how they played despite the score. “The hustle was good. They were working hard, and were diligent even when we got up by a lot.”

The Lakers hope to build off this win Monday at Newport.

Sunapee Boys 51 Nute Boys 13

Cade Robinson inbounds the ball for Mt. Royal on Friday night that capped a sweep by both the girls and boys. – Tyler Maheu

The Sunapee Lakers made quick work of the Nute Rams, defeating them 51-13.

From the start, Sunapee dominated in every aspect of the game. They passed the ball very well on offense, setting up and waiting for the perfect shot on all possessions. The Rams on the other hand, struggled mightily, looking confused by the Laker’s 3-2 zone defense.

The Rams lack of offensive efficiency, led them to go scoreless in the first, trailing 20-0 after one quarter. Junior Sean Shisko put on a show for the Lakers, not only scoring 17 points, but also assisting on many baskets.

Nute eventually scored after nearly 10 minutes of gametime, dropping six points in the second quarter to go into half down 32-5.

Although the Rams struggled all night, they did get one solid performance out of Sophomore Spencer Bridges, who dropped in six.

Sunapee saw big production from their bench in the second half, particularly Sophomore Kevin Nolan, 13 points, leading them to their 51-13 victory.

Laker Head Coach Tim Putchler was impressed with his team’s level of focus. “In games like these we have been coming in unfocused. Too often we play down to the level of our competition,” he stated.

With the season winding down, and Sunapee vying for a spot in the playoffs, Putchler looked ahead to the areas he hopes his team will improve. “Well you hope to improve on everything. Need to work on tighter defense. We have a tendency to get distracted, need to improve that. But we have a few tough games ahead to get through first.”

Sunapee continues their push to the playoffs when Newport comes to Sherburne Gym on Monday.