By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — Tuesday was more to the Cardinals liking as they rebounded from Monday’s game in strong fashion.
Stevens (5-2) shut down a late Mascenic (3-4) run to hold on for a big New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Division III win at Carr Gym Tuesday night.
Dylan Chambers scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and 15 in the game to lead Stevens. Reeve Wilkinson added nine, including a couple of big second half 3-pointers.
The Cardinals led the low-scoring game 23-10 after three quarters, but Mascenic got within two points after a 13-2 run. Chambers responded with a 3-pointer to allow Stevens to pull away to grab a win a night after a very physical game against Hopkinton the night before.
Two of the top teams in Division III squared off on Monday as Stevens welcomed Hopkinton in what turned out to be a very hard fought game. Ray Curren’s Stevens Cardinals have turned the corner and are headed in the right direction but on Monday the Hawks left with the win as their big man Brendan Elrick was a hand full.
“We knew what we were up against tonight, Hopkington is a very talented team,” Curren said.
Elrick, unofficially listed at 6-foot-8 with an impressive wingspan to boot, dropped in 17 first-half points while the Cardinals took turns letting him know they were there. Stevens rotated players on Elrick with solid boxing from in front and behind but the reach was tough to stop. Dominic Puksta, Chambers, Wilkinson, Lucas Belisle all took turns muscling up against the DI college prospect.
Even with Hopkinton’s stong inside game, it was the small pesky Cardinals giving the Hawks all they could handle. Belisle, Klayden LaClair, Cooper Moote, and Ty Theriault brought tons of energy onto the court and made Hopkinton work for everything as the Cardinals led 12-9 after the first quarter.
“That is a hard team,” said Hopkinton head coach Steve Signor. “They came at us with some amazing intensity tonight.”
A Wilkinson 3-pointer gave the Cardinals their biggest lead at 15-9 to start the second quarter then Elrick took over. The senior dropped in 10 second-quarter points including 6-for-6 from the line as he was pounded in the paint by the Cardinals as Hopkinton headed into the break leading 23-19.
“We fought and dug for every rebound and loose ball and our intensity was pretty good,” Curren said.
Hopkinton opened things up with a 12-2 spurt to open the second half but Stevens stayed within reach thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from LaRocque as Stevens lost a step with a bit of tired legs showing up.
“We did really well with our ball rotation and I thought we had a solid effort tonight,” said LaRocque as Stevens trailed 37-27 heading into the final quarter. “We just collapsed well in the paint and made them work for every hoop.”
LaClair hit a bucket to keep the lead to 10 points but with gassed legs, the Cardinals couldn’t keep the intensity as Hopkinton took their foot off the gas and headed for a snowy ride home with a 47-36 win.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed,” said Curren after the game. “Hopkinton is a top four team and we played a solid all around game. We have come so far in a couple of years and we are still getting better.”
LaRocque led Stevens with 14 points while Wilkinson added seven points. Elrick led everyone with 31 points and Quinn Whitehead dropped in 12 points for the Hawks.
In junior varsity action, Blake Pond and AJ Rozell each dropped in six points for Stevens as Hopkinton grabbed a 49-28 win. The Cardinals head to Campbell on Friday.
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