By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspondent
NORTH SUTTON, N.H. — Fans of the Kearsarge Cougars experienced the gamut of emotions during Friday night’s quarterfinal contest against the Gilford Golden Eagles.
It was only fitting that such a roller-coaster of a game would need more than four periods to determine which team would advance to the semifinals of the NHIAA Division 3 Tournament.
Despite being brought to the brink of elimination, the Cougars managed to clinch a return trip to the final four with a 48-45 victory in double overtime.
The first quarter was everything the home crowd could have hoped for as Kearsarge raced out to a 22-10 lead while burying six three-pointers during the period.
Everything turned upside down for the Cougars during the second quarter when Noah Whipple went down with an apparent injury with 6:48 remaining until halftime. Gilford proceeded to outscore the hosts 19-6 during the period to take a 29-28 lead into the break.
Points were at a premium in the second half as both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net. Trailing by three with less than a minute remaining in regulation, Kearsarge’s Eli Whipple connected on his third trey of the night with 46 seconds remaining. Neither team was able to capitalize down the stretch, which forced overtime with the game tied at 41.
Each team managed just a single score in the first overtime before notching a couple of quick scores in the second overtime. Gilford’s Cooper Perkins scored first, but Austin Needham responded with his fourth three of the night to give Kearsarge a one-point lead with 3:34 remaining. Despite the quick baskets, neither team would score again until Ajay Tremblay made a free throw with 16 seconds remaining. Tremblay followed it up by adding another free throw with five seconds left to give Kearsarge a 48-45 advantage. With the home crowd on the edge of their seats, Eli Whipple stole the ball inside half court to prevent any possibility of Gilford forcing another four-minute period.
Austin Needham paced Kearsarge with 22 points, Eli Whipple was next with nine and Noah Whipple had eight. Cooper Perkins was the top scorer for Gilford with 13 points.
Kearsarge (18-2) will face second-seeded Mascoma Valley in the semifinals on Wednesday at Bow High School. Gilford finished the season with a 14-6 record.
