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Sun, Mar 07, 2021 05:00 PM @ Londonderry

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Windham	4	6	8	16	34
Londonderry	3	13	10	13	39

Londonderry upsets Windham in quarterfinals

Sunday, March, 07 By Jeff Hamrick

LONDONDERRY — The first 29 minutes of the New Hampshire Division 1 quarterfinals could not have gone worse for the Windham girls.

And while the senior-laden squad wasn’t about to fold up the season quite that easily, a 15-point deficit was too much to overcome in the final three minutes.

Londonderry, which dropped a 13-point decision to Windham in the season opener, held off the Jaguars’ frantic rally for a 39-34 victory Sunday afternoon.

“They outplayed us,” said Windham coach Anne Haky, whose club finished at 9-5. “They were ready, and we weren’t. I think it’s as simple as that. For 32 minutes they outplayed us.”

Both teams struggled out of the gate, combining for more fouls (nine) than points (seven) in the opening quarter and scoring only 26 before intermission.

But Londonderry broke out of the funk to open a 10-point lead on a pull-up jumper by Olivia Chou with 2:56 left in the third. With Ashley Rourke scoring five of her 10 points early in the fourth, the Lancers (6-9) held a 38-23 advantage with 3:11 left.

A big reason for the lead was the defensive work on Windham’s Sarah Dempsey by Chou, who also shared team-scoring honors with Rourke. The program’s third 1,00-point scorer, Dempsey was held to seven points until Windham’s late run.

“Olivia Chou played her the last time and held her for three and a half quarters,” Londonderry coach Nick Theos said. 

“This time, I told her (at the half) I’ll give her a break in exactly 16 minutes. Then I said (after the third quarter) eight minutes, She knew it would be a challenge to slow (Dempsey) down. But she was ready for it and did a heck of a job. (Dempsey) is a great player.”

Seniors show way

Dempsey was part of the senior-led rally that began with a three from Livi Tsetsilas, who had eight points, and a three-point play off a base-line drive by Bree Amari, who had seven. 

Dempsey, who finished with a game-high 12, capped the run with a pair of free throws and a banked three to make the score 38-34 with 60 seconds left. The Jaguars then missed their final five shots.

“With having seven seniors on our roster, playing this season has meant a whole heck of a lot,” Haky said. “We were down last year (8-13 season) when we had some mental lapses with a lot of juniors and only a couple seniors.

“So, it meant a lot for these kids to play. I was pushing all off season and the season to make sure we could make up games and get games for these seven seniors.”

Change culture

Four years ago, Windham was a Division 2 program and the seniors adjusted well to the bigger challenges.

“It meant a lot for them to represent this program,” Haky said. “We’ve been in (Division) 1 now for three years, and they have set the standard. Now, we’re a team that people know they can’t run over, and that’s the standard they set. So, this season was about our seniors and playing for them.”

With her dozen points, Dempsey finished her Windham career with 1,134 points.

“It was a tough game to end on, but it’s been a great four years,” said a disappointed Dempsey, who will play basketball and major in nursing at Endicott College. 

“It was everything I’ve ever wanted. They were the best teammates ever and the best coaching staff ever, and I couldn’t have done anything without them. It’s just really hard to talk about.”

The Jaguars coach already knows it will be tough to replace Dempsey.

“What can I say about Sarah?” Haky said. “She’s a phenomenal kid and a great leader. On the court we’re obviously going to miss her, but also as a leadership kid and a human being in general. 

“She’s a great person overall, and you can’t fill that void. But again, all the seniors passed on their leadership roles. We’ll find out next year, but they’ve left this place better off than when they started.”

Londonderry 39, Windham 34

DIVISION 1 QUARTERFINALS

WINDHAM (34): Abby Hughes 2 0-0 4, Livi Tsetsilas 3 1-3 8, Abby Husson 0 0-0 0, Bree Amari 2 3-5 7, Sarah Dempsey 3 5-6 12, Chloe Weeks 1 1-2 3, Hannah Smith 0 0-0 0, Jess Minotti 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 10-16 34

LONDONDERRY (39): Kylee McGurn 0 0-0 0, Jordan Furlong 2 0-0 5, Ashley Rourke 4 0-0 10, Ashley Schmitt 3 1-2 7, Olivia Chou 3 3-4 10, Shannon Ball 1 0-2 2, Sarah Clegg 1 2-2 4, Katherine Marshall 0 0-0 0, Madelyn O’Shaughnessy 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 7-12 39

3-pointers: Windham — Tsetsilas, Dempsey; Londonderry — Rourke 2, Furlong, Chou

Windham (9-5): 4  6  8 16 — 34

Londonderry (6-9): 3 13 10 13 — 39