RallyNorth.net

Tue, Feb 03, 2009 06:30 PM @ Pelham

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Portsmouth	9	6	14	13	42
Pelham	10	9	16	16	51

Pelham defends home turf from Clippers

Tuesday, February, 03 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

PELHAM, N.H. - Portsmouth High, the only visiting team to win in this gym since George W. Bush's first term in office, looked a little too relaxed and comfortable lacing them up for last night's Class I boys hoop showdown.

At least in the eyes of the Clippers' hosts.

"(With the Portsmouth win back in January), it's the third year in a row they took us down," said Pelham High senior guard Justin Hojlo. "I mean this was the team to end our 48-game home winning streak (that began in January of 2004). So yeah, taking them down here is pretty big for us."
Blitzed by a double-team every time he crossed halfcourt, the dynamic point man still nailed a game-high 18 points, pacing Pelham in a hard-earned 51-42 decision over the bigger, rugged Clippers last night.

"I would definitely call that tournament style atmosphere, both teams playing phyical defensively and not giving an inch," said coach Todd Kress, whose Pythons remain knotted atop Class I with Pembroke.

Some might call the victory, "ugly," with Pelham held to more than 20 points below its season scoring average of 71.2.

Kress chooses to label it an important exam passed with honors.

In order to beat an 8-3 Portsmouth team, Pelham:

Excelled in a grind-'em-up halfcourt fistfight on both ends.

Relied on more than just its road-running point man Hojlo, punishing Portsmouth for swarming the two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star.

Overcame serious foul trouble not only to Hojlo - four fouls with 6:58 remaining - and No. 2 man Stephen Spirou.

"When Spirou drew the cheap fourth foul right after picking up the cheap third foul, I thought it was going to cripple us," said Kress. "But Grant Hebert was fantastic. He played big and did exactly what we needed out of him ... leadership ... and that three was huge.

"It was just a good team win."

Hebert's three came midway through the fourth at a pivotal juncture as Portsmouth had sliced the Pelham lead to six, 40-34.

The senior followed his long-range marksmanship with a traditional three-point play, ending Portsmouth's legitimate hopes with three minutes left.

Hojlo, who added six steals and seven assists in a 7 for 15 shooting night, was best in the running game but unselfishly gave up the rock as Pelham finally solved
Portsmouth's extended, trapping 2-3 zone by attacking the weak side in the third quarter.

"The coaches came up with the scheme to go 1-4 and send me through to the corner," said Hojlo, the area and state's leading scorer at 27.9 points a game. "They all seemed to follow me. We have five guys on this team who can handle, and the big guys stepped up and finished."

Pelham exposed the defense's soft underbelly and took charge in the second half.

Spirou (11 points), Sean Sweeney, Josh Boissoneault and Mike Lombard all made Portsmouth pay for the overplay with big hoops in the second half.

 

 

 

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• Pelham defends home turf from Clippers