For the 2^nd tournament game in a row, Luke Roberts knocked down a clutch 3 pointer and now the Spaulding Red Raiders are headed to Durham.  This time Roberts heroics sent the game at #3 Nashua North into overtime as he banked in a 3 from the left wing with just under 6 seconds left to tie it at 55.  His game-winning 3 at the buzzer beat West last week in the prelim round in Rochester. When Connor Noe hit a 3 pointer of his own with 2 minutes left in the 4 minute extra session, 6^th seeded Spaulding had scored the 1^st 6 points of overtime to take a commanding 61-55 lead.  After North’s Anthony Farmer hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead down to 4 with 1:44 to play in OT, 6’5” junior Dominic Paradis responded with a leaner in the lane on the next trip down the floor that made it 63-57 Spaulding.  The Red Raiders were able to ice the game down the stretch by connecting on all 8 of their FT attempts(6 by Paradis, 2 by Noe).

There was some talk before Sunday night’s game that the Spaulding coaches, players and fans still needed a little more time to recover both mentally and physically from the bus accident they were involved in on the way to the originally scheduled game on Friday night.  The highway collision with a tractor trailer truck sent Noe to the hospital and forced postponement of the quarterfinal game with North.  A decision came down on Saturday that the game would have to be played on Sunday night at 7. 

When I arrived at the North gym about a half hour before tip-off and saw the bleachers behind the team benches COMPLETELY filled in red clad and raucous Spaulding supporters, it was obvious that Noe and his teammates, and maybe even the entire town of Rochester was indeed ready to put the past behind them and play the game.  “We got together after the accident and the athletic director said that he was gonna try to get it moved back as far as possible so we could get emotionally and physically ready”, Noe said…“and then we got a call yesterday saying that we gotta play Sunday.  So we met at ‘The Rec’ Sunday morning.  You know, when you get forced to do something you just gotta go thru with it.  I thought we did really well with getting together really quick”.   When asked about Robert’s bank shot 3 pointer that sent the game into overtime and if those kind of fortuitous bounces might give the team the idea that some kind of “higher power” is looking over them, an excited Noe said, “Oh my god, you have no idea!”  “I definitely believe that we’re getting some kind of help from above.  I mean, the 1^st night was a buzzer beater.  The accident…I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life.   Skip, our bus driver did an amazing job keeping control of that bus.  Someone’s watching over us and keeping us safe.  And tonight, we just keep getting signs that this is our year and we keep believing in it.”  

Prior to the tip, there were questions whether or not Noe would even be ready to play because of his ordeal Friday night, but he came off the bench in the 1^st half to a resounding cheer from the Spaulding faithful and he quickly showed he was OK by connecting on a 3 pointer with 20 seconds left in the 1^st quarter that gave the Red Raiders a 16-12 lead after 1.  It was 1 of 4 long balls on the senior’s 18 point night.  Paradis led the way with 20 points, while Roberts had 14 and Nick McGregor 9. 

North started the 2^nd quarter on a 10-nothing run to take a 22-16 lead, and they held that lead until the final seconds of the 3^rd quarter when Noe finished a fast break lay-up off a steal to put Spaulding on top 37-36 with just 25 ticks left in the 3^rd.  The lead was short lived though as Farmer’s 3 from the right wing with 3.8 seconds left put the Titans back on top, 39-37 heading into the 4^th.  It looked like North had control of the game, leading 47-40 with 5:10 to play, but the Titans Jake Mellin was assessed with a technical foul for shoving Noe.  Paradis went to the line an hit both free throws and then with possession of the ball after the T, McGregor hit a big left corner 3 that quickly trimmed the lead down to 2 at 47-45 with 4 minutes to go.  About 2 minutes later, North star guard Ryan Gauthier finally hit his 1^st field goal of the night, a 3 pointer from the top of the arc with just 2:15 left in the 4^th that made it 53-48 North.  But it wasn’t enough breathing room as Spaulding made the late charge to send it to OT.  Javon Williams was high man for North with 16, Jake Mellin and Farmer each had 13 for the Titans, but Ryan Gauthier struggled most of the night before finishing his high school career with only 9.

Now it’s a much shorter bus ride to Durham from Rochester for the semi-finals at UNH’s Lundholm Gym.  The Red Raiders will face 7^th seeded Merrimack in the early game @ 6pm on Tuesday night.  Top seed Trinity plays #4 Manchester Central in the late game.  The Final Four was originally scheduled for Monday night, but the NHIAA moved it back a day because of the postponement of the Spaulding/North quarterfinal.

Box score

Spaulding

Dominic Paradis 20

Connor Noe 18

Luke Roberts 14

Nick McGregor 9

PJ Juneau 4

Charlie Nevejans 4

Alex Gray 2

North

Javon Williams 16

Jake Mellin 13

Anthony Farmer 13

Ryan Gauthier 9

Mike O’Connor 6

Parker Jamerson 4

Dezron Wilson 4