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Late shots don't fall, Pinkerton eliminated by Londonderry

Wednesday, March, 04 By David Willis
Sports editor

DERRY, N.H. — Pinkerton surrendered just one basket to archrival Londonderry in the fourth quarter, giving the Astros two shots at a dramatic finish.

But a lay-up attempt to take the lead with 0:44 left just spun out, a 3-pointer to tie the game with 0:17 to go was barely off the mark, and the No. 10 Lancers hit seven straight free throws down the stretch to beat No. 7 Pinkerton 46-43 in the first round of the Division 1 girls basketball tournament on Wednesday.

 “It came down to the last shot, and the shot was there,” said Pinkerton head coach Lani Buskey. “My girls are filled with grit and determination. They never count themselves out. But Londonderry is a very good team. I’m sad for them, but I am also so proud.”

Pinkerton (12-7) led 23-22 at halftime, and 36-35 after three quarters.

Astro sophomore Avah Ingalls opened the fourth quarter with a bang, sticking a 3-pointer. After Londonderry (11-8) answered with its only basket of the fourth, Samantha Franks knocked down a jumper to make it 41-38.
The Lancers’ aggressive defense, however, then began to take control, and Pinkerton was held without a point for over six minutes.
“They were playing really good defense, but we were also struggling to finish,” said Buskey. “That’s been a problem all season. Credit Londonderry for sure, but we fell into the bad habit of looking for someone else to score. We were passing too much, and then we took the wrong shots.”
Londonderry was then able to grab the lead thanks to the free-throw shooting of Ashley Rourke (3 for 4 in the fourth quarter) and Courtney Shay (5 for 7 in the fourth).
But Pinkerton was not done.
Sophia Riccio attacked the basket and scooped in a layup with 0:44 left to cut the lead to just 44-43. Captain Jesse Ames then grabbed a huge rebound off a Lancer miss to set up a go-ahead chance. But the Astros could not find another hoop, and Londonderry hit two more free throws.
“Pinkerton had two chances at the end that, 90% of the time, go in,” said Londonderry head coach Nick Theos. “But, in tight games, sometimes they don’t fall. We weren’t crisp on defense at the beginning, so we went with a smaller lineup because I had a feeling they were going to try to go to the basket. We sacrificed some rebounding to get quicker. And when it comes to shooting free throws, we are pretty good at it.”
Avah Ingalls led Pinkerton with 14 points, while Alli Ingalls added nine points on three 3-pointers.
“It hurts to look at the score, but I can look back at this entire season and be nothing but proud,” said Buskey. “Watching so many girls step up, Avah stepping up as a real player, Jesse (Ames) is the heart and soul of our team. I’m sad for the girls, but I look back and see nothing but good things.”