NASHUA, NH — Bishop Guertin built a 24-point halftime lead and coasted past Portsmouth, 45-20, Monday night, in the opening round of the Division I State Tournament.
The 5th-seeded Cardinals move to the quarterfinals, Thursday night, on the road against 4th-seeded Concord Christian.
“Portsmouth is a really talented team, they have some experienced seniors and they’re very well coached,” said Liv Orlando, who earned her first tournament win as Bishop Guertin head coach. “We were looking at our team defending, working on some transition basketball and executing our (offense). I think they did a great job with that, so I’m super proud.”
Senior Ayla Regan, playing the final home game of her high school career, came off the bench to lead the Cardinals with 11 points. Regan did all her scoring in a five-minute stretch of the second quarter, including drilling three consecutive 3-pointers.
“That really has been the epitome of her season. She has been a real difference maker in terms of leadership, positivity and her talent on the court,” said Orlando. “She comes into the game and does all the little things you want a player to do … she just comes in and gets stuff done.”
Sophomore Laura Marino added nine points for Bishop Guertin (15-4). Sophomore Holly DuFoe chipped in with seven.
Coming into the game, Orlando knew points would be at premium, especially in the paint, against a physical Portsmouth team that was giving up just 36.8 points a game in the regular season.
Not a problem for the Cardinals, who lit it up from beyond the arc. They finished with 10 3-pointers, including seven in the first half. Regan and Marino led the way with three 3s apiece. Junior Kayden Rioux added a pair.
Bishop Guertin settled matters early, jumping out to an 11-2 lead in the first four minutes and leading 14-4 after one quarter.
Senior center Bridget Emery led Portsmouth with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Emery hit a pair of free throws to pull the Clippers to within 18-8, midway through the second quarter.
But that was as close as Portsmouth (9-10) would get. Bishop Guertin’s smothering defense forced three straight turnovers, triggering a 14-0 run by the Cardinals to close out the half.
Regan started the run with a strong drive down the lane. A steal by junior Thalia Drapeau led to a 3-pointer from Marino, upping the lead to 24-8.
Next it was Regan, draining her second and third 3s, before sophomore Maggie Gallagher closed the half with a nifty spin move in the paint to put the Cardinals up, 32-8, at the break.
In Concord Christian, Bishop Guertin faces an opponent they haven’t seen since early December, when the Cardinals opened the season with a 38-36 road win.
A win over CC would likely set up a semifinal showdown against defending State Champ and No. 1 seed Bedford (17-2).
The rivalry between Bedford and BG is well documented. The Cardinals have won six state championships in the last decade, beating Bedford in the title game four times.
In fact, Bishop Guertin and Bedford have met in the D-I title game six times since 2013 (including three straight, 2021-23), with the Cardinals holding a 4-2 edge.
