The Pinkerton boys’ junior varsity basketball squad did precisely what a high school sub-varsity sports team is supposed to do this past winter in learning more about its program’s system, developing player skills, and winning a bunch of ballgames as well.
Coach Rich Parent’s crew posted a fine 11-7 record but didn’t last quite as long as he would have liked in the post-season tournament, dropping a decision to rival Londonderry in the preliminary round of play. That defeat stung just a tad more because the Astros had bested the Lancers twice during the regular season.
“The best team performance of the season was the second game against Londonderry, which we won 63-57,” said the coach.
The squad’s players included junior center Tom Olson, sophomore guards Matt Lamire, Tyler Gendron, David Remington, Ben Curry, and Matt Merrill, sophomore forwards Matt Westcott, Tom Romick, and Dominic Lander, sophomore centers Ben Olson and Trystan Brown, freshman guards Evan Rodgers and Nick Bortone, and freshman center Ryan Philibotte.
Top individual scoring efforts came from Ben Olson against Londonderry (19 points), Brown against Keene and Winnacunnet (17 points), Tom Olson vs. Manchester Memorial (17), Curry against Exeter (17), Remington vs. Nashua North (13), Romick vs. Londonderry (12), Gendron against Winnacunnet (10), Merrill vs. Exeter (10), and Lander against North (10).
“JV sports is about learning and preparing for future opportunities,” said Parent. “This JV team showed measured improvement at the individual and team levels both on and off the court, and as a result, many are poised to make an impact next year at the varsity level.”
