Sports

Nordic skiing: Concord boys win D-I championship, girls finish 2nd; Watt, Lesser and Clarner earn individual crowns

By DAN ATTORRI

This year’s winter conditions posed far greater challenges than usual to the state’s high school Nordic ski teams, so much so that even having a championship wasn’t a given. But meet organizers pulled a rabbit out of a hat and Concord High made the...

Boys’ basketball: No. 4 Coe-Brown pushes No. 1 Pelham to overtime, comes just short of reaching D-II championship game

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

DURHAM – As Coe-Brown head coach Dave Smith stood outside the Bears’ locker room at Oyster River High School hugging his players one by one — virtually all with tears in their eyes — he exuded nothing but a sense of pride and appreciation.“The effort...

Boys’ basketball: Hanover grinds down Pembroke, ends the Spartans season in the D-II semifinals

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

DURHAM – Entering Tuesday night’s Division II boys’ basketball semifinal, the No. 3 Pembroke Spartans (18-3) knew exactly what No. 2 Hanover (19-1) was going to do: run a remarkably methodical offense and play smart, disciplined defense. Pembroke knew...

A victory for college athletes — but only a step

By JIMMY GOLEN

A ruling that gives the Dartmouth basketball team the right to unionize has far-reaching implications for all of college sports — from the quaint, academically oriented Ivy League to the big-money football factories like Michigan and Alabama.The...

Monitor Sports Podcast – Dave Smith previews Coe-Brown’s semifinal against No. 1 Pelham

Monitor staff

On this week’s podcast, Eric Rynston-Lobel and Dan Attorri recap last week’s playoff results, including Concord boys’ hockey’s stunning overtime loss to Exeter and preview this week’s D-II boys’ and girls’ basketball semifinals featuring Pembroke...

Girls’ basketball: No. 4 John Stark gears up for the challenge of No. 1 Concord Christian

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

If No. 4 John Stark is able to take down top-seeded Concord Christian in Wednesday night’s Division II girls’ basketball semifinal, it’ll be because of the Generals’ experience and composure. At least, that’s what head coach Tiffany Lewis is banking...

Dartmouth men’s basketball team votes to unionize, though steps remain before forming labor union

By JIMMY GOLEN

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to unionize Tuesday in an unprecedented step toward forming the first labor union for college athletes and another attack on the NCAA’s deteriorating amateur business model.In an election...

NHTI men win conference hoops title

NHTI defeated the Central Maine Community College (CMCC) Mustangs 80-78 on Sunday to win their fifth YSCC men’s basketball championship in program history. It’s also the first time the Lynx have won the championship on their home court since 2018.On...

NLRB official denies Dartmouth request to reopen basketball union case. Players to vote Tuesday

By JIMMY GOLEN

Dartmouth basketball players remain on schedule to vote Tuesday on whether to form the nation’s first-ever college athletes’ labor union after a National Labor Relations Board official rejected the school’s request to reopen the case.NLRB regional...

Boys’ basketball: As No. 4 Coe-Brown prepares for its D-II semifinal against No. 1 Pelham, a Q&A with head coach Dave Smith

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

On Friday, No. 4 Coe-Brown (16-4) took down No. 12 Kennett, 69-41, in the Division II boys’ basketball quarterfinals. The Bears advanced to face No. 1 Pelham (18-1) in the semifinals at Oyster River High School on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.The Monitor...

High schools: Weekend playoff basketball and hockey, New Englands track and wrestling

D-II Boys’ Basketball No. 2 Hanover 51, No. 7 Bow 34 Key players: Bow – Brendan O’Keeffe (23 points), Connor Eno (great defense off the bench) Highlights: The Falcons ran into a strong defense in Friday night’s quarterfinal, trailing 12-2 at the end...

Boys’ hockey: No. 11 Exeter stuns No. 3 Concord in overtime, knocks Crimson Tide out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

CONCORD – Concord keeled over in disbelief.It hadn’t yet been five seconds since a shot from Exeter’s Ryan Wallace found the back of the net at 12:03 of overtime to win the game for the Blue Hawks, 4-3. The stark reality already set in. The Tide...

Girls’ basketball: Pembroke off to the D-II semifinals after beating Bow for the third time this season

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

PEMBROKE – Over the previous two seasons, no team has caused Pembroke girls’ basketball more disappointment than Bow. Each of the Spartans’ last two years ended with a loss to the Falcons in the playoffs. But Saturday was different.Pembroke was the...

Boys’ basketball: Joe Fitzgerald’s 26 points lift Pembroke over Merrimack Valley in D-II quarterfinal

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

PEMBROKE – The No. 3 Spartans (18-2) had ample reason to feel concern, trailing No. 11 Merrimack Valley (9-11), 23-22, at halftime of Friday night’s Division II boys’ basketball quarterfinal.With the Pride having just come off an upset overtime win...

Boys’ hockey: Coming off back-to-back losses, Concord looks to right the ship in the playoffs

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

It’s not too common to see Concord boys’ hockey lose back-to-back games. When it happened last week in losses to Keene (2-1) and Hanover (3-2), it was the first time the Crimson Tide program had dropped consecutive contests in seven...

Boys’ basketball: Familiar foes, Pembroke and MV prepare to do battle in the D-II quarterfinal Friday night

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

When No. 11 Merrimack Valley (9-10) shows up to play No. 3 Pembroke Academy (17-2) on Friday night in the Division II quarterfinals, there won’t be much the two teams don’t already know about each other. They squared off twice during the regular...

Girls’ basketball: Bow throws a wrinkle at Merrimack Valley, advances to D-II quarterfinal

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

BOW – The No. 6 Bow Falcons (14-5) had really only played man-to-man defense all season. But entering their Division II first round meeting with No. 11 Merrimack Valley (9-10), head coach Cassidy Emerson decided to employ a zone. The gamble worked in...

‘We learned a lot’: After 3-15 season, Tim LaTorra still optimistic about the future for Concord boys’ basketball

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

The 2023-24 season for Concord boys’ basketball was supposed to be one of promise. In head coach Tim LaTorra’s first season last year, he’d taken a team that finished 2-16 the year before to 6-12, a tiebreaker away from reaching the playoffs.But the...

High schools: John Stark, Pembroke advance in D2 girls’ hoops, plus more tournament results

D-II Girls’ BasketballNo. 4 John Stark 61, No. 13 Milford 46Key players: John Stark – Eleanor Girardet (26 points, 14 rebounds), Avery Geaumont (13 points), Abby Duclos (12 points)Highlights: The Generals consistently put up points throughout the game...

Stacy Wakefield dies less than 5 months after her husband, Tim Wakefield

The Associated Press

Stacy Wakefield, the widow of former Boston Red Sox pitcher and two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield, has died. Her family said in a statement released through the Red Sox that she died Wednesday at her Massachusetts home, less than five...