MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Little Green of Manchester Central continued their perfect start on Friday night, defeating Dover, 69-59.
After Dover scored the game’s first two baskets, Central took control of the contest, building a 24-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. Although Dover was able to whittle Central’s lead down to 32-31 by the half, that comeback came primarily from the free throw line, as the Green Wave managed to score only seven points from the field.
“We had a good start, and we really wanted to have an emphasis on having a good start after the Trinity game where we got off real slow,” said Central head coach Sudi Lett. “We wanted to come out and try to play with a lead instead of playing from behind.
Central’s dominance while the ball was in play could be seen when it came on the boards, with the Little Green outrebounding their guests 26-7 in the first half, widening that margin to 44-23 by the end of the contest.
“A part of having a complete defensive possession is getting the rebound,” said Lett. “We really emphasized that, and the boys did an awesome job of focusing on that.”
The Little Green’s lead grew to 51-45 by the end of the third quarter and they continued to pull away, regaining a double-digit lead by the midpoint of the final frame.
Dover’s Ty Vitko lead all scorers with 29 points, with Kingsley Breen also contributed 17 points for the Green Wave.
Central had four double-digit scorers, led by junior Michael Dupre’s 17 points. Dupre also grabbed eight rebounds, just the nine of teammate Daniel Infante.
Central seeks to begin the year with their third straight win at next regular season contest in Merrimack. That contest takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 2 while Dover hopes to climb to 2-1 at home against Pinkerton, also at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 2.