MANCHESTER, NH – “This is our last night on this court,” said Ray Farmer to his Trinity High School boys varsity team during a late timeout. “We aren’t going out like this.”
Farmer’s Pioneers, ranked third in the Division-I playoff tournament with a 17-3 record, were indeed playing their final home game of the season, a quarterfinal clash with upstart No. 6 seed Alvirne (13-7).
And for most of the game, they found themselves battling from behind against the relentless Broncos.
Yet the Pioneers, loaded with one of the most versatile, talented and experienced rosters in the state, simply wouldn’t give up, charging back multiple times in the second half to eventually force overtime, and then, after falling behind again in the extra frame, coming back to win it in the closing seconds, 62-60.
“As the old saying goes, an ugly win is better than a pretty loss, so I’ll take it,” said Farmer. “Nothing was going our way the whole game. Our shots weren’t falling. You know, the rim wasn’t our friend at home tonight.”
Indeed, three-pointers from Collin Charbonneau weren’t falling with the frequency they usually do, and normally sure-fire Jordan Torres saw multiple turnaround jumpers and fade-aways miss the mark.
Yet there the Pioneers were when it mattered most.
With just under a minute remaining in overtime, Charbonneau drained a three to give his team its first lead since the first quarter, 60-58.
Then, after Alvirne had once again knotted the game, it was Jamar Gregory-Alleyne stepping up in the closing seconds, driving inside and delivering a one-handed floater to secure the 62-60 triumph.
“Jamar is our guy,” said Farmer. “We like the ball in his hands because we know he gets to the basket at will.”
In addition to Gregory-Alleyne’s eight points, he also played near flawless defense on the other side of the court, which helped keep the Pioneers close when the offense went through cold spells.
“He’s the defensive player of the year. There’s nobody he hasn’t stopped this year,” said Farmer. “We put him on the (other team’s) best player every single night and he shuts them down. We call him ‘Mr. Off Night’ for a reason.”
Jordan Torres led the offense with 16 points, followed by Charboneau with 14, and Connor Bishop and Connor Cote each contributed 10 markers apiece.
It was that team effort, when not one guy was having a standout night, yet all the players rallied around one another and lifted each other up, that once again defined the Pioneers identity, said Farmer.
“I told my guys, ‘who are we in the face of adversity,’ and it really came true,” he said. “This is a special group, and that’s bigger than basketball and always will be. These guys are great men, and I’m proud of them. Nobody got down on each other other We were down the whole game and we fought back. That’s what it’s all about.”
Now the Pioneers advance to play second-ranked Bedford (18-2), the defending state champ in the state semifinals at the Rochester Recreation Center at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The victor earns a place in the state championship game at the University of New Hampshire Sunday at 4 p.m.
“I’m excited,” said Farmer. “I’ll tell you that much right now, the first game of the season against Bedford, they got us (a 80-73 setback on Dec. 12), but I think the kids are really yearning for that game to come back so we can really lock in defensively.”
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