Newmarket, Littleton to play for NH Div. IV girls basketball state championship game

NEWMARKET — After the Newmarket High School girls basketball team defeated Littleton in the Division IV quarterfinals last season, head coach Meghan Averill knew that Littleton, with everyone returning, would be a tough team to beat this year.

Averill was right as no team has beat Littleton since Newmarket in last year's quarterfinal game.

On Saturday, No. 3 Newmarket (17-4) and top-seeded Littleton (21-0) will meet for the Division IV state championship at Colby-Sawyer College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

"(Littleton) is going to be a tough matchup," Averill said. "They're fast, they're big, and they play really good basketball, but I have confidence in our defense to give them a game."

It will be the first time in program history that Newmarket will play in a state championship.

"It's pretty exciting," Averill said. "Everyone is just genuinely excited and proud of ourselves to make it this far."

Newmarket defeated No. 2 Groveton, 29-26 in the semifinals on Tuesday, while Littleton defeated No. 4 Farmington, 42-36.

Newmarket had lost its previous three games to Groveton, including last year's semifinal matchup.

"Honestly, we were just hoping to have a better showing against them," Averill said. "It was nice to come out with the win. I just wanted us to play well. I'm not necessarily sure we played well, but it was well enough to get a win."

How Newmarket arrived at championship

The Mules began the tourney with a 29-15 first-round win over Epping as Kiara Rugora, an eighth-grader, scored 14 points and sophomore Amaya Beckles had nine.

Newmarket then survived its quarterfinal game, beating No. 6 Wilton/Lyndeborough, 46-40 in overtime. Beckles scored five of her game-high 25 points in overtime as the Mules outscored Wilton, 8-2 in the extra session. Rugora added 13 points.

Newmarket leaning on team's strength in bid to win it all

Defense has been Newmarket's strength all season. The Mules won seven games, including one in the postseason, where the opponent didn't score 20 points. This included a three-game stretch against Pittsfield (41-11), Sunapee (40-13) and Epping (32-15).

"We have to try to play our game, we don't want to play their game," Averil said. "They're athletic and they're quick. So, if we're trying to run with them, I don't know if we're going to be able to run with them all game."

Littleton scored a season-low 33 points in an eight-point win over Woodsville, and have been held to under 40 points just twice.

"If we can try to play our style of basketball, that's going to be our best bet," Averill said. "We have to be able to control one end of the floor, and that's the defensive end. The girls have put their trust in that. We're telling them that they have to play defense, and defense matters in this division. Defense is one thing you can control every game, and defense travels. Where, sometimes, offense might not."

Newmarket fully bought in

The Mules started the season with a one-point loss at Mascenic, before winning seven straight games. Then, Newmarket lost back-to-back games against Farmington and Groveton, then proceeded to win another seven straight.

After the loss to Mascenic, the team had a good 'come together' talk about being fully focused and having to pull together.

"They've totally bought in and put their trust in the coaching staff and what we're telling them they need to do," Averill said. "That's really important that we've had their trust this whole season."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Newmarket, Littleton to play for NH DIV girls basketball championship