By Chris Paul
The Londonderry High Boys Basketball team ended 2021 with two strong wins to put their 2021-22 winter season record at 3-2.
The Lancer squad started their final week of competition with a 53-42 road win against Concord High School, then two days later, beat Spaulding High School 57-50 at home.
The team was also planning to play in the annual Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic Tournament at Andover High School, but that event was cancelled for the second straight year due to COVID-19 concerns.
In the 53-42 win over the Crimson Tide in the state capitol the Lancer boys held the lead through the entire game despite a strong push by Concord in the second half.
Londonderry led 10-5 after one quarter and by six-points heading into halftime with a 22-16 score.
Lancer freshman guard Mason Paquette had an outstanding second half, scoring 19 of his 22 points over the final two quarters.
Senior guard Tyler Murray and junior guard Kevin Rourke each contributed eight-points in the win.
Senior forward Aiden Warren had five points in the game.
Twelve of the 22-points scored by Paquette came by way of three-pointers.
Rourke had two from outside the arc and Murray and Warren both had one three-pointer.
In the final home game of 2021 the Lancers came away with another win after an exceptional third quarter catapulted the team to 57-50 victory over Spaulding High School.
The team came out of the first quarter trailing by three points, allowing the Red Raiders to get an 11-8 lead to start the game.
The first half ended with a one-point Spaulding lead of 23-22, but LHS came out of the break firing on all cylinders and scored 21-points to SHS’s 14-points for a 43-37 lead headed into the final quarter.
Londonderry maintained a one-point edge in the final period for the win.
Warren had a very good game, scoring in every quarter, and had one three-pointer, to lead the team with 15-points.
Murray wound up with 12-points in the game, he hit six of ten foul shots in the third period.
Senior forward Mike Rosatano was back in the line-up and scored 10-points with one three.
Rourke also had 10-points with six points coming from beyond the arc.
Sophomore forward Tyler Miles added eight points in the victory.
The team was scheduled for three games this week starting on Monday night with a road game against Trinity.
They will have two games at home to end the week, one on Wednesday against Alvirne and the other against Bedford on Friday night starting at 7 p.m.