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Hollis Brookline boys rout Milford to reach semifinals

By Hector Longo - Staff Writer | Mar 9, 2018

HOLLIS – Hey Milford High, blame the NHIAA.

The Hollis Brookline boys hoop team was not happy with the state playoff scheduling overlap Friday night.

The Cavalier girls played for a state title at Southern New Hampshire University (and won it beating John Stark), while the boys were here at home against Milford in the Division II quarterfinals.

Hollis Brookline looked angry and played like it, annihilating Milford, 46-33, in a game that just wasn’t that close.

The top-seeded Cavs will now face No. 5 Merrimack Valley at UNH’s Lundholm Gym Monday night at 7:30 in the state semis.

“Obviously, I’d have loved to have been there (at the girls) tonight. I’ve got a lot of friends on that team,” said Cavaliers senior Scott VanCoughnett.

“They had a great season. Hopefully we can put a couple banners on the wall here. They’re a great team. We think this one is pretty good too.”

Hollis Brookline took both regular-season meetings with Milford, by one and five points. This one was never that close.

In both of those games,

Milford made a lot of shots.

“We just made a lot of adjustments,” said VanCoughnett, noting the difference between the regular season and playoffs.

Hollis Brookline, now 17-2, busted to an 18-4 lead after a quarter as the shooting struggles Milford endured and persevered through on Tuesday night at Timberlane, followed them across Route 111 into the Cavs’ cage.

“We played tight, a lot of back rims on the missed shots,” said coach Dan Murray, whose No. 9 Spartans finish up at 11-9.

“They played very well. They played a real solid game. We didn’t get out running, and we didn’t make shots. Their size hurt us, not on offense, but on the defensive end.”

Milford simply couldn’t find any offense, inside the arc or out. On every drive, it seemed, 6-foot-4 Matt Simco and 6-foot-6 Matt Dowling were there to help and deny any attempts at the rim.

When they kicked it out, the shooters never really got great looks, with the credit going to Hollis Brookline.

“The height advantage was awesome. Having Simco and Dowling down low, in my opinion they are the best two rebounders in the state,” said VanCoughnett. “It makes it a lot easier on the guards. We don’t need the rebounds, because they get them all. We knew, just keep closing out with a high hand and we’d be fine.”

The lead went to 22-4 before Milford’s Jamie Pare (team-high 12 points) finally broke through from long range midway through the second. By halftime, the lead was 27-12 at the half and 38-20 through three quarters.

Only in the final minutes, with both teams’ benches emptied, did a 20-point margin get whittled down to the final spread of 13.

Simco had a monster double-double for the winners with 13 points and 16 rebounds. Sophomore guard Grant Snyder also had 13 points. Jonathan Brackett chipped in eight points and four assists, while Dowling added six points, five rebounds, a couple blocks and at least 10 shots altered in the lane.

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