Bishop Guertin High School recently defeated Nashua High School North 415 to 270 in the quarterfinals of the Granite State Challenge. Courtesy photo/GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE

DURHAM – This question went unanswered during a recent match between Bishop Guertin High School and Nashua High School North in the Granite State Challenge.

Bishop Guertin played a strong game to defeat Nashua North 415 to 270 in the last quarterfinal game of the season.

The Bishop Guertin Cardinals were led by senior captain Mohid Khan. His team included fellow seniors Declan Pyles, Teddy Bond and Aidan Coffey. The team alternates were sophomore Grant Leonardi and senior Carter Rick. The Cardinals are coached by English teachers Katie Graham and Jeannette Riendeau.

The Nashua North Titans were captained by senior Ryan Mamos. The team roster included seniors Daniel Morcos, Ethan Hobbs and Benjamin Kelly. The team’s alternate was junior Marie Nalen. Nashua North is coached by Social Studies teacher Timothy Bosch.

Nashua began the game strong, pulling ahead by 60 points in the first half of round one. But as the round progressed, Bishop Guertin hit its stride and in the final seconds of the round, took the lead at 105 to 90.

Nashua High School North recently lost to Bishop Guertin High School, 415 to 270, in the quarterfinals of the Granite State Challenge. Courtesy photo/GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE

Both teams struggled in the game’s tricky Three Strikes and You’re Out Round, using up their designated passes and strikes before they could hear all 10 questions. The Cardinals edged out their rivals with five correct answers to Nashua’s two. In the rapid fire 60-second round, the Titans answered seven questions correctly and the Cardinals gave eight correct answers, making the score 235 to 190.

“We did start off really slow, so we were a little bit worried,” said Khan. “But we really clutched up at the end and that helped us.”

Khan highlighted Bond’s performance.

“I knew the team from North would be fast, but Teddy was really fast,” said Khan. “He was able to answer a lot of questions before them and I think that was really the difference.

For Riendeau, the best part of the game was seeing her students maintain their composure even when they were behind.

“I’m very proud of how they rallied and came back,” she said.

While the Titans were disappointed by the result, they remained positive about the experience.

“Part of me always wanted to see Nashua North and Nashua South make it all the way to the finals,” said Bosch. “Nashua South is playing in next week’s semifinal game. But it was great, both sides played well.”