Bishop Guertin's Jordan Robichaud tries to split the defense of Alvirne's Charlie Thomas (left) and Jacob Hibbard (right). Robichaud had eight points in the Cardinals' Region 2 title win over the Broncos on Saturday.

HUDSON – As money as Alvirne High’s two bigs were on Saturday evening, the Bishop Guertin boys seemed to find offense everywhere in the Division 1 sectional hoop final.

So after matching hoops for the better part of the first half, it was the battle-tested and suddenly-surging Cardinals who drew away and earned a Final Four trip with a 54-40 decision over the Broncos.

“It feels really great. All the guys that were on the team last year remember that feeling (of a first-round playoff loss before Covid-19 ended the tourney prematurely). Everyone was upset, crying. That was it. We just know we cannot do that again,” said the lone BG player to crack double digits on the night, senior Dylan Santosuosso.

“This is really fun, going into the locker room after the game, knowing we’re advancing on to go deeper into the championship rounds. It’s very important. We want to make it to the championship no matter what.”

Guertin has the battle scars and the mental toughness from what has been a monster final push here.

“On any given night, I think we can play with people. There’s just so much parity at the top, including all these teams in the Nashua area that it’s just difficult,” said Guertin coach John Fisher. “Every night is a difficult game. Five emotional games in a row is a lot for these guys. I think it helps us a lot.

“Look at the end of our season. South, North, South, North, Alvirne. Not only were we equally matched with those teams, but it’s been a difficult game every night with a lot of emotion. You know Alvirne is going to play well. It was back and forth there. Thankfully, a couple shots fell for us there at the end.”

The long-range-bombing Santosuosso hit five 3-pointers in his 17-point effort, including two pairs at the most pivotal times.

First, he nailed a pair of triples, just before the break, allowing the Cards to carry a 25-20 lead into halftime.

“It felt good to have that last three to get us up five. That was big momentum for us. The bench energy there was amazing,” said Santosuosso.

Then, with Broncos’ coach Marty Edwards searching for answers with a switch from man to 2-3 zone, Santosuosso’s two straight treys gave his team its first double-digit advantage at 36-26 in the third.

“I was feeling it. I don’t know … I was happy (to see that zone), but they switched out of right away,” laughed Santosuosso.

Alvirne continued to scrap and lean on Liam O’Neil (15 points), Brendan Graham (11) and Jacob Hibbard (12 points), but the Broncos were simply outnumbered.

Every time, BG needed a hoop, it found a source.

Senior Jordan Robichaud had eight points, while Nathan Kane, Javari Ellison and Lucas Baker pitched in six apiece.

“We need that on these type of nights,” said Fisher.

The Broncos would close it to eight at 39-31 late in the third on Hibbard’s third three of the night, but Robichaud’s buzzer-beating putback was an absolute crusher for the home team, which never got the game back into single digits the rest of the way.

“Great team, Hall of Fame coach in John Fisher,” said Edwards of the victorious Cardinals. “I have the utmost respect for him. They’re a class ball club. They were the better team. They deserved it. A bunch of athletes, a bunch of class kids with a great coach. That’s what happened. I hope they move on.”

The Cardinals, now 16-5, will battle Londonderry on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Durham – not at UNH, of course, but at Oyster River High School – in the second of two Division 1 State Semifinals. Guertin twice beat Londonderry back in mid-January.

“They had a couple guys injured. They weren’t at 100 percent either time we played them. And now they are,” said Fisher. “They’re a very talented basketball team.”

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