Nashua South's Rhett Medling, shown finishing a dunk earlier in the season, led the Panthers to a win over Spaulding on Wednesday night. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

The Nashua High School South boys basketball team ended 2021 on a good note.

The Panthers’ victory over Spaulding on Wednesday night highlighted a busy local sports day that saw the debut of the Hollis Brookline-Derryfield hosted Holiday Backyard Brawl at Conway Arena with wins on the ice by the Warriors as well as the Merrimack Tomahawks.

In girls hoop, Hollis Brookline and Merrimack picked up wins on the second day of the round-robin Lady Blue Devils Invitational in Salem. However, Nashua South dropped a regular season tilt at Spaulding.

Here’s the rundown of games that count in the regular season standings and those holiday games that don’t:

BOYS BASKETBALL

NASHUA SOUTH 72,

SPAULDING 39

The Panthers snapped a two-game mini-skid at the Belanger Gym to even their record to 3-3.

Rhett Medling led the way with 13 points while Cyris Roig and Josh Caruso added 10 points and Karsten Lemire nine.

Paul Butler had 11 to lead 0-7 Spaulding. South will be at Bishop Guertin on Monday.

ANDOVER (Mass.) 68,

BISHOP GUERTN 32

The Cardinals found out the hard way why Andover is one of if not the best team in Massachusetts in a game that was fairly close until early in the third quarter.

Matt Santosuosso had 12 points and Javari Ellison added seven for BG, which returns to regular season play at home Monday night vs. Nashua South.

CONVAL 58,

HOLLIS BROOKLINE 43

The Cavaliers (0-5) outscored the Cougars 31-25 in the second half but it wasn’t enough. Kalep Popham and Zach Lussier led HB with 14 and 10 points, respectively, while John Kotelly had a strong game with eight points and six rebounds.

The Cavs are at Oyster River in Durham next Tuesday.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

SPAULDING 37,

NASHUA SOUTH 28

The Panthers trailed 9-2 after the first quarter in Rochester and it was an uphill climb the rest of the way as they fell to 0-5.

Maizie Barker led South with nine points while Liz DeRusha and Ella Karanavanic each had six. The Panthers host Bishop Guertin on Monday.

PINKERTON 66,

ALVIRNE 41

The Broncos found out first hand why the host Astros have emerged as perhaps the team to beat in Division I. Pinkerton (6-0) has not played a game closer than a 20-point differential thus far.

The Broncos (3-3) were held to an Ella Hartson 3-pointer in the first quarter, trailing 21-3, and the Astros never looked back. Rachel Allard led Alvirne with 11 points while Paige McKinley added 10.

Alvirne is at Nashua North on Monday.

LADY BLUE DEVIL TOURNEY

MERRIMACK 49,

GREATER LOWELL TECH 32

Shannon Sadhwani had a fantastic afternoon with seven 3-pointers en route to 23 points as the Tomahawks (4-3 overall, 3-2 league) rolled.

Emma Valluzzi added nine points and six steals while Kaylee Bormuth was a behemoth on the boards with 13 rebounds. Merrimack, which led 26-18 at the half, will host Windham next Tuesday.

HOLLIS BROOKLINE 51,

SALEM 22

The Cavs weren’t very polite guests as they romped over the host Blue Devils, led again by Elisabeth Stapelfeld (26 points, 16 rebounds).

Cheyenne Colbert had 10 points and 14 rebounds while Maggie Crooks had seven points for HB, which faces Goffstown today at 1 p.m. on the tourney’s final day.

BOYS HOCKEY

HOLIDAY BACKYARD BRAWL

HB-DERRYFIELD 4,

NASHUA NORTH-SOUHEGAN 2

The Warriors picked up 2.5 points in the first game of their tournament, leading 3-1 at the half while splitting the second half (20-minute halves). They had four different goal scorers: Caleb May, Paul Vachon, Jesse Gertz and Aidan Rowe.

Bryan Chisholm and Chase McBride scored for the Saber-Titans, who play Merrimack at 3:40 p.m. while HBDS takes on Alvirne-Milford 3 at 2 p.m.

MERRIMACK 6,

ALVIRNE-MILFORD 3

It was a three-point game for Merrimack, which got off to a fast start on goals from Conor Dunn, Cam Duby and Eliot Medlock, assists to Brayden Guagliumi, Owen Miner and Ryan De Beaucort.

Sam Giles scored two goals in the second half while Guagliumi added one, assisted by Miner and De Beaucort again (two each for the game).

Alvirne was led by two goals from Sal Pace and a goal by Hayden Ricard. Cade Bouchard and Matt Ryan had assists.

Merrimack got three points as they won both halves, 3-1 and 3-2 (point for each half plus the win).

TUSCAN KITCHEN TOURNEY

WINDHAM 1,

NASHUA SOUTH-PELHAM 0

The Kings played the Jaguars tough on the final night of the round-robin event at the Salem Icenter, with freshman goaltender Ethan Robinson coming up big with 19 saves.

The Kings host Londonderry next Wednesday at Conway Arena.