Nashua North's Luke Peters tries to go up for a layup as Goffstown's Braeden Malley defends during Wednesday's Division I preliminary-round game. (Photo by Joe Marchilena/NH-HighSchoolSports.com.)

NASHUA – Forgive any player or coach from the Nashua High School North boys basketball team if he was having flashbacks during the second half of Wednesday’s game.

But with Goffstown making shots from all over the floor, refusing to go away in a game in which the Grizzlies were once down 19 points, it would have been easy to be reminded of when the teams met in the regular season, a game won in overtime by Goffstown.

This time around, the third-seeded Titans were able to hang on to the lead and close out the win, keeping the No. 14 Grizzlies from getting any closer than four points in a 76-64 win in the Division I preliminary round.

North will now host a second playoff game, with No. 6 Windham, which defeated Londonderry in the opening round, coming to town for a 2 p.m. start Saturday in the quarterfinals.

“Give Goffstown a lot of credit,” North coach Steve Lane said. “(Camden) Hujsak had a great second half for them. They were making shots all over the place and it kind of reminded me of the first game we played them, where they didn’t miss in the second half and made 14 3s.

“(Wednesday) they made a bunch of shots, but we had enough down the stretch to try to survive and that’s exactly what we did.”

North (15-4) got 20 points apiece from Robinson Rodriguez and Parth Miglani, who hit four 3-pointers, while all five starters were in double figures for the Titans. Jaden Pena added 12 points while Alize Roig-Cortes and Luke Peters each had 11 points.

Hujask scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers, while Alexander McBournie came off the bench to add 14 points and Noah Durham added 12 points. Each had two 3s, as the Grizzlies (8-11) made 11 shots from beyond the arc as a team, seven in the second half.

“Our youth showed in the first half,” Goffstown coach Ryan Cowette said. “They bullied us and we very easily could have packed it in, but I’m really proud of how our guys battled back and fought in the second half.

“They showed they could play at that level and that intensity. This whole year was always going to be a learning experience, so it’s a lesson we can add going into next year and I think it will make us better.”

Durham opened the scoring with a 3, but North scored the next 11 points to go up eight and force Cowette to use a timeout with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

The Titans stretched the lead to 10 and were up 21-11 after one, part of a 19-7 run that saw North go up 32-16 with 2:24 remaining in the opening half. Rodriguez scored the last two baskets in that stretch, taking a great pass from Pena for the first.

The second came moments later, when Pena stole the ball, found Gavin Theriault in transition, who then found Rodriguez down low for the score.

North’s lead was 42-23 after another Rodriquez basket to open the second half, but Goffstown responded. The Grizzlies used a quick 10-3 run to cut the lead to 12 points, but the Titans answered with 3s by Pena and Roig-Cortes.

The third quarter turned into a shootout, with Goffstown winning the frame, 26-19, but North held a 59-49 lead going into the final eight minutes.

“I think we talked about competing at halftime,” Cowette said. “When shots fall, basketball looks really good. When shots don’t fall, like they weren’t in the first half, it looks a lot worse. We played harder because we were scoring and making shots. That led to defensive intensity.”

A quick 8-2 run to open the fourth got the Grizzlies within four points, 61-57, with 6:31 to play, and the teams kept going back and forth. The Titans couldn’t get the lead to more than six and Goffstown couldn’t get closer than four.

“We were refusing to play any defense and letting them get to the rim any time they wanted to, letting them get to the rim and kick out any time they wanted to, and to their credit, they made shots,” Lane said.

North finally got some breathing room when Miglani hit 3 and Roig-Cortes followed with a layup to make it 70-61 with 3:22 to go.

Hujsak answered with a 3, but those would be the final points for the Grizzlies, as they went scoreless over the final three-plus minutes. Peters and Pena made enough free throws in the final moments to give the Titans a comfortable lead in the closing minute.

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