Alvirne's Garrett Hall, shown earlier in the season, led the Broncos with 16 points in Saturday's Division I quarterfinal loss at Bedford. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

BEDFORD — Alvirne High School boys basketball interim head coach Christian Patnaude knew his team had a tall task ahead of it in facing the Bedford Bulldogs in the Division I quarterfinals on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs went 17-1 in the regular season and just won by 33 in their first round match-up against Manchester Central. Meanwhile, Patnaude was still adjusting to being the head varsity coach after taking on the new role a few weeks ago.

Despite being a clear underdog, Patnaude’s team fought hard in the 69-51 loss to end its season.

While the final score looks lopsided, after the first quarter the No. 10 Broncos (10-10) were only down 19-16 and were down 50-40 after the third. Patnaude knew if his team got key stops on defense, they could have narrowed that gap.

“When you play Bedford, the defending champs, you have to play a near-perfect game,” said Patnaude. “Any second-chance opportunities for them or turnovers, they’ll make you pay.”

As a result, the ‘Dogs (19-1) will face No. 3 Nashua North (16-4) in Wednesday’s semifinals at 5:30 p.m. at a site yet to be determined.

Less than two weeks ago, Alvirne lost by nine on the road at Bedford. This time around the Bulldogs were ready for what the Broncos were going to throw at them, and vice-versa.

“We were prepared to play the real Bedford,” said Patnaude. “We saw how they played against Manchester Central. We were worried about the pressure they were going to have. I knew (their top four guys) were going to come out. That’s why they are defending champs.”

Luke Soden led the Bulldogs with 23 points, while Niko Badoian and Brady O’Connell scored 16 and 14 points respectively. The Broncos had two players score in the double-digits. Garrett Hall led the team with 16 points while Evan Bettencourt scored 13.

The Bulldogs, on their side, knew the Broncos were going to be a formidable opponent after playing them close in the regular season. Bedford head coach Frank Moreno made it a point to put pressure on defense and try to speed Alvirne up.

“That’s a really good team,” said Moreno about Alvirne. “They are better than a 10-seed. They are very disciplined. They don’t turn the ball over, especially in the front court.”

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