Alviren's Garrett Hall (10) grabs a rebound while pressured by Portsmouth's Cote Bellaud duirng Friday night's Division I clash in Hudson. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

HUDSON – With just seconds left in the third quarter at Alvirne High School’s Steckievicz Gym on Friday night, Portsmouth sharpshooter Isaiah Reis gestured with a smile to the Bronco student crowd.

It was understandable, given his 3-pointer had just put the Clippers up 52-29 with the fans jeering, and he would finish the game with a whopping 33 points. But it was almost tempting fate, as the Broncos managed to cut the lead to eight with a minute left in the game vs. mostly the Clipper reserves before Portsmouth escaped with a 66-56 win.

“They’re a great team, they were hitting their shots tonight,” Alvirne coach Sam Bonney-Liles said of the 6-0 Clippers, everyone’s consensus favorite in Divsion I. “But I’m really proud of the way these guys fought back. We just ran out of time.”

Fortunately for the Clippers.

“It’d be nice to put it all together, wouldn’t it?” Clippers coach John Mulvey said. “We had been closing games out, but tonight was not that.

“We went to the bench, up 27 you think you can. But (the Broncos) did a great job, Alvirne played super hard. Happy to get out of here with a win.”

That’s because the Broncos, with a mixed lineup against Portsmouth’s reserves, put the press on and suddenly after a Garrett Hall putback with 1:01 left it was 64-56. But the Broncos, now 3-2 in Division I, saw their run end. Alvirne was led by Hall’s 26 points while Sean Chipfunde added 12.

There were many mini-games within this one. Portsmouth jumped out to a 9-2 lead before the Broncos stormed back for an 18-12 lead. But then their offense collapsed, and the Clippers used an 8-0 run at the end of the half to take a 26-20 lead into the break. And in the third quarter, Alvirne’s offense continued to lag and the Clippers ran at will, building the lead to 52-30 after three quarters.

“I don’t know many layups we missed, I know we were 9 for 36 from the field in the first half, missed a lot of shots that generally we finish around the basket,” Mulvey said. “But our defense got us back into the game. We gave up 18 in the first quarter but held them to two in the second quarter, eight in the third quarter. “So those middle quarters where we kind of took over, built ourselves a nice cushion, then unfortunately we gave it all back once they started that pressure.”

“I think the first half we shot ourselves in the foot,” Bonney-Liles said. “Lot of missed layups, not getting back in transition, we gave up a lot of easy layups. … That middle part.”

Portsmouth’s Isaiah Reiss (4) can only watch as Alvirne’s Ulysses Kangar gos up for an easy two during Friday night’s game in Hudson. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

The Corral was packed last night as the Clippers are a must-see this year, a team everyone thinks will storm to a title, though you may not convince the defending champions Bedford Bulldogs of that. That will have to be settled in March as the two don’t meet in the regular season. Another local, Merrimack, gets their shot at the Clippers at the ‘Hawks’ H. Dana Taylor Gym on Tuesday.

“Everyone’s gunning for us,” Mulvey said. “I like to tell our guys before games, leading up to it in film sessions, it really doesn’t matter what teams’ records are coming in. … We’re going to get everyone’s best shot, just like you said. Everyone wants to play us, everyone wants to play their best against us. So every night we think that coming in.”

They got Alvirne’s best game in a couple of different junctures last night. But it will take 32 minutes for sure.