Bishop Guertin's Connor McGowan drives underneath the hoop against Exeter's Huxley Brown (34) during Friday night's game at the Colligadome. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It was time for the Bishop Guertin High School boys basketball team Friday night to rewrite the script.

After all, their coach, Will Horne, had seen this act before. The Cards get off to a great start, double digit lead, and look like they’d run their opponent out of the Colligadome. But then they’d tire, let their opponent back in the game in either the second or third quarter, and fade down the stretch.

Some of that did happen last night vs. the stubborn Exeter Blue Hawks – except The Fade. So instead the loud crowd saw a BG 64-52 win, Guertin’s fifth in a row and sixth in its last seven games.

Simply put, this time the Cards weathered the storm.

“It meant everything,” Hornes said, his team led by senior Connor McGowan’s 25 points. “As you can see, the maturation process of these kids, right, through the three years of these varsity starters. They understand how to play through the run and make the plays we need. Hats off to Exeter (5-5), they’re an incredible team, they’re never going to back down … Really, really proud of how our guys executed in the fourth quarter.”

The Cards had gotten off to a 26-8 lead, dominating the glass and moving the ball all around. They took a 33-17 lead into the locker room but lo and behold, after Exeter’s Agee Griffith hit a layup, you looked at the scoreboard and saw 44-40 BG with 5:46 left in the game. Yikes.

“We needed to hit some shots early,” Exeter coach Jeff Holmes said. “I thought we had some decent looks inside, we couldn’t hit them, then we get down 32-16 against a good team, it’s hard to get back.

“I’m pleased with my guys, we didn’t quit, we got back in it, one or two possessions that we needed to have.”

And that’s what happened.It was still a four-point game with 2:48 left before a McGowan layup and a great give and go between McGowan, Andre Steinbrueck and finished by Eli Yousseff made it 56-48 with 2:04 to play. The Cards could breathe a little easier.

“We wanted to show the state we can play with the top teams after losing to Bedford, Portsmouth and Trinity,” said McGowan, who is nine away from 1,000 points and hopes to break that mark Tuesday at home vs. Salem. “All three good games. We needed to come out against a real good team in Exeter and get a win.”

“We always need him, and he always comes through for us,” Horne said of McGowan. “We’re really proud of where the team’s at and we’re excited where we’re going.”

Exeter’s Jackson McDonad can only watch as BG’s Andre Steinbrueck puts up a shot during Friday night’s Division I clash at the Colligadome. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Sam Woodward and Luca Fabrizio had 10 points each while Exeter was paced by Huxley Brown’s 23 points and 13 by Griffith, 12 of that in the second half.

“Finishing, finishing,” Horne said was the key. “We missed a lot but we made them down the stretch, that was the big difference for us. We had free throws that helped us pull away.”

Guertin hit eight of 10 from the line down the stretch, six by McGowan. Their frantic pace is their trademark, but how tough is it to keep up for four quarters?

“It’s tough,” Horne said. “This is the point in the season when you start to see guys’ legs, you start to see their tired, we’re 10 games in plus a couple Christmas tournament (games). Guys are tired, guys are in the thick of it in the school classroom, so we’ve just got to keep doing everything to get fresh bodies in and get more guys involved.”

And keep the script flipped in their favor.