Bishop Guertin's Connor McGowan focuses at the free throw line during Wednesday night's Division I prelim win over Manchester Memorial in Nashua. (Photo by Jake Messer)

NASHUA — It was perhaps more than of a thrilling affair than they would have liked, but the Bishop Guertin High School Cardinals won’t complain about their 45451 Division I boys basketball preliminary round win over the Manchester Memorial Crusaders Wednesday night at the Colligadome.

“It’s the playoffs and it’s a win,” said Bishop Guertin Head Coach Wil Horne. “You’ll take it however you can get it. We have a lot of things to work on but it’s a win, so it’s great. The student section was unbelievable tonight, the best section of the year.”

Besides the fans, the star of the night was senior Connor McGowan, who finished with a team-high 16 points.

“We knew coming into the game that it was going to be a very tough matchup,” McGowan said. “They’re a very good team, very defensive. We knew we were going to have to win the game on defense.”

The contest started out fast, as both sides traded buckets back and forth throughout the opening frame. However, thanks to some highlight reel blocks by senior Eli Youssef, the Cardinal’s went on an 8-0 run to end the first, giving them the 16-8 lead at the end of one.

The second quarter saw the Cardinals build on their lead, with a 3-pointer and excellent rebounding leading to second chance points dropping in bunches. With time winding down, McGowan stole the ball and ran down for the nice finish to end the half with the 22-15 lead.

After the break, the teams came out battling, however, the Crusaders would battle back into this contest, with timely defense, consistent free throws and an unbelievable buzzer beater from junior Dylan Jolicoeur would draw the Crusaders within three points, 34-31 at the end of three.

The final quarter saw the Cardinals come out strong, with drives to the hoop and stifling defense. It was razor close throughout the final minutes as the game came down to the wire. Senior Sam Woodward was able to grab a crucial defensive rebound in the waning seconds, icing the game and giving BG a ticket to face No. 4 Pinkerton in Derry on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Astros stormed past Dover 90-74 last night.

“We’ll be ready for it,” Horne said. “We’re excited. We know the road that we have is going to be a tough one, but we’re ready for it.”