Don’t be surprised if Bedford High School girls basketball coach Kevin Gibbs shows up at the Bishop Guertin graduation in June.

Just to make sure Brooke Paquette actually graduates.

Paquette was one of those sophomores two years ago that had a mean, somber look on her face after the Bulldogs clocked the Cardinals in the Division I finals at Sanborn Regional High School.

Paquette, you see – or her Cardinal teammates – were not used to losing. And certainly not in championship games.

Ever since, she’s burned Bedford, especially from the foul line, as the Cards have gone 4-0 vs. the ‘Dogs. Last year Paquette scored seven of her game-high 21 points in the final 1:49 to lead Guertin to a comeback win after the Cards were down seven with just under four minutes to play.

But nothing could top what she did on Sunday at UNH’s Lundholm Gym, as she scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. Down 38-28 after three, Guertin prevailed for yet another state title, 51-45.

“Hats off to her, she’s a good player,” Gibbs said. “There’s a reason she’s going to play D-1 ball (at Stonehill) next year. The funny thing is, preparing for these games, we could do each other’s game prep, we know each other so well.

“She’s gone. They’ve got eight seniors, we know they’re going, unless something dramatic occurs where they go and play a PG year (prep school), but it certainly won’t be in the NHIAA.”

No, and the Cards, while solid, will probably have to retool for a core group, because it will be hard to match the eight seniors that have played together for so long. And it’s hard to believe anyone will match the ability of Paquette, the 5-8 point guard with the incredible quick bursts to the hoop, the quick hands that will not only pick your pocket but steal your watch or phone. She helped the Cards win a title in November of 2021 in soccer, but that was to just get warmed up for things to come.

“I don’t know what to say about the kid any more,” Kreick said. “What do you say about a kid that for four years, in the biggest moments and the brightest lights, has always shown up and been the best kid. You just have to tip your cap to a kid like that and just thank your lucky stars you had a chance to coach her for four years and she was wearing your uniform and not somebody else’s.”

If that were the case, she would have driven Kreick nuts. Yesterday, trying to do anything to change the way things were going, the Cardinal coaches had the smart idea to post their best athlete down low in the fourth quarter, and it worked, unleashing her ability to drive to the hoop against smaller players. All that while moving Meghan Stack and the tough 6-4 center who was guarding her, Lana McCarthy outside.

Layup. Foul. Layup. Foul. The good ol’ traditional three-point play, over and over.

“Me against a small guard, it was a mismatch,” Paquette said. “I worked on post moves in practice, so I just had to put them to use here.”

Let’s face it, fans, the Cards through three quarters were dead in the water. Bedford had done everything and anything it wanted, in the lead the entire time. Except one, itty bitty thing – pull away. Unlike the Bulldog Blowout of 2021, the Cards were still kinda sorta hanging around.

“We were fine,” Paquette said. “I knew that we had it. We’d been in situations like that before, there was nothing knew to us. We just had to continue to do us, do what we know to do.”

Duh. They did it here nearly 13 months ago (remember the season ended in February last year). So we should have know. As long as Paquette is in the driver’s seat, she’s going to steer Guertin home to glory.

“I’ve played with her forever,” Guertin senior center Meghan Stack said. “I’ve played with her since seventh grade. She’s my point guard. I love her forever. I can’t wait to see what she does next year (at Stonehill). She shines best when the lights are the brightest as they say.”

Bright lights, big time player. Those are the ones in high school that win titles. You see that with Guertin girls hockey, as there’s no surprise Saturday they won their second title in three years because they had a generational player themselves in Jenna Lynch.

Winners.

Sunday was a show for the ages, and sadly, that was it for Paquette in a Guertin uniform. She’ll play off-season basketball to get ready for Stonehill. Really, what else can she do for an encore?

“Celebrate,” she said with a laugh.

And, Gibbs sure hopes, graduate.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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