KEENE — If the ConVal boys basketball team had seen a doctor after its first two games of the regular season, the team likely would have been prescribed a spot in a holiday basketball tournament.

The Cougars struggled their way through two blowout defeats and were in desperate need of some quality game time without the results counting for anything.

With a new coach, a new mix of players and a new system in place, all ConVal was in search of was that chemistry that can only be found with time together.

Luckily the Cougars did not need a prescription and they were already included in the White Division of the Cheshire Tire Holiday Basketball Tournament held at Keene State College.
And it could not have turned out any better.

The Cougars swept all three of their games on the way to the White Division championship, defeating Newport 46-28 on Thursday in the title contest.

“All in all it was a good experience,” said coach Peter Pierce. “All in all I have a better feel for my players now.”

While ConVal, a Division II program, earned all three victories against lesser divisional opponents, the total of 104 minutes of floor time will hopefully pay huge dividends once the team resumes its grueling regular season schedule.

“We needed those minutes something fierce,” Pierce said.

The Cougars got a look at almost every situation during the three-day, three-game tournament.

In the opener versus Stevens on Tuesday, ConVal got a chance to play in a game that featured two overtimes and what to do when the game is hanging in the balance.

On two occasions, at the end of regulation and the first overtime, the Cougars got game tying lay-ups in the final 10 seconds to extend the game, one they won 71-67.

“The first win was the biggest one,” said Pierce. “Winning the division was nice, but that first win really gave us an identity.”

On Wednesday, ConVal learned how to play with a lead in a 25-point win over Hinsdale.
And in Thursday’s championship round, the Cougars, for the second time in three days, erased a double-digit second half deficit to win.

“They’ve learned to play through things now,” said Pierce.

The team had an awful time trying to settle in against Newport. With just five points in the first quarter and another six in the second, the Cougars were down nine at the half, 20-11.
Newport hit a free throw to extend its lead to 10 early in the third, but from there it was all ConVal.

Senior Jake Bacon hit a jumper and followed it up with a three-point play. Junior Harrison LeFlem added a three-play of his own and suddenly it was a two-point game with just over four minutes remaining in the third.

A free throw each from Bacon and LeFlem knotted the game at 21, the first time it had been tied since 2-2.

“They just needed to take a deep breath and focus,” Pierce said.

Newport broke up the 10-0 run with a lay-up, but junior Bobby Crowley’s only basket of the game, a three from the wing, gave ConVal a lead it would never give up.

“It shows we can compete,” said senior Tyler Bradford. “We knew we shouldn’t be down nine; we just played sloppy ball, but we turned it around.”

The Cougars held Newport to just five points in the third, outscoring the Tigers by 10.
“We need to start off like the way we played in the second half,” Bradford said. “The emphasis at the half was transition and defense and we put it together.”

And the fourth quarter belonged to ConVal. The Cougars held Newport to just three points and scored 20 to turn the close game into a convincing 18-point win. The Tigers did not score after the 5:52 mark of the fourth.

“It’s good that they had some success because they’ve worked really hard for me for the first five or six weeks,” Pierce said.

LeFlem, who earned White Division MVP, led all scorers with 17 points. Bradford scored all 11 of his points in the fourth, including nine straight. Bacon had eight points and nine rebounds, while senior Taylor Doyle, who was named to the White Division All-Tournament Team, scored six with nine boards.

ConVal travels to Keene tonight.

This article was originally published on Jan. 3