The setup for the Division III girls’ basketball final couldn’t have been written any better. A battle between the two top seeds - Concord Christian Academy and Conant High School - whose only losses all year came against each other. The DIII perennial powerhouse versus the DIII newcomer. A veteran team with two 1,000-point scorers and first-team All-State players against an underclassmen team looking to make a name for itself.

In the end, the No. 2 Concord Christian Kingsmen played to their strengths while countering Conant’s size advantage as CCA won the championship in its inaugural D-III season with a 49-35 victory over the No. 1 Orioles on Saturday night at Keene State College’s Spaulding Gymnasium.

Concord Christian - the defending D-IV champs - led wire-to-wire, save for a brief 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter, playing its usual up-tempo, fast-paced, aggressive style. The Kingsmen did everything they usually do, shoot well from the perimeter, move the ball exceptionally well and press their opponents.

What CCA is not known for, is its size and play along the boards, but that’s exactly what made the difference. Concord Christian outreboundedConant, 41-19, including a 23-4 advantage in offensive boards, and outscored the Orioles in the paint, 20-6.

Freshman guard Emma Smith had 15 rebounds, 10 off the offensive glass, 10 points and two steals, while sophomore guard LilliCarlile (13 points, six rebounds, two steals) was CCA’s leading scorer. Junior guard Megan Muir (12 points, two steals) was sharp from long range, shooting 4-7 beyond the arc.

Senior guard BrynnRautiola did everything she could to keep Conant in the game, scoring a game-high 21 points, while junior guard Bella Hart (six points, two assists) connected on a pair of 3s.

Senior forward Emma Tenters, the other aforementioned 1,000-point scorer and first-team player for Conant, was held to a single point, five rebounds and two assists all game, collecting just one rebound in the first half.

“That was huge for us,” Concord Christian head coach Rebecca Carlile said. “All of the girls, we told at the beginning of the game ‘We’ve got to give (Conant) one chance and be done. I don’t even care if we don’t get everybody back (on defense). That was one of our goals in the pregame, pulling (Tenters) out (of the paint). She’s an amazing player. I voted for her for (Division III) Player of the Year. I’m so proud of (my team). The way they rotated, they doubled down every time (Tenters) got the ball, unless they were guarding Brynn.”

“We talked about that at halftime too,” assistant coach and CCA athletic director Carrie Smith added. “About making sure we make contact and get a body on somebody. Their girls are much taller than us, so that’s something we emphasized. We don’t give them second chances and everybody crashes offensively.”

The pregame introductions indicated a very pro-Conant crowd - hardly a surprise give Conant High School’s proximity to Keene and the difference in sizes between the schools - but it was CCA that jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before Orioles head coach Brian Troy called a timeout with 5:40 still on the clock in the first quarter.

A big 3 from Conant sophomore guard Hannah Manley (four rebounds) helped cut Concord Christian’s lead to 12-8 after the first quarter and 4-for-6 3-point shooting from the Orioles in the second quarter (two each from Hart and Rautiola) held the Kingsmen to a 25-20 lead at halftime.

But Megan Muir connected three times from long range in the third quarter, freshman point guard KaydenRioux (four rebounds, steal) had another 3, fellow freshman point guard Sarah Muir (eight points, three assists, two steals) turned a steal into a fastbreak opportunity and an easy layup, and junior guard Taylor Rioux (two rebounds, steal) had some key boards to extend CCA’s lead to 41-28 heading into the final frame.

“(Concord Christian is) a great team,” Troy said. “That’s what happens. Eventually you get to the finals and you’re going to have to run into a team like that. They played top-notch today. It doesn’t take away from what we were able to do, I’m proud of the girls, regardless of the scoreboard. (CCA’s) ball movement is really good and they put us in a lot of vulnerable positions. I thought we did a good job with our initial defense, getting out on their shooters and making them take contested shots, but we weren’t able to be tough enough on the boards tonight.”

The final buzzer signaled the end of the career of a banner class of Conant seniors - Rautiola, Tenters, Adrienne Kennedy (four points) and Kelly Williams. The Orioles went 77-3 over the last four seasons, with state titles in 2020 and 2021, and a runner-up finish to Monadnock last year.

“I’m trying not to get choked up thinking about it,” Troy said. “The most proud I get as a coach is to have players like (Brynn) leave it all on the floor like that. Our whole locker room is crying right now and I think that’s a special thing. That’s how much passion and care we have for our program. I’ve always said, if you have enough care level, you can make remarkable things happen. This group does, and Brynn is a true testament of that.”

Conant 46, Hopkinton 31

Brynn Rautiola had 17 points in Conant’s semifinal win over Hopkinton Friday night while Emma Tenters had 13.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Littleton 54, Mascenic 36

No. 1 Littleton eliminated No. 8 Mascenic in the Division IV quarterfinals Friday night. 

Senior Dylan Barthel led the Vikings with 16 points. Fellow senior Adam Stauffeneker had 10, and senior Joe Cocozella had six.  

Mascenic finishes the year at 12-7.

ConVal set for home playoff game

The Cougars finished the regular season at 12-6, which appears to be good enough for the seventh seed in Division II and a home playoff game Tuesday at 6 p.m. ConVal is expected to host No. 10 Kennett (9-9)

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