PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — With the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter, Finn McCauley walked to the huddle during a timeout with his arms stretched in the air, urging the student section behind the bench to get louder. They happily obliged.
Minutes later, No. 1 Portsmouth put the finishing touches on an 81-54 victory over No. 5 Bishop Guertin in its home opener at Stone Gymnasium. The Clippers hope there are similar celebrations the rest of the winter in their pursuit of a state championship in March, but Monday night was an early-season lesson that it won’t come easy despite being the clear favorite on paper.
The final score won’t indicate it, but Portsmouth actually trailed by seven after the first quarter to the hungry and motivated Cardinals. But the Clippers turned it around quickly. Shots started falling, and they turned up their defense. Portsmouth outscored BG, 22-6, in a dominant second quarter, kept its foot on the gas in the third and never really looked back to improve to 2-0.
“It’s a blessing and a curse because we get everyone’s best shot every single night,” Portsmouth star sophomore Derek Swartz said of being the preseason favorite. “So we have to come prepared every single night, watch the film, be smart, play together and just have the best shot for everyone.”
