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Led by Kelsey McKechnie (11 kills) and Kacie Connal (10 kills, 5 blocks), Pinkerton beat Alvirne 23-25, 25-13, 27-25, 25-14.

It took nearly two full games, but Salem advanced past Alvirne 1-0 in 13 innings in the quarterfinals of the Class L tournament last night.

The victory moves the No. 1 seed Blue Devils one step closer to earning a third straight Class L title and ninth in the last 11 years.

If there were any nerves in the Salem locker room before its first-round Class L tourney game with Alvirne, they were extinguished right after tip-off.

The Blue Devils (14-5 Class L) showed Alvirne the door, 54-40. Starting the game on a 12-0 run, Salem sent a strong message to the rest of Class L. Salem limited the Broncos to just two points in the first period.

The dice came up with a pair of nines for the Timberlane wrestling team at the Division 1 state meet yesterday, and they were big winners.

The Owls, thanks to a shocking 9-for-9 performance in the semifinals earlier in the day, cruised to their ninth straight Division 1 crown in resounding fashion.

SALEM, N.H. | The only thing hotter than the Timberlane Owls right now might be their sophomore center, Zach Fox.

Coming off a four-point game against Bow on Monday, Fox netted two goals just two minutes apart in the third period to lift the Owls to a 3-0 win over Alvirne, their seventh win in a row. Fox now has nine goals on the year.

In consolation games, Haverhill outlasted Pelham 44-25 and Timberlane stifled Alvirne 44-30 despite missing standout University of Maine recruit Sam Wheeler, who was out sick.

Haverhill pulled away from Pelham with a 10-2 advantage in the third quarter behind leading scorer and all-tourney pick Michelle Stanley, who scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half. Melissa Ganem had seven points and was tough on the boards for the Hillies (3-4).

For the Hillies (2-4), who had an impressive 18-point second quarter, Christia Ouellette hustled for 12 points and Michelle Stanley added 10, six coming on a pair of 3-pointers.

"We had our moments, and we're scrapping," said Haverhill assistant Mike Woelfel. "It's not from a lack of trying."

Amanda Saab erupted for a team-high 17 points and Salem turned on the defensive heat, dousing Alvirne, 50-34.

Michaela Galvin and Danielle Stoodley chipped in 11 apiece for the Blue Devils.

Londonderry downed Alvirne 5-0. Billy Holland, James Mariano, Robbie McLarney, Will Cavallo and Andrew Stewart each scored a goal for the Lancers. Cavallo and McLarney each chipped in two assists.

PLAISTOW, N.H. | The Timberlane offense unveiled another weapon in its potent arsenal last night during a 46-24 spanking of Alvirne.

Opposing teams will still need to focus on standout backs Derek Furey (16 carries, 177 yards, 2 TDs) and James Dionne (10 carries, 88 yards, 2 TDs), but they had better not forget about speedy wideout Pat Hamilton.