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DURHAM, N.H. | Defend, grind, rebound, defend, grind some more.

Londonderry rolled to a 14-5 mark in Class L play with that simple formula.

All that came to a screeching halt in yesterday's Class L quarterfinal against No. 4 Manchester Central. Seven-point halves tend to have that effect on teams.

In the dying minutes of last night's game, with Londonderry trailing by more than a dozen points, the boisterous Manchester Central student section began what they felt would be a derisive chant.

"Wait 'til next year." Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap. Fill-in coach Nick Theos had to laugh.

Londonderry hung in for a while, but in the end, Manchester Central's superstar players took over the game.

The third-seeded Lancers played a strong first half before standout guard Christiana Bakolas and senior forward Alicia Doucet combined for 17 second-half points as second-seeded Central cruised to a 56-39 win in the Class L semifinals before 718 fans.

Londonderry coach John Fagula's status for Wednesday's Class L semifinal game against Manchester Central is still very much up in the air.

The 59-year-old coach, who is in his sixth year with the Lancers, collapsed with 1:16 left in Sunday's 37-35 quarterfinal game with Salem at Southern New Hampshire University. The fall broke his nose, but he was deemed otherwise fine when attended to by medical personnel. Fagula stayed on the bench for the game's remainder.

HOOKSETT, N.H. | Minutes after collapsing on the court last night, Londonderry girls basketball coach John Fagula was cracking jokes.

The situation, however, was no laughing matter.

At 7:15 p.m., with 1:16 remaining in his team's 37-35 Class L quarterfinal win over Salem, the 60-year-old Fagula crumpled face-first in front of the Lancer bench. He lie motionless for less than a minute as emergency personnel attended to him, but he quickly sat up and appeared to be alert.

It wasn't an injury bug, but a flu bug that ran rampant through Londonderry's roster earlier this week and forced the Lancers to have just six girls at practice preparing for their first-round battle with Dover.

Londonderry defeated Bishop Guertin, 59-54, to finish up the regular season at 14-4. The Lancers held off the Cardinals, even after allowing 24 points in the fourth quarter. Kellie Walsh led the Lancers with 19 points, including five from 3-pointers. Callie King had 14 points, while Nicole Heffernan had a great all-around night with 7 points, 10 assists, and 6 steals.

The way Timberlane sophomore Tianna Parolisi is progressing, teams may need to rethink their defensive strategy against the Owls.

Londonderry came out in a box-and-one against Owls' standout Sam Wheeler last night with | at best | mixed results in a 43-40 loss to Timberlane. The University of Maine-bound Wheeler was held to five points, but Parolisi | with help from senior Kristin Crotts | picked up the slack as the surging Owls (9-4) won their sixth straight and ninth out of their last 10.

SALEM | As the ball bounced around the rim, Courtney Morissette held her breath.

"I was begging it would go in," she said. "I prayed." Her shot, a soft jumper from the elbow of the lane, dropped in at the buzzer, giving Londonderry a 59-58 win over Salem last night.

2006-07 record: 15-7, lost in Class L quarterfinals

Returning starters (3): Nicole Heffernan, 5-9, Sr.; guard; Lindsay Willis, 5-8, Jr., guard; Chelsea Rennie, 5-11, Sr., forward

Returning lettermen: Elise Berry, 5-9, Sr., forward; Paige Robinson, 5-9, Sr., guard; Maureen Hurley, 5-7, Jr., guard; Kellie Walsh, 5-6, Jr., guard