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No. 5 Pinkerton shaded No. 4 Bishop Guertin in the Division 1 quarterfinals in a defensive battle 36-33. Val Martin and Marissa Stacy each had nine points and Jaime Caron chipped in with six.
In Monday's semis, the Astros will take on No. 9 Winnacunnet, which toppled top seed Bedford 42-40.

DERRY — It would appear the Pinkerton girls have found the optimum point total needed for winning basketball games.

Seeded fifth entering the postseason, the Astros had won six of their final seven, scoring between 57 and 59 points in five of those victories.

And it proved more of the same in the preliminary round of the Division 1 tournament running away from 12th-seeded Salem in a 60-44 victory before a crowd of about 100.

"I know what her (Salem coach Michaela Galvin) game plan is, and it's a smart one," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "She tried to get us off our composure. We've had some games where we've lost our composure, and it's cost us.

"But we've been practicing, man. We've been practicing for teams that try to get at us mentally and emotionally, and I'm really proud of my girls. They held their own."

The Astros (15-6) rode an erratic first half into a 27-19 lead before erupting early in the third from long range. A trio of threes from Jaime Caron, Melissa Martel and Emilie Laliberte were each set up on assists from Valerie Martin. Three free throws from Martin also were part of a run that opened a 37-23 lead midway through the third quarter.

"In the first half, they were really on me, and I let the pressure get to me," said Martin, who finished with eight points. "In the second half, I just tried to calm down, and make the smart moves. Then get the ball to my teammates, and they definitely stepped up."

The Astros never let the Blue Devils, who finished 6-15 overall, closer than 12 until fewer than 2 minutes remained.

Martel, who finished with a team-high 16 points, and Marissa Stacy, who added 12, combined to score 17 of Pinkerton's 33 second-half points. But almost as important was the inside play of 5-8 Sara McLeman, who grabbed 12 boards and blocked four shots.

"You can't ask any more than that from your (power forward)," Buskey said. "She's pure heart, and she always works on that. She always asks how many rebounds she has. Points are good for her, but you can't help but love a kid who wants to know how many rebounds she has."

Pinkerton hauled in 13 offensive rebounds over the first three quarters.

"That's kind of been something we've struggled with throughout the season," second-year Salem coach Michaela Galvin said. "Sometimes we're so tough and aggressive and box out every time. Other times we just have these mental lapses. You can't do that and win the game."

Pinkerton shot 31 for 37 from the free throw line and was 14 for 16 in the fourth quarter as the Astros won 57-43 over Trinity. 

Val Martin converted 13 free throws and scored a team-high 19 points. 

Pinkerton's girls zoomed out to a 15-4 victory over Bedford in the first quarter and then held on for a 35-33 victory. Val Martin led the Astros with 16 points.

Kelsey Coffey drilled five 3-pointers — all in the second half — and had 17 points as Londonderry rallied for a 44-39 victory over Pinkerton.

Pinkerton slammed Keene, 51-26, as Val Martin scored 12 points, Jaime Caron 10 and Marissa Stacy eight.

Melissa Martel poured in a career-high 21 points with four 3-pointers to lead Pinkerton girls 53-32 over Dover. 

The Astros outscored Dover 19-5 in the fourth. 

By Christopher Smith  csmith@eagletribune.com  — Posted: Monday, December 22, 2014 2:00 am

NORTH ANDOVER — Pinkerton 5-10 senior forward Val Martin scored consistently throughout all four quarters Sunday against rival Salem on her way to a game-high 22 points.

Marissa Stacy scored 18 points with four 3-pointers and Val Martin backed her with 13 points as Pinkerton pounded South 45-23.