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Guidi's 27 keys Pinkerton's first win

Despite its outstanding first-half performance, Pinkerton coach John Barry knew his team was unsure of itself.

The Astros led Timberlane by nine points at the half and played dominant defense in both the first and second quarter, but given the way they'd play in the first two games, he knew his girls were slightly unsure of themselves. However, Pinkerton barely weathered a 27-point second half from Timberlane and edged the Owls 53-49 in overtime to earn its first win of the year.

"Sure, we were nervous," he said. "When you start out 0-2, you're always nervous, you know? So we were worried. We had Winnacunnet for a while, so the kids were all very nervous tonight. They have to build a degree of confidence in themselves. It was a tremendously ugly game, very sloppy. There were a lot of turnovers, and a lot of crazy stuff. I'm just happy me and my kids are on the winning end."

The win was keyed by sophomore forward A.J. Guidi, who scored 27 of the team's 53 points, including four first-quarter 3-pointers that staked the Astros to a 25-16 lead at halftime. Despite admittedly poor showings in the first two games (just eight points against West and seven against Winnacunnet), Guidi said the game helped her get back into the frame of mind that she needs to be a dominant player.

"I had a lot of confidence this game," she said. "I know I didn't do too well the first two games, so I kind of bounced back and gained my confidence back with the game tonight." Barry said that's actually a problem that the entire team has been dealing with.

"I've got a lot of kids that have it in them to have a game like that," he said. "It's not just A.J., it's different kids. It's a matter of confidence. After you've put a couple in, you start feeling good about yourself and your game, and you start putting more in. That's what it is. A.J. was a freshman last year, and she didn't get much attention. Now she's getting that attention and she's adjusting to it."

Much like its previous game, in which it was outscored 27-12 in the second half by Winnacunnet, Pinkerton's impressive first half gave way to a dismal third quarter. The offense, which had been so impressive controlling the ball in the first half, completely dried up.

"In the third quarter, we had a lot of turnovers," said Barry. "It's just youth and inexperience. We had one girl that started last year, so they have to get into a game and they have to make mistakes. Just as long as they do some good things to go along with those bad things, that's gaining experience and maturity. They changed up their pressure. My kids were a little hesitant taking it to the basket because they changed up their pressure. Sometimes when kids get a lead, it's like they're overprotective. They get gentle with the ball and they're very nervous about everything instead of attacking the basket, which was what we still had to do and should have done. "

The defense was equally ugly. After holding Timberlane star Sam Wheeler to just four points in the first half, they allowed the senior center too many chances and she buried most of them, putting up 19 of the Owls' 27 points in the second half, and hitting her first 11 free throws; 13 of 15 overall. Wheeler's first miss came with 11 seconds left in the game and her team down by one; her second miss also would have tied the game late in overtime.

"She's tough because she's just so good," said Guidi. "She had to hit those. If we kept her off the line, there would have been no game, but she was too good."

In overtime, Pinkerton successfully neutralized Wheeler as it had done in the first half, thanks to a late adjustment from Barry. Meanwhile, the Astros regained their form and players like Nikki Corso and Katherine Harris were impressive on both ends of the floor, and Pinkerton cruised in overtime.

"It was definitely a big win for us," said a grinning Guidi. "A really big win."