Madol and Floras Battle It Out in New Hampshire

David Madol Carried Memorial Tonight

In what was one of the best basketball games we've seen all year as Manchester Memorial defeated Merrimack 67-61 tonight in an up and down battle between the two best high school players in the NHIAA, David Madol and Dimitri Floras. Behind 31 points and 14 rebounds by David Madol, Memorial moved to 10-2 on the season. Merrimack moved to 9-3. Madol put on a show for all as he knocked down shot after shot from behind the arc, added a couple of faded away pull-ups, and had two thunderous dunks. One of them was so hard and on top of a Merrimack defender, it was ESPN material. Madol also showed us that he has a great understanding of the game and knows how to distribute the basketball. If you love basketball, this young guy is worth the $3 admissions. He's one of the the top athletes and best prospects to ever play NHIAA basketball.

Not to be outdone, sophomore sensation Dimitri Floras was unconscious as he netted 34 points after scoring no points in the first quarter. Floras knocked down seven threes on the evening, with four of them coming from NBA range. The super sophomore also showed us his sweet looking pull-up on several different occasions as he used his signature head fake (see left) and hesitation move to get in the middle before knocking down the shot. Best of all Floras had some nifty moves around the basket including a rain drop finish over Madol and a left handed finish around the long Madol. This guy can flat out play and he plays to win.

What made this game so special is that both coaches let their teams play. The game was up and down and filled with excitement with one great basketball play after another. In the end the crowd was rooting for both Madol and Floras each time they touched the ball and the outcome was secondary.

To make a long story short, Memorial exploded out of the gate with a 9-0 run and led 14-2 and 16-7 at the end of the first quarter behind 9 David Madol points. Quarter two would be Floras' as he responded with 16 points of his own as Merrimack trailed 38-30 at the half. Floras started the third quarter with seven straight points and Merrimack would take the lead 44-43 with 4:40 to play in the third. Madol would respond with a monster dunk that would give Memorial a lead they would never relinquish.

The Best of the Rest:

Eric Gendron - The 6'2" freshman guard showed that he belongs on the basketball court with the best players in New Hampshire. He showed us that he knows how to compete and has an excellent basketball IQ. He knocked down a big three tonight and had a bounce pass that was just as nice. This youngster has a chance.

Tyler Gendron - The 6'4" junior small forward was efficient tonight as he made several shots from the foul line extended. Gendron has an excellent stroke and is known for being a deadly three point shooter. Gendron has a real soft touch an has the extra bonus in that he is a lefty.

Shomari Morgan - The 6'1" athletic senior guard showed us that he can do a lot of things on the basketball court. Morgan had two looking sweet back to back pull-ups and a great athletic block above the rim.