Valentin and LaRosa Meet in Big Backcourt Match-upThe Mass & NH High School Basketball Report was at Manchester West High School last night to see the Blue Knights take on Salem High. West won this one in a blowout 58-33. Salem played without their second best player, junior forward Joe Gallant. Gallant missed the game with a sprained ankle.
Even if Gallant did play however, the match-up everyone would be watching didn't involve the big men. It was in the backcourt, as two of NH's top 5 guards went head-to-head for 32 minutes. The match-up involved a pair of 5'10" senior guards, and both players lived up to the hype. Both players, Richard Valentin from West, and Alex LaRosa (pictured above) from Salem, played excellent basketball last night.
Valentin got the better of the match-up, finishing with 20 points and 5 assists. He displayed a killer crossover dribble which allowed him to get int the lane and make plays all evening. The 5'10" Valentin continues to show that he is the most explosive player off the dribble in NH Class L. He also played some lock-down defense on the perimeter.
Although Valentin had a better all around game, LaRosa still played well for the Blue Devils. He's a silky smooth player, and is also one of the state's best shooters. He scored 18 of Salem's 33 points on the game. On Tuesday night LaRosa scored 40 points, including 9 three pointers in a win over Alvirne.
Elsewhere in NH, Trinity had a big win over Bishop Guertin last night 48-45. Trinity's David Madol led the Pioneers to the win with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Both teams now have a 9-3 overall record.
Finally, the winning streak that the Winnacunnet girls basketball team has had for 2 years running was kept alive last night...just barely. The Warriors needed a buzzer beating jump shot from Tiffany Ruffin in overtime in order to escape with a 60-58 win over Manchester Central.
