GOFFSTOWN - The Manchester West girls basketball squad traveled to Goffstown High School, Tuesday, Dec. 18, to take on the undefeated Grizzlies. Goffstown remained unbeaten with a 63-21 win, leaving both teams with one remaining contest before winter break.

West fell to 0-3 on the season following the loss. First-year head coach Mario Pena said his young team can take away positives from the 42-point final deficit.

“I think with the speed of the game, they kind of get caught up, but there were several possessions that we passed the ball several times, everybody was in their spots and we got good looks,” he said. “We’re still continuing to try and learn and get better every day, but it was a tough one.”

Goffstown head coach Deanna Goodwin was pleased with her team’s continued all-around play. The team’s deep bench got extended playing time with the large scoring margin.

“Overall, we’ve had a lot of great play from everybody,” said Goodwin. “We’ve been really team-oriented. Everyone’s been able to step in.”
With one December game left each, both teams take to their home court before resuming play in early January. West matches up with Milford on Thursday, Dec. 20 and Goffstown attempts to retain its early-season unbeaten streak against Souhegan.

“We’re looking at Souhegan on Friday which should be a really big challenge for us, and then we don’t have a game until Jan. 2,” Goodwin said. “We’ve got a little time off, but we’re really hoping to step into winter break going 4-0 maybe or even just settled and having a good last game. We’re pretty excited to be 3-0 right now.”

With such a young, inexperienced team, Pena said he’s seen significant improvement over just the first three games and expects them to progress through the break.

“We’re far away from where we want to be – I think we turned the ball over far too many times – at least the girls are getting in situations where they know where they are supposed to be,” he said. “I’m happy with the girls and I hope they continue to get better.”