A New School, a Great Team...a Dream Derailed
The 1970-’71 basketball season will long be remembered for two things—it was the first year that the name Conval Regional High School made its presence felt throughout the state, and it was arguably one of the greatest teams from top to bottom in the 50-plus years of CV history.
It was a team many were convinced could run the regular season table and take on the Class I (D2) giants of the North Country, defending champion Littleton, in a state title showdown. That tantalizing prospect, even before the days of social media, was the talk of the towns and even in knowledgeable basketball circles around New Hampshire as the pre-season got underway in late November.
The “where is that?” team from Conval featured a veteran, skilled roster pulled mainly from the ranks of the final Peterborough High team, plus the valuable addition of a smooth junior playmaker from Antrim High who had seen varsity experience since a freshman. Together, they were a sight to behold.
At one early season practice, no matter the player, shot after shot after shot went swish. The jaw-dropping exhibition even brought a “I think we’ve got something here” smile to the face of Coach Ray Richard.
The ’70-’71 Cougars were led by four outstanding seniors from Peterborough High—6’4” center Dick Blood who was a rebounding machine, 6’2” forwards and smooth shooters Bill Bishop and Jeff Wheeler, and outstanding outside shooter and defensive wizard Tod Silegy. They were joined by another skilled playmaker and penetrating guard, junior Paul Boule from Antrim.
Other members of the team who made valuable contributions off the bench throughout the season were seniors Steve Hartwell and Gary Cabana, and juniors Kevin Chapman, Tom Lithgow, Dan Pratt, Pete Fontaine and John Banks.
Beginning with a masterpiece
Embarking on what was believed to be one of the toughest schedules in Class I, including four of the first five games on the road, the Cougars were front page news in the Peterborough Transcript in early December: “It can be said that the first Cougar basketball team is entering its initial season with a squad that has experience, better than average height, and the potential to be a high-scoring machine.”
Opening the season on the road in Concord against another Class I contender, Bishop Brady, the Cougars played “a masterful defensive game” that began with a full-court press leading to several Brady turnovers and easy baskets.
For the history books, after winning the opening tap, Dick Blood took a feed from Bill Bishop and scored the first-ever boys’ varsity basketball points on a driving layup.
A combination of balanced scoring and a stingy defense thereafter gave Conval its first win in school history, 67-49—and in the presence of hometown Governor Walter Peterson! (Pictured below in the Brady win are Dick Blood at left and Tod Silegy.)
The story was much the same if not better in the second game of the season at Monadnock when Conval posted a 79-47 victory. “The large following of Cougar fans saw the blue and gold display as devastating a brand of basketball as they have witnessed in quite some time, out-shooting, out-passing, out-rebounding and out-defending the Huskies. In fact, before all the fans were in their seats, Conval was sitting on a 13-1 lead.”
The trend continued in late December as Conval reeled off three more victories, including an 85-22 home-opening blowout over Tilton-Northfield (now Winnisquam Regional). The joy of victory helped lift a saddened Peterborough area community, whose historic old high school was destroyed by fire that Christmas morning.
In early January, Coach Richard’s squad raised its record to 7-0 with wins over Merrimack and Merrimack Valley, setting up a Class I showdown with rival and 8-0 Goffstown.
A key player in the winning streak was junior Pete Fontaine, who came off the bench to give his teammates a breather or when in foul trouble. In a tough 85-80 win over Merrimack, “Pete turned in his most outstanding game to date. Always a hustler and fine rebounder, Pete backed up his determined brand of play with seven big points to aid in what turned out to be a close game.”
Little did most people know at the time how important Pete Fontaine’s contributions would be down the stretch.
One night in Goffstown
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 1971, the gym at Goffstown High was packed to the gills. So many fans from Conval made the trek over that it seemed like a home game. After a tight first quarter, Bill Bishop scored six of his game-high 24 points in the second period to give the Cougars an eight-point lead at intermission. He tallied nine more in the third quarter, and combined with a strong team defensive effort, Conval opened up a 14-point advantage. The Cougar crowd was on its feet when Bill then stole a Goffstown pass and headed in for an apparent uncontested layup.
Instead, they watched in shock as Bill suddenly collapsed in pain, clutching his knee—a non-contact injury of the cruelest kind.
When initial reports from the locker room indicated a slight muscle pull, Conval fans breathed a sigh of relief and began chanting “We’re Number One!” as the clocked ticked down to an impressive 62-51 victory to remain unbeaten. That chant became true when Littleton was upset the same night.
After nine straight wins to start the season, the injury bug combined with a bound-to-happen off night finally caught up with the Blue and Gold. Bishop Brady, the team Conval trounced for the school’s first-ever victory, came to town and filled an entire section of bleachers with its fans. The game looked like it would be a good one in the early moments as Tod Silegy’s hot hand and strong defense gave the Cougars a 7-2 lead. But with Bishop on the bench and Blood badly-hobbled by his ailing ankle, the motivated Giants took advantage and handed Conval its first-ever loss, 66-55.
Despite giving his wounded knee another try during a practice, Cougar fans and the team were stunned to learn that Bill Bishop was ruled out for the rest of the season. Blood, meanwhile, remained a warrior even while operating on a bum ankle. He couldn’t rebound as aggressively as he would have liked, but his leadership on and off the court were instrumental in helping Conval finish the regular season strong at 16-4.
By virtue of two head-to-head regular season victories over 16-4 Goffstown, the Cougars earned a first-round fourth place bye in the Class I tournament over their rivals, who finished fifth.
An uninvited ending
There is an old saying in sports that it’s hard to beat a good team three times in the same season. Unfortunately, that was the case in the 1971 Class I quarter-finals at UNH in early March when Goffstown, which won its opening game, took advantage of the Cougars’ injury woes and stifled Tod Silegy’s outside shooting, rolling to a stunning 59-42 victory.
The first and maybe greatest team in Conval’s basketball team was suddenly eliminated, and as cruel irony would have it, Goffstown would go on to play the role the Cougars had envisioned all along—meeting Littleton for the Class I championship (which Littleton won handily).
The greatest Conval team to never win a championship will, however, perhaps be best remembered for its resilience, courage, and fun-loving team support and contributions.
Reflecting on the uninvited exit at the hands of rival Goffstown but an amazing initial season for Conval High boys’ basketball, the Transcript noted:
“Co-captain Bishop played his final game on Jan. 19 at Goffstown, which as it turned out provided an ironic twist to the season. Bill was headed towards all-state stardom as Conval’s number one scorer when he suffered a serious knee injury. The Cougars were 9-0 and number one in Class I when Bill went down. Just where Conval might have gone, if Bishop had been able to play, is a question which area fans undoubtedly will be discussing for years.”
Truth.
