The Stuff of Winners
Can you imagine? So many fans in Lebanon wanted to see the late season 1993-94 game between once-beaten Lebanon and unbeaten Conval that 300 fans were turned away!
Down nine in the first quarter of a pulsating, tournament-like game, Conval rallied to lead 41-38 heading into the final frame. However, foul trouble combined with foul shot accuracy—Lebanon tallied 25 points from the charity stripe!—drove the host Raiders to a 75-66 win.
But it was the next game that was the stuff of which winners are made.
Conval fought off highly-regarded Pembroke and legendary coach Ed Close’s valiant attempt to put them to sleep and make them think about their only loss. Pembroke worked a successful slow-down, with CV up only 20-18 at the half. What eventually did in the Spartans’ strategy, though, were two familiar weapons: the continual wave of quality Cougar players inserted into the line up, and a pressure defense that took its toll.
When the lead grew to nine points late in third, Pembroke was forced to abandon its slow-down strategy. Quickly and quietly, Conval raced to a 24-point lead, eventually winning 59-37. Jaime LeFlem (pictured) had a game-high 24 points, numerous assists and yeoman work on the offensive boards.
Conval finished the regular season 17-1 and, as destiny would have it, a packed house at UNH later saw the Cougars avenge their only loss with a dramatic 52-48 state championship win over Lebanon.
Can you imagine?
