By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Observer/Jerry Liptak Though Pelham's James Roman (No. 23) and Jeffrey Maguire (No. 15) denied Bow's Paul Chergey on this second-half drive to the basket, Chergey was dominant in leading his team past the previously undefeated Pythons.

BOW – One week before his boys basketball team traveled to Bow, Todd Kress was already speaking about the threat the Falcons posed to his unbeaten Pelham High squad.

The Pythons head coach expressed similar thoughts following a 74-59 setback at BHS on Friday, Feb. 17, which snapped Pelham’s impressive winning streak dating back to mid-December.

“This is the team everyone picked in the preseason,” Kress said. “Every newspaper you read, coaches’ reports, said Bow’s the team to beat. We knew coming in … this was the best all-around team in Class I.”

Pelham’s powerful start contained 12 double-digit wins. On four occasions, PHS broke 80 points, including a 92-point effort against Souhegan of Amherst on Feb. 14.

In Bow, however, the Pythons were limited to their second-lowest point total of the season.

“Our coach told us we had to keep them under 60 (points),” said Bow’s Paul Chergey, responsible for holding Pelham’s top threat, James Roman, to nine first-half points. “That was our only chance to win.”

The Falcons used their size advantage to counter Pelham’s speed, forcing the Pythons to take countless long-range shots. Popping jumpers from the perimeter wasn’t a problem for the Pythons, according to Kress.

“We’re a team that relies on transition; coming down (the court), squaring up, and knocking down shots,” Kress said. “We really don’t care where the shots are from. We just get it up there to the rim as much as we can.

“Against a team this big and strong,” he added, “you gotta make shots because you’re not gonna get many second opportunities.”

While Pelham speedily moved the ball down court, it was also forced to quickly retreat after missed shots, unable to produce many second-chance points.

Pelham’s poor shooting, coupled with Bow’s ability to aggressively attack the glass, resulted in a 20-12 BHS lead after the first frame, and 37-29 edge entering intermission.

Though the Pythons closed the gap to 39-34 early in the third and forced Bow into a stretch of cold shooting, the visitors couldn’t capitalize to move closer. BHS finished the frame on a 13-8 run, then pulled away in the fourth.

Kress said he underestimated the abilities of the Falcons’ role players. The group played well since Pelham’s defensive game plan focused on Bow big men Paul and Michael Chergey.

Should the teams meet in the postseason, the PHS coach said his team will pay additional attention to Bow’s other weapons.

According to Bow head coach Chris Gaudreau, if a rematch presents itself, his squad will likely employ the same strategy in hopes of handing Pelham another loss.

Similarly, Bow’s coach wouldn’t expect the Pythons to make any major adjustments to their rapid-fire offensive approach; it's an attack led by Roman and Jeffrey Maguire, who, against BHS, netted 26 and 10 points, respectively.

Furthermore, since Pelham beat Bow at home last season, before the Falcons recently returned the favor on their turf, the possibility exists for a winner-take-all third matchup next month in Durham.

“When you’re a shooting team, you can’t discourage shooting,” Kress said. “There’s gonna be nights like this – and you hope it’s not the big one at the end of the year.”