By Shane Ball
Alvirne High School Lady Broncos basketball team finished the 2024-25 season with a 10-8 record. This was good enough for the 10th seed in the D1 tournament, where they would ultimately fall short against Salem in a 42-30 loss.
“We were not picked to do much this season”, said Head Coach Frank Girginis, “no one in the preseason polls had us in the top 12.”
Along with outperforming their polling prediction, Girginis and the team accomplished their own set of goals, one being to improve upon their previous season record of 9-9.
The girls started this season off hot, opening up with three straight wins against Manchester Memorial, Goffstown, and Keene. This included a dominant opening night in a 32-point blowout with a final score of 73-41 against Manchester Memorial.
The 3-0 start would be followed by three straight losses to Pinkerton, Nashua South, and Portsmouth, coming off of the Christmas Tournament.
The girls would start the month of January with a dominant 66-29 outing versus Spaulding, followed by a tough 34-62 loss to Londonderry. The Broncos were firing on all cylinders when the girls took on Timberlane and Concord, starting with a 62-33 win against Timberlane and following that up with a 66-29 win against Concord just three days later. The girls would fall to Concord Christian Academy 36-58 and again fall short in a nail-biting 46-49 loss to Trinity.
Coming into February off of some ups and downs, the girls seemed to find some consistency to close out the season. They went 4-2 in the month, starting off with a three-game winning streak against Nashua North, Manchester Central, and Merrimack.
The Broncos would fall short to Salem in the first round of the playoffs with a final score of 29-43. Despite a tough way to end the season, this girls’ team has many bright spots.
Senior Co-Captain Ella Hartson will be missed next season as she heads to college. Hartson led the team in scoring with 12.6 PPG. This led to her second straight All-State Honorable Mention by the New Hampshire Basketball Coaches Organization (NHBCO).
Girginis had coached Hartson for all 4 of her seasons with the basketball team, as well as two seasons as her middle school soccer coach at HMS.
“It’s not every day a player like her comes around that puts the team ahead of personal accolades and accomplishments,” said Girginis.
Senior Avery Willard’s presence on and off the court was felt this season. Not only did she win the team’s Heart Motivation Success Award, but she was named Jr. Citizen of the Year by the Hudson Chamber of Commerce. Despite the loss of these talented players, there is much to be excited about for next season.
One player the team will be happy to see returning for the next few seasons is Courtney Anderson. She was just shy of Hartson’s team leading PPG average with 12.4 PPG of her own. Not only did she improve on the offensive end this season, but her impact on defense has also been made known.
Lexi Floyd was awarded the teams Most Improved Player Award where she nearly doubled her offensive production from the previous season, totaling 10 PPG. With a drastic jump in improvement like that, Floyd will be another name to look out for next season.
The steady improvement season by season is a trend that the Alvirne Broncos hope to continue. Head Coach Frank Girginis has nothing but praise for his girls and is looking forward to another season with the team.
“The program is in good hands and I know the girls will work hard in preparation for it,” said Girginis.
