Newport Girls Top Rival Stevens in Season Debut

It was opening night for high school sports in New Hampshire on Friday, and a pair of neighboring girls basketball teams took to the court to renew their rivalry.

And while match ups between any Newport and Stevens team are typically tightly contested, Friday’s season opener was anything but as the more experienced Tigers bullied their way to a convincing 49-16 victory over the young Cardinals.

Second-year Stevens coach Ivy Condon is dealing with surprisingly low numbers with just 14 players and five freshman on its roster, and that inexperience showed on the court as the home team willed its way to a 22-6 advantage by the end of the first half.

Newport, on the other hand, benefited from a balanced scoring effort, led by a 12-point effort from Krystin Kibbey. Alexis Hurd also finished in double figures for the Tigers with 11 points, while Anna Pysz and Stephanie Carl each finished with seven.

Mike Pezone spoke with first-year Newport coach Bill Warnken after the game, and asked if he liked what he saw from his players.

Newport will travel to face Monadnock Tuesday, and Stevens will take on Mascenic tonight.