HINSDALE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) In the regular season, when Hinsdale and Holy Family met, the results were split even, with the Pacers taking a game and the Griffins taking a game. These two games weren’t exactly close, with the home team winning both times. Thursday’s matchup was close, and it saw Hinsdale advance to the Semifinals of the Division IV Boys Basketball Tournament.

The Pacers ended up winning 59-47, and a lot of it had to do with the start that they got off to. The lead was 21-6 and the gymnasium was rocking for Hinsdale, but a quick 11-0 run from Holy Family made it a four-point game rather quickly. This run, to fans of the Pacers, would bring up memories of the Griffins’ trouncing of Hinsdale in late January in Manchester, 76-51.

After this run, however, the two teams traded baskets back and forth for a while, and the Pacers continued to slowly build back their lead.  It was a consistent double-digit deficit for Holy Family after halftime, and Hinsdale walked away with their first final four appearance in 43 years.

The Pacers came into this tournament as the No. 2 seed, and they’ll be facing Groveton, the No. 3 seed, who had an almost identical record to them, as the Pacers went 17-2 and Groveton went 17-3. These two teams didn’t match up during the regular season.

The last time Hinsdale made the semifinals was also the last time it made the finals, which was 1983. It hasn’t won a state championship since the 1970s though; its last title came in 1978. If the Pacers want their first title in nearly five decades, they’ll have to go through the toughest schedule of opponents they could have faced; all four teams remaining are the four top seeded teams.

Hinsdale’s game against Groveton is on Monday, March 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Manchester Memorial.