We are back with the year sixteen of the Thursday Thoughts and our first column of 2024.

 We will rank and break down the Top 10 teams in each division every week.

 We’ll have coverage of three games tomorrow night;

 Pete Tarrier and Ben Conant will be in West Canaan when the Mascoma Royals take on the Conant Orioles.

 I will be in Bethlehem (not that Bethlehem..) with Colin O’Neil when defending champion Woodsville rolls into town to take on the undefeated Profile Patriots.

 Berkley Stevens and Josh Labrecque will be at Newmarket when the Mules take on Portsmouth Christian in another key Division IV match-up.

 We’ll have all the highlights and the post-game interview/celebration with the winning team.

 Our column is brought to you by our partners at York County Community College!

 Division I

 Division I Standings. Scoring Leaders and Gold Level coaches

 Gold Level Supporters/Coaches: Jaryd Piecuch of Londonderry, Matt Fennessy of Dover, Ryan Cowette of Goffstown, Mike Dunham of Pinkerton, Rob McLaughlin of Salem, Jeff Holmes of Exeter and Jeff Baumann

1. Bedford- So here is where I stand on the division after the first month of the season; I can only see two teams winning the championship…I also can see about twelve different teams making the final four. The Bulldogs lack a big man and are not a great rebounding team, but they play at such a fast pace and score so often that you hardly notice. Luke Soden (26.5 ppg) and Brady O’Connell (13.5) have been as good as advertised, and if Austin Kasyjanski (12.5) stays healthy all year…they are good enough to go back to back.

2. Pinkerton Academy- The Astros have been aided by the return of Drew Brander, but the revelation has been his brother Cristian, who is averaging 13 points a game and gives Mike Dunham’s team a knockdown shooter on the perimeter. That’s an important component when Jackson Marshall (31.4 ppg) is playing like the Astros' best big man since Zach Mathieu, who led Pinkerton to the 2010 Division I title.

3. Portsmouth- Tyrece Gibbs and the Clippers are off to a 3-0 start and getting balanced scoring from the likes of Miles de Iongh (13.3), Ryan Swartz (who had 25 in a win over Manchester Central Tuesday night) and sophomore point guard Isaiah Reis (11.3). The schedule is about to get tougher with a trip to Salem tomorrow night, followed by a game against Pinkerton on Tuesday, and we’ll be there to cover that one.

4. Nashua North- The Titans losing at home to Merrimack on Tuesday needs to be classified as only ‘slightly surprising.’ Outside of the top two teams, we are going to see unexpected scores. You’re going to give yourself a popsicle headache if you try to make sense of why Merrimack lost to formerly winless Dover and then beat previously undefeated North. It’s simply because the gap between these teams is paper thin. Get used to it.

5. Salem-  Rob McLaughlin’s team is winning those 50/50 games at a better rate than any team in the division, and a big factor in that success has been the emergence of Ryan Morse (22.8) as a bona fide crunch-time scorer. The Blue Devils have good chemistry and depth, and McLaughlin is doing another terrific coaching job in a 4-0 start.

6. Windham- The Jaguars remain my final-four sleeper team and picked up a good win (53-50) over Alvirne on Tuesday night. Carson Desrosiers's team has size, athleticism, and an all-state point guard in Jack Koutrobis (13.4). Next up is a road trip to Hampton to take on Winnacunnet.

7. Manchester Memorial- Bory Bory (21.8) has emerged as an all-state forward, and Danny Bryson’s team owns resume wins over Nashua South, Winnacunnet, and Merrimack. They also started fast last year, so keeping it going in the week ahead against Salem, Goffstown, and Bishop Guertin will be key.

8. Nashua South- Nate Mazerolle’s team seems to be figuring things out. They had a good holiday break and followed that up with a 73-62 win over Bishop Guertin behind 33 points from Josh Caruso. 

9. Trinity- I’ve been impressed with the job Ray Farmer is doing after taking over for Keith Bike. The Pioneers move the ball, play hard, and have a few different guys who can beat you. Shawn O’Neil, Kevin Doherty, Devohn Ellis, and Evan Dunker have all gone for 17 points or more in a game this season.

10. Exeter- That was a good win at Dover on Tuesday night, as Brady Rogers went for 17 points while Dylan Whelan and Nate McNeff combined for twenty-four. The Blue Hawks were the first team to make the ‘Hey, let’s try and run with Pinkerton’ mistake. Look for them to slow the pace a bit next week against Bedford. 

 Division II

 Division II Standings, Scoring Leaders, and Gold Level Coaches

 Gold Level Coaches: Peter Pierce of Souhegan, David Smith of Coe-Brown, Joe Morin of Pelham, Mike Donnell of Pembroke, Ryan Kelley of Hollis-Brookline, Rich Otis of Manchester West, Ben Davis of Hanover, Joe Faragher of Kingswood and Steve McDonough of Laconia

1. Pelham- It’s all gone to plan for Joe Morin’s defending champions. Zach James (26.0) is knocking down shots at an elite level, Dom Herrling (12.8) is running the show, Peter Hemmerdinger gives them scoring and defense on the wing, while Logan Dumont and Connor Travis have stepped up into more significant roles. They now get their toughest tests of the season in back-to-back games as they get a title game rematch with Pembroke tomorrow night before we head to Pelham Tuesday night to cover their match-up against…

2. Manchester West- We’ll see the Blue Knights for the second time on Tuesday, a West team that has gotten off to a 4-0 start behind Max Shosa (30.8) and Tevin Edmunds (11.0). Last year, there were three all-state go-to players, which can be both a blessing and, at times, a curse. On this team, Shosa is the undisputed go-to guy, while Edmunds and Will Tanuvasa can also get you buckets late. That mix seems to be working as Rich Otis continues pushing all the right buttons.

3. Pembroke Academy- One of the things I like about Joe Fitzgerald is that even though I’ve entered every point he's ever scored and named him to multiple all-state teams, he always plays like he feels like he has to prove himself. He did that again on Tuesday night, dropping 33 points on Bow. Evan Berkley, who has been terrific all year, had 19 in the win, while Devin Riel had his breakout game with a season-high 20.

4. Laconia- Steve McDonough would have told you all the way back in July that he could see the Keaton Beck (16.5 and 12.7 rebounds a game) double teams and exotic defenses coming, but it still takes time to adjust, and the Sachems have. Next up is a better-than-their-record indicates Souhegan team.

5. Hanover- Ben Davis’s team is 4-1, with their lone loss being a game at Merrimack Valley when it was 9-9 at halftime. I'm pretty sure the first half was played with peach baskets. Ryan McLaughlin (16.0) is playing at an all-state level while the Bears have been locked in defensively, allowing only twenty-nine points per game.

6. Coe Brown- David Smith’s team has integrated four new starters and seems to have picked up where they left off last season. Connor Bagnell (18.7) has been excellent, as expected, while Quinn Salter has made a huge leap, averaging 14.3 points per game after averaging 2.8 last season.

7. Sanborn- Yes, I’m aware that the Indians are 2-3, but Wayne Souther’s team’s losses have come to Coe Brown (by three), Pelham (by ten), and Laconia (by seven). Dylan Rego (24.4) and Chase Frizzell (21.2) have been one of the best-scoring combos in the division, and Brandon Sarette is playing well after an all-state football season.

8. Kennett- As I write this on Wednesday afternoon, they’ll be heading to the Lakes Region tonight to face Laconia. That’ll be a score to watch. 

9. Plymouth- The Bobcats are 3-1, and it’s not even football season! All my Plymouth friends talked to me about was the wrestling team (we are covering a meet this winter.. it's happening..), and I have to ask myself, was it all a diversion to keep me off the scent of a much-improved basketball team?? Dylan Webster (13.2) and Johnny Flaherty (11.0) have played well for Ben Cronin’s team, which now goes to Peterborough to face an 0-5 Con Val team that badly needs a win.

10. Bow- The body language police may have some questions for the Falcons, but this is still a young team with a lot of talent. Their next three are at Kingswood, followed by Hanover and Milford at home. You could talk me into Scott Drapeau’s team going 3-0 just as quickly as you could convince me they will go 0-3.

 Division III

 Division III Standings, Scoring Leaders, and Gold Level Coaches

Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: Nate Camp of Kearsarge, Justin Dibenedetto of Campbell, Jim Hill of Monadnock, Tony Martinez of Belmont, Rick Acquilano of Gilford, Eric Saucier of Conant, David Morissette of St Thomas, Jim Gallagher of Raymond, Matt Dancosee of Stevens and Matt Miller of Hopkinton.

1. Conant- The Orioles can struggle to score, but man, they defend at a high level. Tomorrow night’s match-up with Mascoma will be interesting to watch because the Royals want to push the pace, while Conant wants to make them defend for 45 seconds per possession. 

2. St Thomas- The Saints earned a really good win at Gilford on Tuesday night, and all five starters did their part. Will Mollica was the best player on the floor at many points of the game, Carson Couperthwait was active on the glass, Anthony Settineri knocked down shots and did a good job face-guarding Logan Grant, and James Allen is a very good two-way player with a quick release. Two intangibles make this team better than last year’s 17-1 final-four team. One is they move the ball much better, and two is Cole McClure, their freshman point guard. In the Division II preview, I wrote that Pelham’s Dom Herrling plays like the person at the poker table who has already read everyone’s tell. I feel the same way about McClure. The kid doesn’t seem phased by anything and could end up being the best player in the division by the end of the season.

3. Mascoma- Through no fault of their own, the Royals have a much easier schedule than the three other teams in the Top 4. That makes a game like Friday night take on even more significance for them. It sounds crazy to say this right after the ball dropped for New Year's, but if they can beat the Orioles, they have a direct line to the top seed in March.

4. Gilford- I was impressed with the champs on Tuesday night; Rick Acquilano is doing another terrific coaching job with a (essentially) new group. The Golden Eagles can struggle in the half-court. If you pressure them at the three-point line, they can struggle to go around you, but they have good size, play smart, and defend at a very high level. Tuesday night was another reminder of what a terrific competitor Logan Grant (22 points in the loss) is. He’s a foxhole guy.

5. Campbell- The Cougars remain the sleeping giant and the team most likely to break up the top four when we get to the semifinals. They’ve won four in a row, but two came against winless Somersworth. They get their measuring stick games next week when they face Conant on Monday and St Thomas on Friday.

6. Kearsarge- Nate Camp is doing another terrific coaching job for the Cougars, and having Noah Whipple back in the lineup after missing last season with an injury has given them a huge lift. Their game Friday night at Hopkinton is a big game for both teams.

7. Hopkinton- Head coach Matt Miller figured out very quickly that the Hawks would not win many shootouts, something they proved capable of doing a year ago, so they are slowing the pace and grinding out wins. 

8. Raymond- The Rams have a chance to string together some wins before they travel to St Thomas on the 16th. Drezell Duffaut leads the division in scoring at 19.8 points per game.

9. White Mountains- The Spartans' win at Stevens lands them in the Top 10 more than the 5-2 record. Kasen Smith, Avery Woodburn, and Trevor Armstrong have been good for Eli Vincent’s team, which is 5-0 against Division II but 0-2 against Division IV opponents. 

10. Monadnock- The Huskies are 2-3, but the three teams they’ve lost to have a combined record of 16-2. A key stretch upcoming against Kearsarge (last night), Newport, Stevens, and Hopkinton (who they beat in their first match-up) should tell us more about where they stand in the race.

 Division IV

 Division IV Standings, Scoring Leaders, and Gold Level Coaches

 Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: Jamie Walker of Woodsville, Jay Darrah of Pittsfield, David Bedard of Franklin, Mark Collins of Groveton, Nick Tzannos of Mascenic, Greg Farland of Concord Christian, Mitchell Roy of Profile, Matt Manning of Lin Wood and Josiah Riley of Pittsburg Canaan

1. Littleton- Trevor Howard’s Crusaders earned the best win of the season when they beat three-time defending champion Woodsville 65-49 behind 25 points from Kayden Hoskins and a 16-point first half from talented freshman Mike Rodrigues. They’ll face Groveton on the road Friday night in what should be another good test.

2. Woodsville- What will be interesting to watch for tomorrow night is how they defend Josh Robie (they’ll likely have Connor Houston on him, but Profile will run sets to force them to switch). On the other end of the floor, who is staying in front of Ryan Walker when he is coming at them going downhill? His ability to get to the rim and kick to open shooters has given opposing teams fits, and if Profile goes zone, Jamie Walker runs great zone offense. Keep an eye on both, but also…

3. Profile- How does Mitchell Roy’s team play if they get a lead? Will they keep pushing the pace for the first good look in transition, essentially trying to run the Engineers out of the building? Or do they play this as a half-court game where they run set after set until they get the look they want? This is going to be fun to watch…

4. Derryfield- We voted down staff picks for the year for various reasons, so you won't be seeing those, but I’ll give you one prediction as a going-away gift. Derryfield is going to beat Division III Belmont on Friday. (ED Note: The game is actually on Feb. 5th, so I have a month to change my mind..)

5. Portsmouth Christian- I like Derek Summers’ team. They have two crunch-time scorers in Connor Hickey (16.4) and Cai Summers (15.2), plus more depth than they had a year ago. Looking forward to our coverage of their game at Newmarket tomorrow night.

6. Holy Family- It’s been the Gabe Lacasse (23.7 ppg) show early on, but it’s also been a pretty successful one. Enzo Yonkeau and Jeremiah Guerrero give the Griffins rebounding and toughness down low. Remember, their opening night loss to Epping came with Lacasse still sidelined with an injury. 

7. Colebrook- When Ryan Call’s team plays with pace, they are tough to stop. Kolten Dowse (24.8 ppg) has been very good, and they’ve earned good wins over White Mountains and at Newmarket.

8. Farmington- We’ll be at the house Mike Lee built next Friday night when Littleton comes to town. Before that, Adam Thurston's team will get a good test next Wednesday against Newmarket. Demery Hadges has stepped into the starting lineup and played very well, averaging 13.3 points per game.

9. Groveton- The 44-41 loss to Moultonborough was a head-scratcher (Colebrook beat Moultonborough 70-29 earlier in the season), but Mark Collins’ team bounced back and played better over the holidays. Luke Shannon (18.0) has been good all season for the Eagles, while Ashton Kenison remains the x-factor. Most believe he will become an all-state player; when he does, this team could become a final-four contender.

10.  Gorham- Isaac Langlois (24.2) has been terrific. This team just needs to be more consistent. They have some good wins on their resume, but let a game against Pittsburg Canaan get away from them late. There's a big stretch coming up with Groveton and Profile next week.