Division I
Manchester Memorial (4-1) at Spaulding (5-1)
The coverage of Manchester Memorial is sponsored by T-Bones & Cactus Jacks and 900 Degrees Pizzaria of Manchester
Nice match-up of two teams with top 8 seed aspirations. Spaulding will put pressure on an inexperienced Manchester Memorial backcourt and look to contain Crusaders forward David Madol down low. This game begins a tough stretch for Memorial where they will face Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton and face Dover on the road in the next two weeks.
Both teams are comfortable in the half court as Spaulding runs a motion offense under head coach Tim Cronin while Memorial will run some nice sets under head coach Mike Fitzpatrick. The Crusaders feel like Madol and small forward Shomari Morgan can get any shot they want one on one and they'll look to move the ball until they get either one of them in a position to attack the basket. On the opposite end Spaulding will look to wear a Memorial team, that isn't that deep, down with their pressure and free up shooting guard Brian Cronin on the perimeter.
Manchester West (3-3) at Trinity (6-0)
The coverage of Manchester Memorial is sponsored by T-Bones & Cactus Jacks and 900 Degrees Pizzaria of Manchester
The coverage of Trinity high school is sponsored by Edible Arrangements of Manchester & Concord.
There is no shame in losing games against Bishop Guertin, Manchester Central and Merrimack. Those are three of the best teams in Division I and no one would be surprised if all three are in lay-up lines in Durham this coming March. The concern with Manchester West, picked to be one of the top 8 teams in the division, is that they were beaten by 10 plus points in all three contests and in the case of Merrimack and BG they lost by over 20. Some of that has to do with the fact that center Jose Gonzalez was recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the pre-season and that they have played three games without one of their go to scorers Quintin Hunter. Some of it might have to do with the team adjusting to new head coach Dan Bryson, and hey its January 20th, no one is panicking yet.
Manchester West though needs to prove now that they aren't a second tier team that is going to get beat by upper echelon teams and Trinity is one of those teams. West has something to prove against the best defensive team in the division.
Silvere Aluko is averaging 9 point per contest and that figure may be the least important statistic on his resume. The 6'8 Aluko protects the rim, he rebounds and he's a match-up nightmare. You have to bump him off the block or shade a defender behind him at all times or he is simply going to jump over you for two. Trinity has some shooters in Zach Stevens, Patrick Keefe (you might have heard of his dad) and Carmen Giampetruzzi to spread out on the perimeter and take advantage of all that attention being paid somewhere else. They also have all-state football player Andrew Lauderdale down low on the other side of the block. Manchester West is a quick athletic team and they've got some size. That is the type of team that can compete with Trinity and they showed flashes of their potential in the Queen City Tournament.
With upcoming games against Concord, Timberlane and Keene, Manchester West has a chance to run off some W's and establish themselves under their new head coach.
Trinity head coach Dave Keefe will look to get his inexperienced group to 7-0 before they head out on the road to face Exeter and Bishop Guertin in back to back games.
Dover (3-2) at Londonderry (3-3)
Londonderry is playing very well right now after an 0-3 start with wins over Nashua South, Memorial and arch-rival Pinkerton Academy. Mike Colby (18.8 ppg) has played very well and they are getting solid play from Troy Mansfield, Ben Flanders, Nick Martinez and improved play in the backcourt from Tyler Ball. The Lancers are a team with some size but their strength is in their perimeter players and in Dover they face a team that also likes to attack you from the outside in.
Dover is a team that, when they get after it defensively, can be a nightmare to go up against. They have good speed on the wings and Bubba Mahan is a relentless defender. The issue for the Green Wave is scoring. Their best pure scorer is Kenaan Al-Darraji but his job description at point guard is to distribute the basketball. If you're relying on your point guard to score it can break down the flow of the offense. When he's creating for himself the ball isn't moving. Dover has a good young shooter in Mike Leblanc (8 ppg) who has the size to get his shot off, and a good second option in Morgan Faustino (11.2 ppg). Jarell Mejia is a good all-around player at the forward spot as well and with those type of weapons Mike Romps' team will have to win games of the 58-54 variety. Last season with Alex Burt and Al-Darraji in the best backcourt in Class L (I miss the L,I,M & S's by the way) they were able to make up deficits in a hurry. This unit has to play well early and let their defense hold the lead.
The Green Wave defense gets another good test Friday night and expect Mahan to introduce himself to Colby early on.
Division II
Souhegan (5-1) at Portsmouth (5-2)
The coverage of Portsmouth is sponsored by the Law Offices of Jason M Sullivan
Portsmouth is back at full strength with shooting guard & players lounge member Kyle DeCesare back earlier than expected from suspension. Head coach Jim Mulvey has always been puzzled as to why his team never seems to get the credit they deserve defensively but that hasn't been the case this season. Portsmouth is coming off back to back blowout wins over Hollis-Brookline (85-45) and Kingswood (59-27) and in Monday's win turned a close game at halftime into a laugher with a 20-0 third period. While a young team has tried to find a rhythm offensively it has been their defense that has stood out the most.
They'll face a very good offensive team Friday night at home and they'll have to keep Souhegan leading scorer Devin Gilligan in check. Gilligan has been playing out on the opposite wing from former point guard Seth Cordts and it has freed up space for big man Ryan Redmond down low. Sean McGrath and point guard Brandon Len have also played well and they face a Portsmouth team that has always caused a lot of problems for them. The Sabers have been a team that plays much better at home, a win in Stone gym Friday night gives them some added confidence and solidifies them as the second best team in the division.
Division III
Bow (7-1) at Mascoma (8-0)
Measuring stick game for Bow as they now face an elite Division III team with their starting five intact. A loss in the opener to a good Somersworth team was played without their starting backcourt of Connor Hill and Erik Michaud and on Friday night they face a Mascoma team with designs on a #1 seed.
Mascoma has the athletes on the perimeter to stay with Bow. Jon Fitzgerald is up & down offensively but he is tenacious when he wants to be on defense and one of the stronger small forwards in the division. The Royals want to flow everything through Connor Torrey in the post and have the shooters in Ethan Dickinson, Cody Wardwell and Ryan Coleman on the wings. Power forward Tim Perrier will be at a size disadvantage against a bigger Bow front line led by Josh Faber but expect head coach Jim Barry to use bruising Kevin Kosiorek early on off the bench.
Mascoma will pressure the ball and Bow will oblige by pushing it up the floor right back at them behind Michaud and Hill. Greg Froleiks is a dangerous spot up shooter and Ryan Hill is one of their better offensive threats when he goes to the basket off the dribble.
Mascoma begins a stretch after this one where they will play 6 of their final 8 games on the road. They have the schedule to be a top 4 seed and in a division where it looks like any one of six teams can win it, a drive to Mascoma would be one long/difficult road trip.
Raymond (5-1) at Hopkinton (5-3)
Raymond knew they could win in the summer league; their play in the BST league proved that. A lot of teams though look great in the summer and with kids coming & going and player development the priority over wins/losses it comes down to what you can do during the regular season. Raymond's 62-56 loss to Bow proved that they're a team worthy of the title contending conversation.
The Rams played with Bow and they proved they have enough defense to go with what can be a potent offense. Kevin Paynter, Jordan Richards, Jeff Lang and Joe Morin have all been as good as promised for head coach Rich Winget's team and on Friday night they face a Hopkinton team that can match their athleticism if not their scoring ability.
Hopkinton fell out of that upper echelon conversation when big man Mike Auger went down with a season ending injury but Dave Chase is one of the better coaches in the state and he's leaned heavily on his point guard Frankie Beane early on. Jimmy Angell (13.8 ppg) and Jay White (9 ppg) have each played well and Chase has gotten positive results putting freshmen Liam McNicholas and Andrew Tomson into the fray early on.
Look for both teams to push the tempo and for Hopkinton to win this game they will have to limit Raymond's second shots. Keep players like Lang off the offensive glass and Hopkinton, with Beane running the show, have a chance to knock off a pretty good team.
Division IV
Sunapee (3-5) at Wilton Lyndeborough (3-3)
The coverage of Wilton-Lyndeborough is sponsored by Bob Hayden at State Farm Insurance Agency
Tim LaTorra continues to do a very good job coaching a Sunapee team that is starting to come together. After losing 5 of their first 6 games they got back to back wins over Division III Newport and a very strong Pittsfield team. Friday night they face Sean Young's Wilton-Lyndeborough team that after being a team some people had as their pre-season pick to win the division (whistling as I look around innocently.......) struggled out of the gate. After early season losses to Pittsfield and Derryfield Academy Wilton has begun to right the ship and now face a team they may end up catching again at tournament time.
Aaron Davis (14 ppg) and Steven Heck (12 ppg) have each played well early and on Friday night they will be tasked with slowing down Sunapee's Brian Brewster (16 ppg) who exploded for 31 points against Pittsfield. The key for Sunapee will be taking care of the basketball against a Wilton team that thrives on chaos. Young likes to pressure you all over the floor and use that 8 to 10 points off of turnovers to be the difference. Both teams have lost winnable games so far in the season, the team that finishes off possessions Friday night earns and impressive win.