(10) Wilton-Lyndeborough at (7) Colebrook

 Easily the most intriguing game of the first round.

 How does Wilton-Lyndeborough and first year head coach Leo Gershgorin beat Colebrook?

 They have to pound the glass (which should be easy) and take care of the basketball (that won’t be..).

 The size and athleticism of Trey Carrier (24.8) and Sean McClure (17.7) is going to give a small Colebrook team fits. Garrett Purrington isn’t as big or quick as either Carrier or McClure and so this will have to be a team effort. Brandon Crawford gives Buddy Trask’s team some height but he’s going to have to move McClure and Carrier away from the basket to keep the Mohawks in this one.

 Trey Carrier needs to attack the rim and the Warriors want to jump out on Colebrook quickly. If Trask has to send five guys into the paint that sets up wide open looks for Jake Lavert.

 How does Colebrook win this game?

 With Jose Alvarado causing chaos. Alvarado has the quickest hands in the division and if you put the ball in front of him he will take it. Alvarado is going to have to hit jumpers as well, to pull the Wilton bigs out of the paint.

 Colebrook needs a good shooting night out of Jon Sherer, who has hit six 3 pointers in a game this season but also had nights where he has struggled to hit one. To beat a better team, and right now Wilton-Lyndeborough is the better team, you’re going to need three or four guys to step up and those three guys are Purrington, Crawford and Sherer. I’m confident we know what we are getting out of Alvarado.

 Colebrook has to turn Wilton-Lyndeborough over enough that it forces Carrier to bring the ball up against pressure, as he did against Groveton. That keeps him away from the paint and could wear him down over the course of four quarters.

 I’ve spoken to five different coaches about this one, as this was a match-up we could see coming weeks ago, and not one of them thinks the home team is going to win.

 Don’t discount that three and a half hour bus ride or Colebrook’s familiarity with their smaller home floor. Also don’t discount a Hall of Fame coach having essentially two weeks to prepare for this one either.

 Winner here gets a shot at Woodsville or America’s Team in the quarterfinals.