Somersworth will try to win back to back Division III championships when they square off with the Conant Orioles tonight at Southern New Hampshire University.

 Jennifer Chick-Ruth, Belmont head coach Jim Cilley & I will bring you all the play by play, highlights and the post-game interview with the champions.

 Today’s preview is sponsored by The Links at Outlook in Berwick, Maine!

1. Somersworth vs. (2) Conant

 If Somersworth wins it will be because: Of their depth. The Hilltoppers quietly were miffed when coaches called Campbell the deepest team in Division III in our semifinal scouting report and in the semifinals Somersworth proved their point. Luke Monesmith (6 points and 8 rebounds against Campbell) has been a game changer as has Jeremy Levesque & Jacob Ducharme.

 Head coach Rob Fauci is able to plug different players into his zone pressure (3/4 and ½ half court) and the team didn’t skip a beat when starting center Ethan Johnson picked up his 4th foul because the bench has been so reliable.

 Conant will switch into some trapping defenses but this is a man to man team, that’s head coach Eric Saucier’s M.O. Disciplined man to man and five guys rebounding.

 Conant has been so good at getting the outlet pass out quickly and down the floor for transition baskets but Travis Wright & Jacob Hamilton are going to make that very difficult.

 Player of the year candidate Evan Gray will find the double team coming from the weak side when he gets the ball in the post, which is how Conant defended St Thomas all-state forward Andrew Cavanaugh on Wednesday. His ability to pass out of the double team to shooters like Hamilton (shooting with a ton of confidence right now) and Levesque will be a key. Also look for Wright cutting to the basket from the top of the key.

 Gray and Johnson will be a challenge for Conant. This is a very fast, very good defensive team but they don’t have a ton of size. The Orioles rebound well as a team and they will need big efforts out of Jake Drew and Connor Hart on the glass.

 Somersworth is going to make Conant navigate their zone in the half court and they will have to communicate where Peyton Springfield is at all times. Campbell was forced to play like their hair was on fire on Wednesday night because of the constant pressure Somersworth threw at them.

 Jake Drew stepped up late with three straight 3-pointers and Anthony Gauthier essentially put the game away with his ability to get to the rim. Somersworth’s defense is very good at limiting driving lanes but they may not have faced a team better equipped to score on them than this Conant team.

 If Conant wins it will be because: They lock Somersworth down on defense. Conant, when they are clicking as a defensive unit, can overwhelm teams with their defense and that’s going to be game plan tonight.

 They are going to make sure to keep Ethan Johnson from cutting to the basket from the baseline and to send two bodies at Evan Gray anytime he has the ball in the post.

 Look for Conant to pressure Somersworth point guard Travis Wright out front and never allow him to get comfortable. Somersworth is prone to turning it over when you dial up the defensive pressure and the Orioles will look to do just that. If Saucier’s team can turn the Hilltoppers over they can get out in transition where Peyton Springfield might be the best finisher in the division.

 Conant wants to have Anthony Gauthier attacking the basket and kicking out to Jake Drew & Motuzas when Somersworth crowds the paint. Conant shot very well on Wednesday night against St Thomas, particularly in the second half, and that confidence should carry over to tonight’s title game.

 Conant is at their best when they are spreading you out and using Peyton Springfield to facilitate the offense. They have the players & the talent to beat Somersworth’s zone and to turn them over when the Hilltoppers have the ball. All five players on the floor need to be aggressive and if the semifinal performance is any indication, all five are ready to produce.

 Conant is going to be a sped up and how they handle the zone pressure tells you if they are winning the school’s 12th Division III (formerly Class M) championship.

 My Pick: Somersworth 59, Conant 53