This is an annual column where we stop to take a look around each of the four divisions at the midway point of the season. The purpose is to analyze the first half of the season to tell you both where the teams stand today and where they are likely headed over the second half of the season.

 I pick the two teams most likely to meet in the championship game, your most likely final four teams, hand out mid-season all-state picks as well as our mid-season player & coach of the year candidates.

 I want to stop to thank our Division IV Gold Level Coaches/Programs who have access to not only the 5 full game videos we have produced already this year (6 on Saturday after we cover Groveton at Colebrook) but all the remaining games through the Final Four and 8 years worth of full game videos to steal out of bounds plays from.

 Thank you to  Mathew McMenaman of Mount Royal, Dave Morissette of Gorham, Buddy Trask of Colebrook, Mark Collins of Groveton, Carl Anderson of Hinsdale, Tom Bourdeau of Nute, Jamie Hayes of Newmarket, Jay Darrah of Pittsfield, Nick Fiset of Epping, Carlos Cavazo of Ratt (I think this might be an alias) and Jamie Walker of Woodsville

 We hope every coach and program in the division will become a part of the coverage we bring you every week.

 Tonight we will have coverage of three games including Derryfield at Pittsfield as both teams battle for a Top 4 seed in the Division IV tournament. ‘The Franchise’ Jennifer Chick-Ruth & I will bring you all the play by play and highlights plus the post-game interview with the entire winning team.

 

 If forced to pick the two teams that will meet in the final: Newmarket vs. Littleton

 Back in the 1950s there was a game show hosted by Johnny Carson called ‘Who do you trust?’ where contestants had to decide who was telling them the truth and who was deceiving them.

 Neither of the top two seeds are lying to you…but can you trust them to be the last team standing at Plymouth State University?

  That has everything to do with recent history.

 Littleton and Newmarket are the two best teams in Division IV today. They are led by two future Hall of Fame coaches in Jamie Hayes (Newmarket) and Trevor Howard (Littleton) and feature all-state players and up & coming talents on both rosters. Yet, neither team is a sure bet to on the floor at Plymouth State University on Friday, March 13th.

 Three programs have dominated Division IV basketball over the 12 years I’ve been running this website; Littleton, Newmarket, and Derryfield.

 Those programs have 22 Final Four appearances between them in that time. Littleton (9) Newmarket (6) and Derryfield (7)) but only Littleton’s 2016 championship as far as hardware.

 So who do you trust come March?

 The Patriots season has come down to simply what they do in the playoffs because of their regular-season dominance, the same applies for Littleton and Newmarket.

 Most often champions have come from programs that had a special group that came together at the most critical time of the year and won the Division IV title. Teams like Epping (2019 & 2014), Pittsfield (2018), Groveton (2017), Wilton-Lyndeborough (2015) and Lisbon (2013 & 2011).

 Of those teams, only Pittsfield went into the tournament as the favorite.

 So of the remaining contenders, who is most likely to become the latest outlier to sneak in and take the championship from the supposed favorites?

 Let’s take a look at each one of them and breakdown their strengths & weaknesses.

 Groveton is the 3rd best team in the division. Forward Josh Wheelock has been every bit as good as advertised. He’s never going to be a player who gets to the foul line a lot because he scores with his smarts, shooting ability and a very nice touch around the basket. Wheelock though is a very good rebounder and scores in the flow of the offense without having to dominate the ball.

 Julian Kenison has been getting better by the week and he’s a year away from maybe being the best player in all of Division IV. Matt St. Cyr has become a very good shooter and he’s worked to get his shot off on the move and to find the holes in the defense.

 The issue with Groveton is depth, as in, they don’t have any. They are one flu bug away from barely being able to field a team and when you are relying on an 8th-grade guard in the biggest game of the year, as Mark Collins was with Kaden Cloutier at Littleton, that should be Plan D, not Plan A.

 If they face Newmarket at Plymouth State it’s hard to see how Jamie Hayes doesn’t run 10- players at Groveton, keep the game close and then close with his best five in the final four minutes against what you have to expect to be a worn-out Groveton starting five.

 But we also have seen what Mark Collins does when he gets to Plymouth State. No coach has had more success on that stage than Groveton’s Hall of Fame coach.

 The battle for the fourth spot is completely up for grabs, let’s quickly go through each team.

 Portsmouth Christian (I hear the same thing from every coach who has seen/faced them, Bryson Lund is legit but you can pressure their guards and turn them over)………Derryfield (you can play fast & loose during the season, and with that talent, I don’ blame Ed Meade one bit, but it never wins in March past the first or second round. They’ll have to adjust)…..Pittsfield (I’m getting my first look at them tonight so let’s hold off and I will break them down in the Thursday column)……….Sunapee (they do not match-up well with Newmarket but there is a chance this is your 4-seed. The two games against Newport give them a big opportunity for extra points. The win over PCA on Friday night was eye-opening in how one-sided it was)………Mount Royal (to this point of the season their best win is over Farmington..who lost to Nute. In their last 10 games, they only play 2 games against teams with a winning record. This is the team that if they land in the Top 8, coaches will be hoping to draw in Round 1…fair or unfair that is the perception from coaches)………..Woodsville (I was higher on their team than anyone…ranking them 3rd in the pre-season…not so much because of the players but because of the coach. Yes, they have talented players and yes when they are on they are one of the best shooting teams in the division, but I believe Jamie Walker can get everyone in line and sharing the basketball by March. Their fatal flaw may be their defense. Opposing coaches don’t think they want to defend for four quarters…I’m not giving up on them. I still think they can be the fourth team at Plymouth State). Colebrook (they need a Top 8 seed & a home game and that is looking less likely by the week. They have a core of four players that they rely on heavily and when Daegen Riff was hobbled against Newmarket and Malik McKinnon was sick with the flu you saw the results, a loss at Lisbon and a blowout loss at Newmarket. The games against Groveton, Woodsville and White Mountains are the biggest remaining games on their schedule.)

 

 Your lower-seeded team that could be a nightmare in Round 1: Farmington

 The truth is there aren’t teams past the 10 or 11 seed very likely to pull off a road upset in the tournament but by beating Derryfield and taking both Groveton & Pittsfield to overtime the answer is Adam Thurston’s team.

 They have the talent and the coaching but they haven’t shown the consistency. To the point where they may not even make the tournament. If they get in they have a shot to beat a higher seed if they play up to their potential. Marcus Berko & Izea Long have played very well in those games while Brian Weeks is a future all-state player to watch. He has a chance to be a very good one for the Tigers.

 America’s Team the Lisbon Panthers have shown they can control the pace and turn the game into a low scoring defense/rebounding affair. A team like Derryfield would run them off the court but a team like Mount Royal or Portsmouth Christian could be susceptible to playing a pace that keeps Natti’s team in it.

 Natti has won a championship and knows how to close out games, he just needs Jared Jesseman, Austin Fisher & Co. to execute.

 Here’s hoping for a Derryfield/Hinsdale first-round game…….. Box score of the first meeting

 

 Player of the Year Candidates at the mid-way point: Bryson Lund of Portsmouth Christian, Josh Wheelock of Groveton, Max Byron of Derryfield and Parker Briggs of Littleton.

 Coach of the Year Candidates at the mid-way point: Trevor Howard of Littleton, Tom Bourdeau of Nute and Mark Collins of Groveton

 

 First Team Mid-Season All-State

 Bryson Lund of Portsmouth Christian

 Josh Wheelock of Groveton

 Max Byron of Derryfield

 Parker Briggs of Littleton

 Will Chase of Newmarket

 

 Second Team All-State

 Julian Kenison of Groveton

 Devin Bedell of Pittsfield

 Dylan Harden of Hinsdale

 Malik McKinnon of Colebrook

 Andrew Normandin of Mount Royal

 

 With apologies to: Ridge Gonzales of Derryfield, Carson Rancourt of Colebrook, Matt St. Cyr of Groveton, Quinn Bissonnette of Pittsfield, Connor Maccini of Woodsville, Parker Paradice & Todd Krol-Corliss of Littleton, Logan Willey of Newmarket and Jack Schwab of Wilton-Lyndeborough.

 

 Tomorrow: Division III