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The White Mountains Community College Division IV Girls Basketball Quarterfinal Preview

By Lance Legere, 02/26/20, 6:15AM EST

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Nodia Davenport and Groveton are ready for Round 3 with Colebrook (photo by Corey McKean)

 The playoffs are upon us! The Division IV preliminary round took place on Monday and the quarterfinal matchups are set. Almost every game went to plan until #11 Farmington upset #6 Derryfield with a Jaclyn Peaslee game-winner off the glass as time expired. 

 We have the chance for an upset here or there as the remaining eight teams will fight for the chance to play on the big floor at Plymouth State.

 Let's get into the matchups...  

 #8 Groveton @ #1 Colebrook 

 The Eagles get another chance at Colebrook in the quarterfinals and the gym is going to be absolutely packed for this one. The old school rivalry will carry over into the playoffs and with the way these teams always seem to play against each other, the game could go either way.  

 Groveton gave Colebrook two of their closest games of the season. These teams know each other better than they know themselves so there won't be any surprises. 

 If Groveton wants to pull off this upset, they need to put together four good quarters of basketball. When Austin Grass and I covered these two teams earlier this month, the Eagles played a great first quarter, fell back in the second, made a run in the third, and then couldn't find a way to come back in the fourth. 

 Consistency will be the driving factor for an upset. Katelyn Desilets provides an all-around game for this group that is so valuable in tight games. She can rebound with Ariana Lord down low and always seems to make the right reads. When the shot is there she will take it or she will make the extra pass for an even better look. 

 Nodia Davenport is going to need to have a 15-20 point performance to help get Groveton over the hump. Davenport has the tendency to pass up open looks. When she is aggressive, she is tough to stop, and the Eagles will need every bit of aggression they can get from their junior guard.   

 Marissa Kenison has started to come on the last few weeks and is playing solid basketball at just the right time. Emmalee Deblois and Bethany Whiting are going to be crucial in the paint. If they can control the glass that gives Tim Haskin's squad a major advantage. Whatever scoring production you can get out of this bunch will be huge. 

 The Mohawks will look to remain undefeated and get back to Plymouth State for a second consecutive year, but they know Groveton will be no easy task to get by. 

 When you talk about Colebrook, you must talk about the two-headed monster that is Sage Smith and Samantha Howe. The junior duo has been near impossible to stop this year.  

 Smith is the best shooter and the purest scorer the division has to offer. She can beat you from behind the arc, mid-range, and don't let her size fool you because she gets to the basket with ease. She is a matchup nightmare and will be responsible for a majority of the offensive load on Thursday night. 

 Howe is an all-around talent. She can get you 8-10 rebounds a game, always make the right reads and scores 20-points on any given night. She is the cog that keeps the Colebrook offense going. Smith is going to get her baskets, but if Groveton can somehow keep the ball out of Howe's hands, they could disrupt the offense quite a bit. 

 Mackenzie Scherer is the X-factor. She has had so much experience in these big games and it shows out on the floor. She is the voice that leads this Colebrook group every single night. She will be a pest on the defensive end and is always a lethal weapon on the offensive side of things. 

 The Colebrook full-court pressure is what caused so many problems in the second matchup. This is what makes Colebrook so dangerous on their home floor. How Groveton handles the pressure could decide the outcome of this game. 

#5 Littleton @ #4 Sunapee 

 The 4-5 matchup is usually a coin-toss, and that is how this one is looking like it will be. Both Sunapee and Littleton have the ability to get to the Final Four.  

 Where I give Littleton the advantage in this one is experience. Dale Prior has been in plenty of these games before and it always seems like the Crusaders end up at Plymouth State. 

 Of course, the reigning-champs have nearly an entirely different starting lineup. The lone returning starter from last year's group is Jasmine Brown. The all-state guard has been a lethal offensive weapon for the Crusaders and has drawn lots of attention from opposing defenses. 

 This is where a player like Lauren McKee comes in. The sophomore has proven to be a knockdown three-point shooter. McKee is somewhat forgotten about when Brown is drawing double teams and that gets her a lot of open looks.  

 Olivia Corrigan has filled in nicely to the point guard role that was once held by Lexi Walker. Corrigan does a great job commanding the offense and can knock down open jumpers when needed.

 Jacqueline Maker has the ability to go off at any given moment. She is a third option for this group, but can easily score like a first option. Maker will be the X-factor in this contest along with a player like Hannah Brown who makes an impact on both ends of the floor. 

 Sunapee has won seven straight and is one of the hottest teams in the division. With two wins over Division III Newport, the Lakers locked up homecourt for the first two games and that could be a huge factor in Thursday nights contest.  

 Abby and Vannesa Pollari lead the way for this group. Abby does great work in the high post and Vannesa gets a lot of easy baskets with simple off-ball movement. If the Lakers want a chance to move on, the Pollari sisters must have big nights. 

 The late-season addition of Cari Pierce has done wonders for this offense. Injured early on, Pierce has made the Laker offense dangerous over the last nine games of the season. Since teams didn't get the chance to see her early on, she has left many teams puzzled with how to defend her. 

 Fiona Nolan has been tremendous over the last seven games. Her scoring numbers are up and that gives the Lakers the ability to spread the floor and make opposing defenses scramble to move around the arc.

 Kelsey Couitt has been streaky at times, but when she is on, three-point shots are falling left and right for the junior. Miah Hamm provides size that may cause problems for a Littleton lineup that doesn't feature much height. 

 Does Littleton get it done with their experienced coaching staff and roster or is Sunapee to tough to stop on their home-floor? This should be a good one on Thursday night.

#7 Newmarket @ #2 Woodsville 

 The Mules and the Engineers are two unfamiliar foes who I think match up well with each other. Both have size down-low and great wing depth. Newmarket will have a long two-and-a-half ride up to Woodsville, but the Mules will be ready for the challenge. 

 Newmarket can go ten deep and are lead by Brianna Fillion. The forward can score in a variety of ways and makes a great impact on the defensive end. If she can erupt for 15 points or more Woodsville could have their hands full. 

 Cassandra Mosher, Abigal Henry, and Nicole Berry are all capable of scoring double digits. Team basketball is the focus of this team. Everyone is unselfish with the ball and that is what makes Newmarket so dangerous. Anyone can hurt you on any given night. 

 Lena Nicholson could be key. Her size down-low could give Olivia Sarkis problems. Even if Nicholson isn't scoring, she is still an option and creates havoc in the paint. Defensively if she can hold down the inside and not allow Woodsville to get to the basket easily she could disrupt their offense. 

 The Engineers are one of the best teams in the division, there is no denying that. They play both ends of the floor with great intensity. When defense turns into offense this group is tough to stop. 

 Olivia Sarkis has been a force to be reckoned with down low. Her ability to knock down elbow jumpers makes it so much easier for her to attack the hoop. When they get Sarkis is in the high-post, her decision making is second to none. Sarkis has a great IQ and will be a tough player to stop for any team. 

 Emily Prest is one of if not the best pure point guard in the division. She manages the game very well and is a second coach out on the floor for Russ Wilcox. Prest is more pass-first, but when she flips the switch and starts to take over games offensively she gives Woodsville an even better chance to pull out a victory, 

 The addition of Graci Kaiser has proven to work wonders for this team. She is a 3-and-D type player. She has the ability to knock down the outside shot with ease and is always assigned with the toughest matchup on the other end of the floor.  

 Mackenzie Kingsbury has had several offensive eruptions throughout the season and Morgan Wagstaff has been a great role player for the Engineers. 

Woodsville has one of the better defenses in the division and Newmarket is one of the deepest teams in all of Division IV. The long drive could play a factor in how Newmarket starts out in this game but nonetheless, this should be a great matchup up north. 

#11 Farmington @ #3 Hinsdale  

 Our one and only upset in Division IV so far has eleventh seeded Farmington traveling to take on Hinsdale. In their only contest this season the Pacers beat the Tigers 46-28. With Farmington coming off of such a great win over Derryfield in the first round, you can't count them out of this one just yet.   

 Farmington had high expectations for themselves even with a completely new roster compared to years past. There were bumps in the road during the regular season, but they fully expected to find themselves in the quarterfinals. Well, here they are. 

 Jaclyn Peaslee has put together a tremendous junior season and has played her way into the all-state conversation. Peaslee does a majority of her scoring from the low post. She is not afraid to use the glass (as we saw from her game-winner on Monday) and has a great 12-foot jumpshot. Peaslee has turned into the number one option for this group 

 Chloe Weeks has been so valuable on both ends of the floor. Her defensive play lights a fire under her teammates. She always takes the best player on the opposing team and I wouldn't be surprised to see her on Delaney Wilcox a majority of the night. Weeks has turned herself into a reliable point guard and has run the offense all season long. 

 Arry Davey could be a mismatch against a Hinsdale team that doesn't have much size. Sami Cardinal and Sam Aubut must play their roles and could even be asked to score in double figures if the Tigers want to pull off a second consecutive upset. 

 Hinsdale was expected to have a "down year" with the loss of Angelina Nardolillo. The Pacers shushed the critics and shot the lights out all season long and earned the third seed in Division IV. 

 Delaney Wilcox took over as the number one option for this team and she has flourished in that role. She is one of the toughest players around and is automatic from downtown. Wilcox makes it so difficult to close out on her because she uses her speed and size to get around defenders and right to the cup. 

 Megan Roberts has taken the leap as a sophomore. We saw her hitting three's at Plymouth State in the championship game last year and that stroke of hers has not fallen off. She is another outside threat for a team that can hurt you from anywhere. 

 Kleay Steever does all the little things at the point guard position. She may not fill up the scoring column, but she will get you four or five steals a night and has great playmaking ability on the offensive end. She will be key in this one.  

 Audrey Martin may be undersized to be considered a "big" but her ability to crash the offensive glass and finish down low has helped this team tremendously throughout the year.

 Eighth-grader Abby Nardolillo has the chance to make a name for herself on Thursday night. She is at times a forgotten player out on the floor always seems to be open on the skip pass to the baseline. She impressed me last week at Mascenic and could be an X-factor for the Pacers. 

 This should be a fun matchup in Hinsdale. Farmington will play with the underdog mentality that got them to this point and Hinsdale will look to make it back to Plymouth State for another year with a group that has a chip on their shoulder.

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