Twelve years ago, in my second year of high school coverage, we started the tradition of handing over the semifinal previews to the people who know these teams better than anyone; the coaches who have faced them during the season.

 The Division I Final Four features our pre-season #1 and #2, John Fisher’s Bishop Guertin Cardinals and Jay McKenna’s Winnacunnet Warriors, along with Keith Bike’s Trinity Pioneers and Nate Stanton’s Londonderry Lancers.

 We talked with six coaches who gave us their opinions and insight into tonight’s semifinal games at Oyster River high school.

 Our scouting reports are brought to you by our longtime friends & partners at Great Bay Community College.

 Click on any of our Great Bay banner ads or the video above for more information about what has been a terrific option for students looking for a 2-year degree or to earn credits towards a 4-year degree.

 Here are the scouting reports from our coaches:

 Bishop Guertin vs. Londonderry

 Bishop Guertin Team Page

 Londonderry Team Page

 The two teams meet for the third time this season after BG won a pair of early January contests 58-41 & 57-51.

 We asked our coaches to breakdown both teams, beginning with the Cardinals.

 “They’re so big and they have weapons all over the floor. That’s what immediately stands out to you.  They have the size to bang down low and the shooting to spread you out defensively.”

 “They’re also very unselfish and I think you give John (Fisher) credit for that. Those kids like playing together; you can see it when you face them.”

 Another coach talked about the BG personnel.

 “The guy who gets overlooked is John Sullivan. I think he will be the x-factor against Londonderry. He really defends; he passes the ball well and rebounds it also. He’s a really good athlete and has a way of disrupting what you’re trying to do.”

 “Jordan Robichaud is very steady at the point. He’s tough because he can get to the basket and dish it out to shooters like Nate Kane. He’s just very steady and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

  A fellow coach talked about the size of BG.

 “Lucas Baker gives them a presence down low and he can also step out and hit the 10-footer from the baseline or the elbow. Javari Ellison protects the rim. They can go with both players at the same time or rotate them so they never have a lack of size on the floor.”

 “Nate Kane is one of the best shooters in our division,” said another coach we spoke with. “He was the guy who put the game away when we played them.”

“With Dylan Santosuosso you have to try and keep him from getting downhill on you. If he starts finding a lane to the basket he can bury you because he has good size and can finish through contact.”

 Another coach talked about the Cardinals transition game.

 “They are very good in transition and they are deep so they can keep pushing the pace. I don’t think Londonderry wants to go up & down with BG. I think they want to win a slugfest in the 40’s. You might see BG pressure Londonderry to wear their legs down. They want to make those shooters work hard so they don’t have that bounce in the fourth quarter.”

 What about the BG defense?

 “They will play mostly man defense and they’ll help a lot. The key to playing Londonderry is keeping Jackson Cox in front of you. When he gets into the paint he can score all day or kick it out to a few of their shooters. I think BG has to send a lot of attention his way.”

 What about the Londonderry Lancers?

 “Londonderry might be the most physical team we played all year. They will get you off your spot and try to make you very uncomfortable. Offensively they go to the beat of Jackson Cox. He sets the tone for them and sets up guys who can knock down shots.”

 “I think they want a slower paced game but when (Jackson) gets a chance to go in transition, he puts his head down and off to the rim he goes. You’ll see them pick and choose their spots but he has the ability to get them a quick basket.”

 Another coach talked about the Lancers defense.

 “They contest everything, even after you have the rebound. When we played them I told our guys, ‘they are going to slap at the ball or try and sneak up behind you to get the steal.’ You always have to be aware with them.”

 “I really like their guard Brian Gould. He does a lot of good things for them and he has really evolved into their #2 guys behind Cox.”

 Another coach talked about head coach Nate Stanton.

 “Nate is a terrific coach. One thing about him is he isn’t going to be afraid to switch things up in the middle of the game. A lot of times when coaches get to this stage they are hesitant to make a drastic change. They can feel a sense of, ‘I don’t want to change things too much, let’s stick with what got us here,’ Sometimes that is to their detriment. Nate won’t do that, he’s not afraid to make changes in the middle of a big game.”

 Another rival coach echoed the sentiment. “Nate is as good as any coach in our division at in game adjustments. He doesn’t take long to recognize what you are doing so John (Fisher) will have to be ready to adjust as well.”

 Another coach talked about their personnel.

 “I think the key to their chances of knocking off BG is how players like Tyler Brown, Kevin Rourke and Brian Gould are shooting the ball.”

 “When they played in the quarterfinals I think Timberlane was ok with guys like Mike Rosatano shooting threes but he ended up beating them by knocking down shots. BG is going to try and limit them to one shot so they will have to let some of those guys get clean looks.”

 What about the Londonderry defense?

 “They will probably go man defense but you could also see them jump into a match-up zone. My guess is Nate is going to keep mixing up their defenses to keep BG from getting into a rhythm.”

 “Will Reyes is really physical. I think how the game is officiated effects Londonderry more than BG. If they let Londonderry play physical then that’s good for them. If they call it close that’s good for BG.”

 

 So who wins tonight?

 “I think BG is a bad match-up for Londonderry. They are bigger and just as physical, they win.”

 “I like BG to win, I think they will pull away and it won’t be that close.”

 “I think it’s going to be BG/Winnacunnet on Saturday.”

 

 Winnacunnet vs. Trinity

 Trinity Team Page

 Winnacunnet Team Page

 When the Pioneers and the Warriors meet for the first time tonight it will be a match-up of speed against size.

 We asked our coaches to breakdown the two teams and the semifinal match-up, starting with Trinity.

 “They are tenacious on defense. They will come at you for the entire length of the floor and they are deep enough to keep coming after you for four quarters.”

 “They are aggressive to the point they will gamble to go for steals. Royce Williams is the player you need to watch at all times. He will leave his man to go for steals and he is always looking to jump passing lanes. He scored over twenty points a game and I’d bet he gets about six a game on the steals he creates.”

 Another coach talked about the Pioneers offense.

 “Royce creates a lot of their offense. You play up on him and he can go around you. You back off he’ll shoot it and knock down threes. They as a team have shot it better in the second half of the year. Tyler Bike has really shot it well down the stretch and they have a couple of other players who can knockdown shots if you leave them.”

 We asked coaches about the Pioneers personnel.

 “The guy who gets overlooked is Nate Meeker. He’s just really solid with the ball and he is one of their best defenders. They have enough size down low with Mark Nyomah and Ryan Stultz that they can gamble on the perimeter so they are pretty clear on what they are trying to do.”

 “They weren’t a final four level team until Tyler Bike started playing so well. He’s only a freshman so to see him stepping into that #2 role behind Royce is really impressive.”

 “Royce plays much bigger than his height. When we played them he killed us on the glass. You have to keep tabs on him at all time. Keith (Bike) lets him roam defensively and he makes plays for them.”

 Another coach talked about the match-up.

 “I think it’s a really fun match-up because Trinity is going to try and speed Winnacunnet up. (Winnacunnet) will turn the ball over, they don’t have a great ball-handler on their team so you can pick their pocket and if I’m Trinity, that’s the way I try and win the game.”

 “Trinity needs to come up with ten plus points in transition on steals because straight up I just think Winnacunnet is too big for them.”

 What about Jay McKenna’s Warriors?

 “They just pound you on the glass, they are relentless. You stay with them for two or three quarters but as the game gets later your players start wearing down and they just clean up on the boards.”

 “They play together very well; Jay does a great job of defining everyone’s role. I think if Brett Marelli was out their gunning for points it would hurt the balance of the team but he isn’t. They have four or five guys who can score on you every time down and in the win over Exeter they seemed to take turns stepping up.”

 We asked coaches to breakdown the Winnacunnet players.

 “James O’Hara is the guy who makes them go. He is electric in transition and you can see he is their vocal leader. He’s the guy who walks up to guys and has a message during free throws.”

 “I love Elynn Houston as a player. He was the best defender we faced all season, hands down. He has been their biggest weapon down the stretch and when they got into a funk against Exeter he put them on his back.”

 “Sam Andreottola has been really good for them. He has great low post moves and he’s just a big physical presence down low. When you have Sam and Joe Allen on the block and then Marelli & Houston….how is Trinity going to keep those guys off the boards?”

 Another coach agreed.

 “ I think it comes down to keeping Winnacunnet off the boards. They are so much bigger than Trinity that they aren’t going to have to work as hard to score. If you’re Trinity you have to turn them over.”

 “O’Hara is very good but he’s not a great ball handler and you can turn Lucas Schaake over too. I think Trinity will apply a ton of pressure but Jay will have his kids prepared for it. He does a terrific job.”

 What about the Winnacunnet defense?

 “ Jay will mix it up. They will play man, some 1-3-1 half court and drop back into a 2-3 zone.”

 “ Lucas Schaake and Elynn Houston are very good defenders, Schaake is very smart and always seems to get to the right spot. They’re going to make it tough on Trinity to get two-pointers. They’ll have a hand up on everything.”

 Another coach talked about what Trinity needs to do to win.

 “ They are going to have to shoot it very well. I just think Winnacunnet’s size is going to be a lot for Trinity to handle. Look at the teams Trinity has played; they have played a tough schedule but they haven't played a team like BG, Pinkerton or Winnacunnet with all that size & length. I think it’s going to be tough for them.”

 Another coach agreed.

 “ To me it comes down to this; who is going to have the easier time getting a big basket when the game is on the line? It’s Winnacunnet.”

 

 So who wins tonight?

 “ Winnacunnet because of their size.”

 “ Winnacunnet, I don’t think it will be that close in the end.”

 “ Winnacunnet, don’t discount the fact they have played in that Oyster River gym before.”

 “ Winnacunnet is my pick.”