We are back with the Thursday Thoughts, brought to you this week by our great friends and longtime partners at White Mountains Community College.

 WMCC will be sponsoring the coverage of three games this weekend and all of our North Country coverage as well as Plymouth & Kennett all year long.

 With many teams still in the first half of their schedule, we will push the Division III mid-season snapshot column to next week. I'm still debating when we will have the Division IV mid-season column, but we are doing a deeper dive into that division today.

 Podcast news; Pete Tarrier & I will be posting our weekly boys' basketball podcast around noon today. Lance Legere & 'The Franchise' Jennifer Chick-Ruth will be posting their girls' basketball podcast tomorrow.

 We also plan to post the first episode of Season 2 of the very popular New Hampshire Legends Podcast on Friday morning. 

 Marshall Crane, Keith Friel & I will re-cap our favorite guests from Season 1, and we plan to have 10-episodes through March and into April.

 Finally, we just wanted to thank the players, parents, and coaches who visit the website every day. 

 Over 250,000 people have followed our coverage since the beginning of football season, and we can't thank you enough for your support of our 12-person team.

 

 Division I

 Division I Boys Basketball Standings & Scoring Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: John Fisher of Bishop Guertin, Keith Bike of Trinity, Frank Moreno of Bedford, Rob McLaughlin of Salem, Jeff Holmes of Exeter, Matt Fennessy of Dover, Matt Azzaro of Keene, John Mulvey of Portsmouth, Nate Stanton of Londonderry, Leo Gershgorin of Alvirne, Jeff Baumann of Timberlane & Jay McKenna of Winnacunnet

 

Power Rankings

1. Trinity
2. Pinkerton Academy
3. Goffstown
4. Nashua North
5. Portsmouth
6. Bishop Guertin
7. Londonderry
8. Exeter
9. Dover
10. Bedford

 

Thoughts from the week: There seems to be a lot of momentum growing for an open tournament in Division I. The reasoning behind the conversation is that many teams are playing games with partial varsity rosters due to Covid and the condensed schedule. While I'm against it ..for this division, it makes some sense. There is enough depth in the division to make an argument for it. It does not make sense in the lower divisions, where teams at the bottom of the standings are consistently losing games by 40-plus points. If there is any way to reward the top teams and create a play-in tournament, that would seem to be the best compromise…….Jeff Baumann continues to build his Timberlane program and a win over Manchester Memorial on Tuesday night improved the Owls record to 5-6. We were there in Keene back in 2014 when the Owls broke their 81-game losing streak Final seconds that were featured on Deadspin. In the eight seasons since, Timberlane has become a well-respected program around the state, even advancing to the Division I quarterfinals last season. Baumann, who jokes that all he heard in the handshake line during that streak was, 'Coach your kids played hard,' has done an incredible job at a school known for its winter wrestling program. Guard Sean Chanakira has been terrific, and Timberlane will be a tough out in the upcoming tournament….Windham needed a statement win and proof that they could defend at a high level. They got both in a 52-45 Tuesday night win over Portsmouth….Spaulding only has four games left on their schedule….Goffstown forward Mason Blondeau has been a monster since returning from an injury. Scoring 47 points against Manchester Central and Londonderry in his first two games back….Nashua North guard Tommy Laurendi has averaged 13.5 points per game since starter Jack Sullivan went out with an injury…The Dover Green Wave is building depth and is on a roll, winning five games in a row. They are wearing teams down with their pressure and athleticism, and Matt Fennessy is doing another terrific coaching job…..Alvirne is 5-6 on the season, with two one-point losses at the buzzer, a two-point loss to North, and a four-point loss to BG. Somewhere in an alternate universe the Broncos are 9-2……we will be at Goffstown on Wednesday night when the Grizzlies take on Trinity…..I loved watching the highlights of the Goffstown-Manchester Central game we covered last Friday night. We have covered some unbelievable games at that school and there is something special about the Central gym.

 

 

Division II

Division II Boys Basketball Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: Marty Edwards of Hollis-Brookline, David Smith of Coe-Brown, Rich Otis of Pembroke Academy, John Langlois of Manchester West, Joe Faragher of Kingswood, Mike Larson of Pelham, 'The Big Smooth' Lewis Atkins of Oyster River, Peter Pierce of Souhegan, Jason Starr of Con Val and Steve McDonough of Laconia

 

Power Rankings

1. Pelham
2. Souhegan
3. Lebanon
4. Sanborn
5. Con Val
6. Pembroke Academy
7. Laconia
8. Manchester West
9. Kingswood
10. Merrimack Valley

 

Thoughts from the week: We get our first look at the undefeated Souhegan Sabers tomorrow night when they take on Kennett. They have earned road wins over Con Val and Hanover in the last week and have solidified themselves as a final four contender in the division….Merrimack Valley is playing good basketball under head coach Tim Mucher. The Pride, who struggled to win games early in the season and get their rotation players on the floor, has won three games in a row……We are about to find out if Manchester West is a contender as they come off a two-week pause. Aiden Scott-Beaulic (20.4) has been terrific, and Jacob Plamondon is the type of player every coach in the division would love to have in their lineup, but John Langlois has a very young team, with three freshmen in his rotation. Kayden Farrell (13.0) is a player to watch for the Blue Knights….before I get angry emails from Wolfeboro, I have West ahead of Kingswood; even though Kingswood beat them this week, because Scott-Beaulic did not play in the game. Still a nice win by Joe Faragher's team….the battle for the 8-seed and a home playoff game is going to be fun to watch. Steve McDonough's Sachems are starting to figure things out, Coe-Brown continuously improves under Hall of Famer David Smith and both Kingswood & Merrimack Valley are on the rise….I think Kieth Matte feels like for Lebanon to win the title again, they're going to have to do it led by their defense….I felt very good about my Jake McGlinchey pick for player of the year at the mid-season point. It felt even better after I watched him against Con Val on Tuesday night.

 

Division III

Division III Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: Mike Rathgeber of Inter-Lakes, Jim Hill of Monadnock, Eric Saucier of Conant, Leon Shaw of Somersworth, Mike Curtis of White Mountains, Jim Cilley of Belmont, Rick Acquiilano of Gilford, Kevin Dame of Winnisquam, Jaryd Piecuch of Raymond, Nate Camp of Kearsarge and Ray Curren of Stevens

 

Power Rankings

1. Gilford
2. Kearsarge
3. Hopkinton
4. White Mountains
5. Stevens
6. Campbell
7. Mascoma
8. St Thomas
9. Monadnock
10. Winnisquam

 

Thoughts from the last week: Following and re-tweeting coverage of the games is something we have been doing for over a decade, and in that time I've seen a few things… here's one I never thought I'd see; End of the first quarter: Kearsarge 30, Stevens 0. (credit to Matthew Parker of the Concord Monitor for the updates)............now………..if they play 20 more times, will Kearsarge be up 30 on Stevens after the first eight minutes again? No, they will not, and even Cougars head coach (and NHsportspage underclassman head coach) Nate Camp couldn't believe it when he texted me after the game, but what it does illustrate is the line of demarcation in the division. We'll use Campbell and Stevens as an example; Stevens has wins over Campbell, Winnisquam, Belmont, and Mascenic. All solid wins. Campbell has wins over Monadnock (in a good one we covered Monday night), Belmont, and Winnisquam. But when those two teams have gone against the top two teams in the division, they are a combined 0-3, with the losses coming by 25, 51, and 20 points. That doesn't mean they cannot compete when & if they see Gilford or Kearsarge again, but it's clear there is a big gap between the top teams and the rest of the division. The Cougars and the Golden Eagles do not look like typical Division III teams. They, in fact, are bigger and stronger across the board than most Division II teams. On Monday night, we will find out if Mascoma can match up with that physicality when they play Gilford at home and how Hopkinton & Kearsarge match up when we cover that game Monday night……… On Tuesday night, Gilford's 52-33 win over Belmont came after a 5-day pause for the Golden Eagles, who we will be covering tomorrow night against White Mountains…..Inter-Lakes has to squeeze in fourteen games between now and February 11th. Head coach Mike Rathgeber, one of the all-time good guys in coaching, has a very young team. Still, the Lakers continue to get better….neither Prospect Mountain nor Berlin have won a game yet, but they are getting better under Kiernan Gordon (PM) and Jesse Arsenault (Berlin). The wins will come.

 

Division IV

Division IV Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: Buddy Trask of Colebrook, Mark Collins of Groveton, Jay Darrah of Pittsfield, Nick Fiset of Epping, Jamie Walker of Woodsville, David Bedard of Franklin & Matt Manning of Lin Wood

 

 Power Rankings

1. Woodsville
2. Epping
3. Concord Christian
4. Derryfield
5. Littleton
6. Holy Family
7. Colebrook
8. Groveton
9. Portsmouth Christian
10. Newmarket

Thoughts from the week: Let's start with the Farmington Tigers because I have them at eleven this week, right around where they were in the pre-season. The Tigers have had moments over the last couple of years, but they have not finished off good opponents late in games, at least not on any kind of a consistent basis. Well, they did just that when they went over to PCA and beat Derek Summers' team 64-59 behind 20 points from Brian Weeks and 14 from center Jordan Berko. Adam Thurston's team has a date with Wilton-Lyndeborough (who just beat Sunapee)_ this week before a 'wait, does my athletic director hate me?' stretch of six straight road games. They'll come against Pittsfield, Epping, Newmarket, Nute, Sunapee, and Franklin, before facing a good Derryfield team (we are getting to them) at home. This is an experienced Tigers team, we find out now if they are a final four contender in the division, but the win at PCA was a good start……I came away very impressed by Derryfield. When I saw them two years ago, their offense was to pass the ball over midcourt and shoot immediately. Ed Meade now runs a very patient motion offense with several players who can hurt you. Thomas Ferdinando was incredibly polished for a freshman. Jack Krasnof was terrific. He did all the dirty work pushing 6'8 Epping center Jacob Purington out of the post, and John McDevitt is a player you win games with. He gets it done on both ends of the floor. Janai Cruz runs the offense, and Ethan Flanagan showed a natural ability to step outside and knock down shots. Coach Meade has done a very nice job with this group. How will they fare in the tournament against a big who aggressively wants to get to the rim? That remains to be seen..but the Cougars are contenders…..Epping will be just fine. Mikey Picard was terrific against Derryfield, and I was very impressed by all-state guard Owen Finklestein. Blue Devils head coach Nick Fiset has repeatedly said his star shooting guard was more than just a scorer, and he's right. Finklestein rebounds well and has become a good passer. Freshman guard Henry Hodgkins will see more crunch-time minutes as the season goes along, and they have good size with the combination of Stamatis Maschas and Jacob Purington. If they can get Purington to post up four feet from the basket (where he can be a monster) rather than eight feet (where he is a passer), Epping becomes maybe the best team in the division….. Jen & I will be in Littleton on Friday, February 4th, when Woodsville comes to town….if there is a major concern for the defending champion Engineers, it's their schedule. The south is much deeper than the North Country this year, and while Epping, Concord Christian, Derryfield, Holy Family, PCA, Farmington etc. are playing multiple games against each other Woodsville has only four games all season against teams with a winning record and Littleton is down from years past when they were annual title contenders. Close games help you execute in March, and if Jamie Walker's team lacks them while the southern teams are going head to head every week, that's going to be a factor when we get to the tournament.

 We will be back in Colebrook on Saturday afternoon for the eighth time when Lance Legere, Austin Grass & I bring you coverage of the boys/girls doubleheader against Groveton.

 It's a special day when what feels like the entire town is there to watch their teams, and with a pair of Hall of Famers nearing the end of their coaching careers, you never know if it will be the last time you see Buddy Trask & Mark Collins on a sideline together.

 They are the gold standard for New Hampshire basketball coaches, and there are no more knowledgeable basketball fans in the state than the ones you'll find in the North Country.

 As for the two teams, I have no read yet on Groveton this season. I'll get my first look at them on Saturday, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Dowse brothers (Kaiden & Kolten) a year older & a year wiser against their arch-rivals.

 The two towns have always been what the game is really about. NHsportspage was built on games like this one, and we're excited to go back again on Saturday..