Today we take a look at the two Division IV semifinal games that take place tonight at Merrimack Valley high school.

 As we have every season for fifteen years, we turn our semifinal preview over to the coaches who faced this team all year long and dive into the match-ups using blind quotes. 

 Our semifinal scouting report is brought to you by our longtime partners at White Mountains Community College!

 

   (1) Littleton vs. (4) Woodsville

 

    Littleton Team Page

    Woodsville Team Page

    Box score of the first meeting

    Box score of the second meeting

 The two North Country rivals meet for the third time tonight, and we asked three head coaches to break down both teams and the match-ups, beginning with Trevor Howard's top-seeded Crusaders.

 "They are the most balanced team, offensively, in our division," said one head coach we spoke to.

 "Carmichael Lopez will pose match-up problems for Woodsville, especially with Cam Davidson not at 100%. How Jamie (Walker) matches up with him will be interesting. In the second game, they put Davidson on Dre Akines and dared him to shoot it from the outside. My guess is they put Connor Houston on Kayden Haskins and keep Davidson near the paint to help on Lopez in the paint.”

 Another coach talked about Littleton's ability to shoot the basketball.

 "With certain teams, you can focus your defense on one or two players and get that team out of rhythm. You can't do that against Littleton because players like Grady Hadlock and Landon Lord will bury you if you leave them open. Gavin Lewis doesn't play many minutes, but he is another player who can knock down shots."

 "This, to me, is a game all about pace. Littleton wants to speed Woodsville up. Woodsville wants this to be a slowed-down halfcourt game."

 A fellow coach agreed with that assessment.

 "Littleton has played mostly man this season, but they went zone against Woodsville last time they played, and that plays right into (the Engineers) hands. Maybe Littleton was in foul trouble, but you need to defend them man to man and not allow Connor Houston and Jack Boudreault to line up those corner jumpers."

 "I'd look for Trevor to mix in his 2-2-1 press to speed Woodsville up."

 "Landon Lord is going to be a key player for Trevor. He can get to the rim, and defensively, he will flop. Do the officials call those charges, or does he allow a player to score because he is trying to get a call?"

 "My guess is Littleon speeds the game up and tries to pull Davidson away from the basket."

 What about Jamie Walker's two-time defending champions?

 "The ability of Connor Houston to guard a player like Kayden Hoskins is huge. He was all over Josh Robie in their quarterfinal win, and he does so much on the defensive end for you that any offense he gives you is just a bonus."

 "Jamie will run very good motion, and he will try and attack the weaker Littleton defenders."

 "Littleton is the best offensive team in the division, but they are not very strong defensively. You can score on them."

 Another coach talked about Woodsville's starting five.

 "They will only play six guys. Mike Hogan gave them good minutes against Profile, but they rely on the starters to play big minutes. As far as depth goes, Littleton is the much deeper team, although Trevor probably only plays seven players on Monday night. "

 "I've been impressed by (freshman) Ryan Walker. He takes care of the ball very well for an underclassman. Jamie must have schooled him on not committing turnovers."

 "Cam Davidson is the best winner in our division. He knows what it takes, makes winning plays at the end of games, and is an elite passer. He's been slowed by the knee injury, but he is so smart, he ends up in the right position most of the time anyway."

 "The key for Woodsville is to be patient offensively. Make Littleton defend for 45 seconds to a minute; take what the defense gives you, and you'll find a good look."

 "Landon Kingsbury gives them a player who can knock down shots from the outside and will go around you when you close out hard. He gives them that second scorer they needed this season."

 

 So who wins tonight?

 "I'll go with Littleton by six."

 “ Woodsville, by four.”

 "Littleton, I just think they have the most explosive offense."

 

 My pick: Woodsville by two.

 

(2) Concord Christian vs. (6) Holy Family

 

Concord Christian Team Page

Holy Family Team Page

Box Score from the first meeting

Box score from the second meeting

 Concord Christian and Holy Family square off in the semifinals for the second year in a row.

 We asked our three head coaches to break down the teams and tonight’s match-up, beginning with Eric Heizer’s Kingsmen.

 “ Concord Christian likes to play at a faster pace, and they have the personnel to be successful at it. Brode Frink is the best player in our division, and Ethan Young is one of the most improved players.”

 “ Eric does a good job preparing. He will scout what Holy Family does best. To me, you are talking about two teams that play similar styles, Concord Christian just does it a little better. They are a little more organized.”

 Another coach talked about the Concord Christian defense.

 “ They don’t take as many chances jumping passing lanes or going for the steal as they did a year ago when they had (all-state center) Isaac Jarvis at the back end of their defense."

"They are not a great defensive team; they are a lot like Littleton in that they can outscore teams on most nights so the focus is not on the defense."

 “ Austin Spurr is their best defender, and he hurt us when we faced them. He does a lot of the little things that help a team win.”

 “ I watched the film of their game against Holy Family that (we/NHsportspage) covered, and it looked to me like their intent was to get Sean Sullivan and Sean Peterson running up and down the floor in a faster-paced game."

"That seemed to wear them both down and made the difference. I’d imagine Concord Christian will again look to push the tempo and get Brode Frink out in transition.”

 What about Keith Lacasse’s Griffins?

 “ Gabe Lacasse can really score, and he is huge at the end of games because he can create his shot. He is excellent from the mid-range and does a nice job of anticipating what the defender will do.”

 “ Yves Mugiraneza is very good. He can get by anyone off the dribble; we told our guys to back off of him and make him shoot it from the outside. He is hesitant to take those shots.”

 "You have to limit how many times he gets out in transition because he and Frink are the two best players we saw all year when they are in the open court."

 “ They all seem to have a lot of input as a team. You see them in the huddle, and there seems to be a lot of collaboration.”

 “ Sean Peterson has been a difference maker. When he gets position on the low block, he finishes through contact and does a nice job of not drawing charges against him. It will be interesting to see how he does against Mason Kerr, but I give him the advantage in the paint.”

 “ Holy Family isn’t very deep but they can win with six."

 "They are a tough match-up because they like putting Sean Sullivan and Jack Vicinanzo in the corners, where they can knock down shots.”

 “ That opens up driving lanes for Lacasse and Mugiraneza where they can drive and either drop a pass down to Peterson or kick it to the corner to one of their shooters. It’s a tough team to defend because they have two of the best ball handlers in our division.”

 “ To me, Mugiraneza is the difference maker in the end. He can create his own look and does an excellent job controlling the tempo they play. Keith does a nice job of ensuring they never get sped up too much.”

 “ They have been here the past two seasons. This might be the year they break through. They are a good team that plays with a lot of confidence.”

 

 So who wins tonight?

 “ Concord Christian by eight.”

 “ I’m going with Holy Family in an upset.”

 “ Concord Christian will win it.”

 My pick: I like Holy Family’s chances to beat them…feels like they are due.