In today's edition of Thursday Thoughts, we will rank the top ten in Division I and II and project the seedings and matchups for Division III and IV as they wrap up their regular season over the next week.

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Division I

Division I Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Kevin Gibbs of Bedford, Greg Cotreau of Manchester Memorial, Ricky Oliver of Salem, Scott Blake of Spaulding, Frank Girginis of Alvirne, Kaylene Rogers of Exeter, Steve Largy of Goffstown, Lani Buskey of Pinkerton, and Jimmy Flynn of Dover

1. Bedford: The Bulldogs get their biggest test of the season with Pinkerton coming to town. A potential title game preview will show us any glaring weaknesses each side has against one another. The Bedford depth may be the advantage the lean on Friday night. Lyla Stein will be needed to control the tempo of this one.

2. Pinkerton: Alex White, Brooke Benz, and Kaylee Dupuis will be tasked with slowing down Lana McCarthy inside. This is a team that can run, so limiting Bedford's opportunities in the half court will be key. It sounds like Sydney Gerossie may miss this one, which will be a big factor going into the undefeated matchup.

3. Londonderry: The Lancers have won three straight with Sammie Sullivan averaging 20.6 points over the win streak. 

4. Portsmouth: Portsmouth made a statement with their 58-27 win over Goffstown Tuesday night, including a 27-0 start. This team has hit their stride as of late and looking more and more dangerous as they roll into Manchester Memorial tomorrow night.

5. Goffstown: Despite the loss to the Clippers, the Grizzlies picked up a commanding 53-38 win over Dover last Friday behind Maggie Sasso's game-high 28 points. The fight for a top eight seed continues to heat up, and the Grizzlies are looking like a team who can find themselves at in the top five.

6. Dover: Olivia Rutland exploded for a season-high 21 points in a 52-40 win over a gritty Nashua South team. Getting scoring outside of Lilly Nossiff will only bolster the Green Wave's postseason hopes.

7. Salem: The Blue Devils carry a two-game win streak tonight into Exeter for a game will be covering. The Blue Hawks are a team who likes to get up and down, and that should be something this Salem squad will want to take advantage of, as they have shown they can score points in a hurry.

8. Windham: The Jaguars travel to Dover Friday night in a battle of 9-4 teams. Getting off to a strong start like they did in their 66-37 win over Keene should be the focus. Defensively this group has what it takes to play with Dover, it will be the production they get on the offensive end that could be the deciding factor.

9. Bishop Guertin: The Cardinals are on the outside looking in for a home playoff game after a 47-28 loss to Concord Christian last Friday. While they will travel on the round in the first round for the first time in quite some time, this group could be one no one will want to get in the prelims.

10. Keene: Nashua South and Salem stand in the way of the Blackbirds staying in contention for a home playoff game in the first round. Sophomore Harper Zalaski is averaginbg 16.3 ppg over her last three contests and has taken her game up a notch down the stretch of the regular season.

 

Division II

Division II Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Dan O'Rourke of Hanover, Brian Gray of Sanborn, Larry Meader of Kennett, Bryan Wall of Oyster River, Bob McNutt of Merrimack Valley, and Rebecca Carlile of Concord Christian

1. Concord Christian: The Kingsmen continue to cruise after a 47-28 win over Division I Bishop Guertin. A few big games remain on the schedule, but this has been the most complete team in the division so far.

2. Pembroke: Pembroke showed some grit on Tuesday night, trailing as much as 12 points and not leading until the fourth quarter in a come from behind 68-58 overtime win over Oyster River. A lot of looks this team is accustomed to making didn't fall for most of the night. It was their defensive pressure that got them back in the game and a complete takeover from Annelise Dexter (36 points) and freshman Anne Phillips (17 points) in the fourth quarter and OT.

3. Laconia: The Sachems continue to quietly take care of business but have a big week ahead with trips to Timberlane and Pelham and a rematch with Concord Christian a week from today.

4. John Stark: Eleanor Giradet eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone on Tuesday night with a season-high 28 points in a 60-48 win over Coe-Brown. The versatility of this group makes them a tough one to game plan. A road trip to Derryfield Friday night will be a score to lookout for.

5. Bow: The Falcons once again brought rival Pembroke to the brink, narrowly falling in that game 47-38 last Friday. Bow did respond with a 45-35 win over Kennett in a title game rematch and now shift their focus to Bishop Brady Friday night. Getting healthy will be key for this team down the stretch.

6. Hanover: Tuesday's 50-38 win over Milford marked the Bears fourth victory in a row. Sydney McLaughlin has been on a tear, averaging 28 points a game over her last three contests. 

7. Oyster River: The Bobcats had one of Division II's best on the ropes for most of the night and showed how many ways they can hurt you. Riley Drapeau and Maeve Hickok do a good job of controlling the offensive rebound department while Vivian O'Quinn does a nice job of controlling the offensive tempo. Caitlin Klein made every shot tough for Annelise Dexter for a majority of the night before her fourth quarter explosion. Her two-way play will be a weapon this team leans on as they head towards the playoffs.

8. Pelham: The Pythons have won five in a row and will try and make it six when they take on Lebanon on Friday. Pelham is averaging 57.6 ppg over their last five contests and are finding a rhythm on that end at just the right time.

9. Derryfield: We will see what the Cougars are made of when John Stark comes to town on Friday and a road game at Hanover next Tuesday. It took a half of play for the offense to get going in their Friday win over Milford. If the team we saw in the second half behind strong play, especially the scoring outburst Tia Ferdinando (23 points) provided, the Cougars will have a chance to be in these games.

10. Milford: The Spartans have been limited to just 38 points over their last two losses. It has been a rollercoaster of a season for this group, but the one thing that hasn't changed is their ability to compete with all of their opponents. They will be a tough out in the playoffs.

 

 

Division III

Division III Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Kevin Giannino of St. Thomas Aquinas, Ed Tenney of Kearsarge, Scott Currier of Gilford, Don Picard of Berlin, and Mike Mahoney of Hopkinton

Bracketology Edition (predicting the fifteen seeds in next week's tournament... top seed gets a first round bye)

1) St. Thomas Aquinas 2) Hopkinton 3) Kearsarge 4) Winnisquam 5) Prospect Mountain 6) Gilford 7) Stevens 8) Conant 9) White Mountains 10) Monadnock 11) Mascoma Valley 12) Berlin 13) Belmont 14) Fall Mountain 15) Campbell

 

Projected First Round Match-ups

St. Thomas and Hopkinton, bye (watch out for the bye this year, they've been hungry for a first round upset)

(9) White Mountains at (8) Conant

(12) Berlin at (5) Prospect Mountain 

(13) Belmont at (4) Winnisquam

(11) Mascoma Valley at (6) Gilford

(14) Fall Mountain at (3) Kearsarge 

(10) Monadnock at (7) Stevens

 

Notes: The Saints and Hawks could trade places if Hopkinton is to take their regular season finale over STA... Winnisquam got the best of Gilford on Wednesday night, all but locking up two home games and pushing Gilford out of the top five. Prospect Mountain sits with three wins against projected tournament teams, the lowest out of any projected top eight seed. They would get a rematch with Berlin in a game that went to the wire in the prelims last year. Donnie Picard will have his group ready to grind it out against a high-scoring Timberwolves offense... For those who like to play the "who has the longest playoff drive" game, the correct answer in this projection is White Mountains traveling to Conant coming in at two hours and 39 minutes, making for an even more interesting matchup... Monadnock at Stevens may be the game of the prelims, especially after the Huskies swept the regular season series with the Cardinals... . The Mascoma Valley at Gilford 6-11 game is an interesting one. The Royals have flown under the radar a bit and are coming off their best win of the season over Hopkinton... Fall Mountain is playing some of their best basketball of the season at just the right time and will travel to Kearsarge to play a team they lost to by 11 after jumping out to an early seven point lead after the first quarter. The Matt Baird-Torney- Ed Tenney coaching matchup should be a fun one...

 

Division IV 

Division IV Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Derek Tremblay of Mount Royal, Joseph Williams of Holy Family, Meghan Averill of Newmarket, Tim Haskins of Groveton, Dale Prior of Littleton, and Duane Call of Colebrook

Bracketology Edition (predicting the sixteen seeds in next week's tournament... top seed gets a first round bye)

1) Littleton 2) Groveton 3) Newmarket 4) Woodsville 5) Farmington 6) Wilton 7) Moultonborough 8) Portsmouth Christian Academy 9) Hinsdale 10) Profile 11) Franklin 12) Pittsburg-Cannan 13) Holy Family 14) Epping 15) Colebrook 16) Mascenic

 

 

Projected First Round Match-ups

(16) Mascenic at (1) Littleton

(9) Hinsdale at (8) Portsmouth Christian

(12) Pittsburg-Canaan at (5) Farmington

(13) Holy Family at (4) Woodsville 

(11) Franklin at (6) Wilton-Lyndeborough 

(14) Epping at (3) Newmarket 

(10) Profile at (7) Moultonborough

(15) Colebrook at (2) Groveton

 

Notes: The Division IV script writers giving us a potential Colebrook at Groveton prelim matchup may be better than any Christmas gift I received this year... Moultonborough-Profile was one of the lowest regular season scoring totals we saw this year at 20-17. Matt Swedberg always seems to play teams better the second time around and did that in the low scoring contest. Round three at home will be interesting against a senior-laden Profile squad... Franklin and Wilton will be interesting. The Warriors currently have just four of their 11 wins over projected tournament teams while the Golden Tornadoes have just one win with two games to go. Two teams with little playoff experience and one will be moving onto the quarterfinals, a huge accomplishment for two up and coming programs.. I am setting the over under of Epping-Newmarket at 47.5. Expect defense, defense, and more defense... Pittsburg-Canaan will take a three hour and 20 minute bus ride to Farmington in one of the more lively gyms in the division. These lineups matchup well on paper and could make out to be one of the best prelim games we see in Division IV...