Every year, we turn the semifinal previews over to the people who know these teams better than anyone, the head coaches who have gone up against them this season.

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

 Division IV Tournament Bracket

 Gold Level Coaches/Supporters: Jamie Walker of Woodsville, Jay Darrah of Pittsfield, David Bedard of Franklin, Mark Collins of Groveton, Nick Tzannos of Mascenic, Greg Farland of Concord Christian, Mitchell Roy of Profile, Matt Manning of Lin Wood, Josiah Riley of Pittsburg Canaan and Trevor Howard of Littleton.

  (1) Profile vs. (4) Farmington

 Box score from the first meeting: Profile 73, Farmington 30 

 Mitchell Roy's Profile Patriots, the only undefeated boys' basketball team in the state, are looking to earn their first championship since 2004.

 They'll face a Farmington Tigers team making their first Final Four appearance since 2001.

 We asked the head coaches to break down both teams and the match-up, beginning with the top seed.

 "They all understand their role, they know where they each need to be on the floor, and they know the two guys to look for," said a coach we spoke to.

 "Josh Robie can knock down any open look he gets, and they run good offense to be sure he gets those clean looks."

  A fellow coach agreed.

 "They are almost robotic at this point. They have played so much basketball together that they get to their spots and go. They know they can win a shootout against anyone and have also learned how to win low-scoring games.":

 Coaches spoke about the improvement in the Profile defense.

 "They have greatly improved on defense. They held opponents to 47 points a game, and if you look at their match-ups against Littleton and Woodsville, they also held them in the forties."

 "They will play a 2-3 zone but mix it up when Mitchell wants to. They have played some 1-2-2 in a half-court trap and also will play man to man."

 Another coach talked about their toughness.

 "You could throw them off their game last season. Woodsville seemed to have their number, but they are mentally tougher this season. They'll still get on each other but are much better about getting on to the next play."

 How do you defend Profile?

 "You have to have a good athlete guarding Alex Leslie in the paint, to try and stop him from going to the basket."

 "Portsmouth Christian did a good job because Derek (Summers) had Connor Hickey, who is big and athletic enough to cover Leslie. Farmington has some decent size, but I don't know who Adam (Thurston) will assign to Leslie. If you put Shawn Murphy on him, I see him getting into foul trouble, so Adam may have to rotate bodies."

 "Robie leads with his right foot when he shoots, and he extends his arms farther out than most shooters. We made him go left every time; he can still score. You're never going to stop him, but we were able to keep him relatively in check by making him go left."

 What about Adam Thurston's Farmington Tigers?

 "They can score with just about anyone. Aiden Place is a good shooter on the perimeter, and they are good in transition. Adam likes to gamble defensively to try and force turnovers. When they get a turnover, they quickly turn it into points."

 " They are a zone defensive team, but that is not going to work against Profile."

 "I love watching Demery Hadges. He is so smooth. He can knock down shots and has added to their offense."

 "Shawn Murphy is really tough, just an old school, knock you down on the way to the rim kind of player. He can get to the teeth of that Profile zone defense and do some damage."

 "Aiden Place is streaky, but he can knock down four or fire shots in a row when he's on. They're going to need that to stay in the game."

 "I look for Adam to make anyone besides Robie and Leslie beat them. You cannot play zone against Profile; you must defend them man to man, but I would double team Robie and Leslie when they get to their spots and make Cayden Wakeham, Karsen Robie, or Jackson Clough be the guy who beats me."

 "Farmington has to slow the game down and limit possessions. They need to make Profile play them out near mid-court; I'd control the tempo and try to throw their rhythm off. Easier said than done."

 So who wins tonight?

 "Profile by 30."

 "Profile."

 "Profile might be close for a half."

 

  (2) Littleton vs. (6) Woodsville

 Box score from the first meeting: Littleton 65, Woodsville 49

 Box Score from the second meeting: Littleton 50, Woodsville 40
 

 Littleton and Woodsville meet for the third time, with a trip to Saturday afternoon's championship game on the line.

 We asked the head coaches to break down both teams, beginning with the three-time defending champions.

 "Woodsville hasn't been the passing team they were a year ago when they ran so much of their offense through Cam Davidson at the high post," said one coach we spoke with.

"They moved the ball well against Derryfield and will need to be just as efficient against Littleton to have a chance to win the game."

 "Ryan Walker is very underrated, and his ability to handle Littleton's pressure was the difference in last year's semifinal game."

 "Connor Newcomb can shoot the ball well; he just hasn't been consistent," said a coach we spoke to.

 "When he plays like he did against Derryfield, they can beat anyone when he shoots the ball that well. The ball, though, can get stuck with him, throwing their movement off as a unit."

 "They are at their best when Jack Boudreault has the ball and Landon Kingsbury can work the baseline. Kingsbury isn't the passer Davidson was, but he does a nice job finishing in the paint, and this is a Littleton team who does not have a shot blocker like they did a year ago with Carmichael Lopez."

 " You can attack Littleton down low and beat them on the glass."

 "Connor Houston is a good defender and will need to shoot the ball well in the final four."

 "Jamie (Walker) always has that team prepared in the tournament. He's one of the best coaches in our division, hands down. He will mix some things up the third time, but more importantly, he will know what to emphasize with his team."

 What about the Littleton Crusaders?

 "They have a ton of talent and a great coach in Trevor (Howard)."

 "Kayden Hoskins is an excellent offensive player, and Dre Akines was their best player when they lost to Woodsville in the semifinals."

 "Landon Lord and Grady Hadlock understand their roles, and they, along with Sam Reagey, compliment Hoskins, Akines, and Mike Rodriguez."

 "Rodriguez is a special talent. You can also see why he is still a freshman because he can take over a game for a five-minute stretch but not be a huge factor for long stretches."

" Trevor has done a nice job working him in slowly, and I see him being a big factor for them this week."

 "Trevor doesn't game plan much; he wins so often that he will just run their stuff, which is usually good enough to come out on top."

" I'd take my chances with Houston and Boudreault knocking down shots and work to keep Walker out of the paint and Kingsbury from sneaking over weakside for interior points."

 "Littleton is excellent offensively, and when they are knocking down shots, they can beat anyone, even Profile."

" Their only issue has been they are more reliant on hitting threes than they have been in the past, and if they shoot the ball poorly on a neutral floor, Woodsville can beat them."

 
 Who wins the game tonight?

 "Littleton by eight."

 "I'll go with Jamie and Woodsville until someone beats them."

 "Littleton, I think they have a little too much offense for Woodsville."