Today we take a look and breakdown the four quarterfinal games taking place in Division II tonight.

 Today's preview is brought to you by our friends and partners at NHTI!

 

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

 

#9 Derryfield at #1 Concord Christian

Box score of the first meeting: Concord Christian 60, Derryfield 25

My take: We get a Division IV championship rematch from two years ago on Saturday.

 The Cougars had a commanding second half to pull off the upset in round one over Oyster River. Tia Ferdinando was the main focus for the Bobcat defense, and that allowed to Abby Fournier to shake loose and lead the way offensively. 

 This team wins as one unit, and it will take a full team-effort to take down the top seed. 

 Courtney Cheetham will have to find a way to get Ferdinando open for a few clean looks. Her shooting is needed for a group that does a lot of their damage inside the arc. 

 Freshman Bre McCabe has been a focal point offensively, but they will need her on both ends of the floor to limit CCA to one shot a possession. 

 From there, they will need a role player to step up as they always seem to have one each game. Chloe Bremberg and Sam Chappell are two that come to mind that could give this team a spark.

 They won't be able to get into a shootout with Concord Christian, but trying to keep them in the 50's will be their best shot in this one. 

 As for the Kingsmen, this group is as good as they come. The roster features two top four scorers in Emma Smith (19.0 ppg) and Lilli Carlile (17.8 ppg).

 When those two are on, there aren't many defenses that can find an answer to stop them. 

 This team defends at a high level and is efficient on the inside and behind the arc.

 Getting out and running will be what they hope to do from the start, and point guard Kayden Rioux can help them do just that. 

 Even when shots don't fall Kate Smith does a terrific job providing offensive rebounding. She is the lone "size" this team has, as they are a guard-oriented group.

 

The Pick: The Kingsmen offense propels them to the Final Four

 

#5 Pelham at #4 John Stark

Box score of the first meeting: John Stark 59, Pelham 42

My take: Pelham led from start to finish on Tuesday night over Kennett and will now be tasked with slowing down John Stark who has been playing some of their best basketball the last few weeks. 

 The Pythons can spread you out, and seem to have a different player lead them in scoring each night. 

 Grace Riley found a groove in the opening round with a game-high 21 points. Riley, Sophia Guinazzo, Olivia Todd, or Sophia Joncas all can erupt for double digits. 

 It may take two or even all four to find themselves in double figures tonight. Swinging the ball early and getting everyone in a rhythm will force the General defense to stretch out to all options.

 This team is most effective when they score off of their pressure. John Stark has the guard play to play through it, but they can try and speed the Generals up early and see if they can get easy points in transition. 

 Joncas and company will need to have an answer for Eleanor Giradet. She can hurt you inside or step out and hit open threes. At least four of the five players on the floor can hit open three point looks so if you want to double Giradet you might pay for it. 

 Abby Duclos does a great job of keeping this team in check and helping run the offense. Limiting turnovers and getting Giradet into most actions could lead to open looks around the perimeter.

 Avery Geaumont can hurt you from deep whether it is off a reversal or a dribble pull-up. How well this team shoots could dictate this one, but if Geaumont finds a rhythm she is tough to stop.

 

The Pick: The Generals hot shooting gets them to the semifinals

 

#6 Bow at #3 Pembroke

Box score of the first meeting: Pembroke 42, Bow 35

Box score of the second meeting: Pembroke 47, Bow 38

My take: We get Bow-Pembroke round three tonight and we will be there to bring you all the coverage of this one. 

 We have seen this Bow defense hold the Spartans to their two lowest scoring tallies of the season. The key in this one may be the Falcons eclipsing the 40-point mark themselves on offense. 

 Juliette Tarsa, Ella Trefethen, and Bry Szepan have been the main sources of offense all year, and all three will need to chip in on that end to stay in this one. 

 Tarsa has become a great finisher around the rim, so getting her on curls to either pull the elbow jumper or take it to the hole is a good spot for the Falcons to create offense. 

 Trefethen and Szepan will need to show the willingness to attempt the three. Trefethen has great speed and Szepan has great touch around the rim. If one or two shots from deep fall, the lane will start to open up. 

 Kendall Murray will most likely matchup with Annelise Dexter. It will take a team effort to slow her down, but Murray will be tasked with the brunt of it. 

 As for the Spartans, getting out to a strong start should be the first order of business. 

 The last few weeks of the regular season have seen this group having to come from behind in most games. Getting out front early and setting the tone will be key. 

 Dexter averaged 28.3 points over the last four games of the regular season. It wouldn't be surprised to see her go for 25-plus tonight. 

 She will get her points, but they will need a boost out of the other four on the floor. 

 Kaitlin Arenella had her way in the first matchup with Bow, scoring a season-high 16 points in the win. The stepback was working for her that night, so her creation in this one will be big.

 Anne Phillips and Kate Stephens will need to help take care of the basketball and hit the open looks when given them. 

 Taylor Renna could be an x-factor. If she can get a three or two to fall early that could give this offense more room to work with. 

 These two know each other better than they may know themselves. There won't be any surprises in this one.

 

The Pick: This may come down to the last few minutes. I will give the Spartans the slight edge if their offense finds rhythm early. Pembroke grudges it out to head to the semis.

 

#7 Hanover at #2 Laconia

Box score of the first meeting: Laconia 51, Hanover 39

My take: Hanover is much improved since we last saw them play Laconia. The most glaring issue from that game was turnovers. The Bears failed to take care of the basketball and let Macy Swormstedt go for 24 points. 

 Flash forward nearly a month later and Hanover is playing some of the most balanced basketball we have seen from them. 

 The biggest question mark around this team has been scoring outside of Sydney McLaughlin. In their 70-42 first round win over Coe-Brown, McLaughlin was the fourth leading scorer.

 The pressure of scoring 20-plus to win games hasn't been there the last few weeks with everyone stepping up and producing on both ends of the floor.

 Allie McBride erupted for 24 points and had her moment, something we were alluding to on our preview podcast. Claire Starosta was behind her with 11 points of her own. 

 Unselfish, team basketball has been their recipe for success as of late. If this is the type of production Hanover can achieve tonight they will be in very good shape. 

 Nina Marshall has been a steady presence on the floor and will need to help take care of the ball and clean up the boards, especially with Mekhia Burton on the other side. 

 Laconia had one of the crazier finishes to the regular season. A one-point loss to Pelham was followed up an upset 48-46 win over Concord Christian, which then was followed by a buzzer-beating 41-40 loss to Oyster River. 

 They have been playing playoff-like games for the last two weeks. 

 Swormstedt as always is the key. If she is getting to her spots and is comfortable early it will be an uphill battle for Hanover. 

 Burton gives this team so many second chance possessions off of hustle alone, and can change the trajectory of this game on the defensive end. 

 Maddy Mousseau continues to grow more confident and be a real threat on the offensive side of the ball. Her three-point shot gave CCA their lone loss of the year, and she will have some open looks tonight that could play a factor.

 Burton and Renee Bergeron provide quality inside presence and their ability to crash the glass and cause havoc defensively will be relied upon heavily. 

 This is one of the most experienced teams left standing. We saw them go on the road and make a run to the semifinals as a five seed, and have been perfect on their home floor this season.

 

The Pick: The rejuvenated Bears keep this one close, but Laconia finds a way to win late and head back to the Final Four.