Today will be a Division III and Division IV-only edition of Thursday Thoughts, with mid-season snapshots for Division I and II coming tomorrow morning.

  We will see where these divisions stand as we move towards the final month of the regular season.

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Division III

Division III Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Mike Mahoney of Hopkinton, Matthew Baird-Torney of Fall Mountain, Scott Currier of Gilford, Tom Bourdeau of Raymond, Kevin Giannino of St. Thomas, and Chris Foss of White Mountains

1. St. Thomas: The Saints earned a 69-28 statement win over Hopkinton on Friday and followed that with a 58-30 victory over Prospect Mountain. Emma Toriello has had the hot hand as of late, averaging 18.3 points over her last four games.  There has not been a team that has matched their level as of yet. St Thomas continues to look like the favorites as we inch towards the postseason.

2. Fall Mountain: A grind-it-out win over rival Stevens (it is always a close one when those two meet up) has the Wildcats riding a four-game win streak heading into another rivalry matchup with Conant on Friday. Clara Stewart had her best outing of the season with 19 points in the win over the Cardinals. When she is scoring at that clip this is a tough team to stop.

3. Newport: The Tigers have rattled off two straight wins and with five games remaining have a chance to lock up a top-four seed. Getting two home games will be key for this team as they play well on their home floor and that fanbase is itching to up their already playoff-like atmosphere.

4. Hopkinton: The Hawks have a chance to avenge an early season loss to Monadnock in an important game on Friday night. They find themselves at 10-2 and are separated by one and two games with a handful of teams. Seeding is on the minds of everyone, and even with a bit of an injury-riddled rotation the Hawks know they will need to put forth their best effort against the Huskies.

5. Monadnock: Speaking of the Huskies, they find themselves at 9-3 after losing on the road at Conant (more on that great win for the Orioles below). They find themselves getting healthier with Shaylee Branon and Bailee Soucia back in the lineup. They can win games with their defense, and they will need to dig in on that end against Hopkinton and make it a goal to try and limit Sydney Westover on the glass and hold the Hawks to one shot per possession.

6. Gilford: Olivia Keenan is playing her best basketball at just the right time as the Golden Eagles find themselves in the mix for two home games. Her 25-point outburst against Berlin last week helped Gilford earn their fourth win in a row, a streak that has now been extended to five after a win over Belmont on Tuesday. The last two weeks of their schedule will test this team, but they are trending in the right direction.

7. Prospect Mountain: At 10-2, this is another team fighting for playoff positioning. After a 58-30 loss to St. Thomas on Tuesday, they have a week off to prep for the final stretch of the regular season that features the Saints one more time along with Berlin and a trip to White Mountains. Going 2-1 in those games may be the best case scenario for a team on the doorstep of the top four. 

8. Berlin: Caitlin Kelley has been a scoring machine for the Mountaineers all year long, but her 33 points in a win over Newfound shows she can be a go-to option when needed. The tough stretch of the schedule continues with St. Thomas coming to town tonight, but Berlin is still in play for a home game when things are all said and done.

9. Conant: The Orioles earned their best win of the season 50-44 over Monadnock behind a big second half and 20 and 19-point performances from Lol Hayes and Hannah Manley. Manley has been consistent on that end of the floor all year long, but when another option steps up like Hayes has this team can be a really tough out. This was a momentum-type win and they will need a repeat of this type of production when they travel Fall Mountain on Friday night.

10. White Mountains: The Spartans sit at 7-5, with four of those losses coming to Division IV opponents in Littleton and Groveton. They have faired well against Division III going 7-1, and will need to prove that down the stretch as they try and possibly sneak into the top eight.

Division IV 

Division IV Standings and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Jim Tucker of Sunapee, Derek Tremblay of Mount Royal, Tim Haskins of Groveton, Duane Call of Colebrook, and Dale Prior of Littleton

1. Littleton: The Crusaders continue to roll and it seems to be a new player stepping up every night. Addison Hadlock went for a season-high 15 points against Pittsburg-Canaan, JuJu Bromley went for 12 points against Profile, Leah Poulton went for 16 points against Lisbon, and Ella Horsch scored 20 big points against Holy Family. Colebrook comes to town on Friday in what should be a game to watch for.

2. Holy Family: The Griffins got back in the win column against Sunapee on Monday and won a great back-and-forth battle against Franklin on Wednesday night. This team can really score the basketball at an efficient clip and will be in the conversation late into the year.

3. Groveton: Wins over Colebrook and White Mountains have the Eagles on a five-game win streak. Makalyn Kenison played a major factor on the road in the win over the Mohawks with 20 points and Delaney Whiting has been a force to be reckoned with as of late with 18 points in both victories.

4. Colebrook: The Mohawks are due for a signature win, and they will get a shot at top-seeded Littleton on Friday night. Limiting turnovers and getting quality looks for will be the tasks for Colebrook. Controlling the pace and maybe trying to slow things down could play in their favor. They have seen this Littleton team plenty of times and could try to throw something new at them to mix things up.

5. Farmington: The Tigers earned their best win of the year against Newmarket last Tuesday 48-27 and are winners of three in a row. Farmington is in the mix for two home playoff games as we enter the final stretch of the regular season. 

6. Newmarket: The Mules earned a second straight win behind a season-high 24 points from Amaya Beckles, taking down PCA 46-23. The schedule beefs up in February and Newmarket will need a strong finish if they want to try and crack the top four.

7. Franklin: The Golden Tornadoes have a challenging next two weeks with Farmington and Holy Family on the schedule, but this group has responded to challenges and is certainly out to prove they are a serious playoff contender. They did just that by sticking with Holy Family all game long. This team is ready for the big games.

8. Portsmouth Christian: The Eagles' four-game win streak was snapped and their high-powered offense was slowed down by Newmarket on Tuesday. They will get a chance to see them again in February, so finding out how to play at their pace will be a key in that one.

9. Woodsville: The Engineers had an up-and-down January and the schedule only gets tougher the rest of the way. They have shown flashes though, going toe-to-toe with Holy Family, leading the game at points against Littleton, but they will need some consistency the rest of the way to earn a better seed. They will be a tough matchup regardless of who they take on in round one.

10. Pittsburg-Canaan: The Yellow Jackets held yet another halftime lead over a top team in the division, but Littleton was able to control the second half and win that one 45-34 on Tuesday. Finding a way to carry over momentum into the final 16 minutes of games is objective number one for head coach Matt Jordan as we head toward the postseason.