With the Division I & II mid-season snapshots this week, it's a Division III & IV-only edition of Thursday Thoughts, where we rank and break down the contenders.

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 Division III

 Division III Standings and Top 20 Scorers

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Rick Acquilano of Gilford, Tony Martinez of Belmont, Jim Hill of Monadnock, Nate Haskell of Fall Mountain, Eli Vincent of White Mountains, Jim Gallagher of Raymond, Nate Camp of Kearsarge, Jimmy Peard of Conant, Matt Dancosse of Stevens, Zach Swanson of Inter-Lakes, Dave Morissette of St Thomas and Justin Dibenedetto of Campbell.

1. Belmont—Treshawn Ray's 37-point performance against Gilford (the two times he has scored over 15 points in a game this season have both come against the Golden Eagles) will and should get a lot of the attention, but it was Belmont's man-to-man defense that impressed me the most. With two shot blockers behind them, the guards are able to be aggressive on the perimeter, and on Tuesday night, Gilford never got comfortable.
2. Campbell—The Cougars rolled over Prospect Mountain last Friday night 77-52 behind 22 points from Logan Rice and 20 from Jack Breton. They head to Raymond tomorrow night, where the Rams need a marquee win on the resume.
3. St. Thomas—There are signs that the champs are figuring things out. Cole McClure has figured out when to lay back and set guys up and when to take over the game. At the same time, the rotation is just about set, and players like Ryan Allard and Brady Livas are stepping into more significant roles. Big one with Gilford on Tuesday.
4. Kearsarge—The Cougars and Mascoma have the easiest paths to a top-four seed, with a trip to Gilford to close the season as the only game they won't be a prohibitive favorite in. We've been saying all season that the road to the final four will be challenging for the three and four seeds, and coaches in the division know this. If Nate Camp's team wins out, they will be a top two seed.
5. Mascoma- Give Silas Ayres's Royals a lot of credit; they've gone 3-0 with wins over Hopkinton and Fall Mountain since Brayden Pierce (18.7) went down with a season-ending injury. Bryce Ballou has averaged 22.6 points per game in those three games. Next up is a trip to Whitefield to take on White Mountains.
6. Gilford—The Golden Eagles' 26-point loss to Belmont was their most lopsided home loss in over a decade. Treshawn Ray more than tripled his season average coming in, so you can shrug your shoulders and call it a bad night, but the real issue for this team is that they struggle to create their own shots. Against good defenses, if Rick Acquilano isn't drawing it up, they have a hard time creating good looks.
7. Raymond- Over the next two weeks, we will find out how good Jim Gallagher's team is. Are the Rams being overlooked as legitimate contenders? Two games against Campbell and one each with Belmont and St Thomas will tell us.
8. Fall Mountain—The Wildcats survived a trip to Claremont Tuesday night, beating a Stevens team they rolled by 32 points two weeks ago by just three points (59-56). This team's goal is the quarterfinals and beyond. To get there, their defense has to be better.
9. Newport- The Tigers get their measuring stick game tonight when they take on Kearsarge on the road. We know the all-state duo of Aaron Fellows and Christian Forsythe will produce, but can the Tigers hold the Cougars backcourt of Noah Whipple, Austin Needham, and Eli Whipple in check?
10. Conant- Yes, at 5-8, the Orioles grab the last spot. Their losses to Stevens and Raymond came without Jared Naigle, and they play the most challenging schedule in the division. Jimmy Peard's team will be a very tough out in the tournament.

Division IV

Division IV Standings and Top 20 Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Jamie Walker of Woodsville, Brandon Crummer of Mount Royal, Derek Summers of Portsmouth Christian, Mark Collins of Groveton, Chris Goldstack of Epping, Greg Farland of Concord Christian, Jay Darrah of Pittsfield, Carl Anderson of Hinsdale, Trevor Howard of Littleton, Tim Clough of Profile, Dave Bedard of Franklin, Josiah Riley of Pittsburg-Canaan and Nick Farrer of Newmarket.

1. Woodsville: The beat goes on for Jamie Walker's team as the Engineers improved to 12-0 with a 50-45 win at Gorham. Former head coach Dave Morissette coached for Dylan Haynes (out sick), and Isaac Langlios and Landon Kingsbury were also out sick. Ryan Walker stepped up with 24 points in the victory.
2. Concord Christian- The Kingsmen had four scorers in double figures in a 65-44 win over Holy Family, who has now lost six of their last seven games. TJ Charbono and Luke Farland scored 17 apiece, while Jack Owens added 12 and Alex Xu 11. They head to the Carl Anderson Dome in Hinsdale tomorrow night before a Tuesday showdown with Portsmouth Christian.
3. Littleton—Fun fact: The Crusaders are the only team in the division with three different players who have scored 28 points or more in a game: Sam Reagey (30) against Profile, Daven Reagey (29) against White Mountains, and Ryan Mahey (28) against Gorham. See, this is why I stay up until one AM every Tuesday and Friday night adding stats.
4. Newmarket- The Mules needed a momentum shift after they dropped two straight a week ago and got it with a big 59-55 win over Portsmouth Christian behind 21 points from Jaron Labranche. I'll see Nick Farrer's team on Tuesday when they travel to play arch-rival Epping.
5. Groveton- The Eagles are playing well, earning a 64-59 win at Colebrook behind 17 points from Hunter Parks and 15 from Ashton Kenison and a season-sweep of White Mountains Monday night. Kenison was terrific, going for 26 points against the Division III Spartans, while Parks added 21.
6. Portsmouth Christian- The Eagles get their measuring stick game Tuesday night against Concord Christian. Their ability to keep the Kingsmen off the glass will be the key. Cai Summers scored his 1,000th career point in a four-point loss to Newmarket.
7. Profile- The champs have rebounded from their 0-4 start and have gone 5-2 in 2025 with wins over Newmarket, Colebrook, Lin Wood, Pittsburg Canaan, and Division III Derryfield. Cayden Wakeham is averaging 18.8 ppg in his last four contests.
8. Lin Wood- Three straight wins get the Lumberjacks into the Top 10. Mason Clark (17.7) has produced from the point guard spot, while Colt Sothard applied for all-glue guy team status, and Dylan Blood was immediately accepted to the all-interview team. A tough stretch is coming up for Matt Mannings's team as they take on a good Moultonborough team (they're killing teams on the glass) tomorrow night before games next week at Colebrook and Gorham.
9. Farmington- The Tigers earned good back-to-back wins over Epping and Newmarket to earn a spot in the Top 10.
10. Hinsdale—The Pacers are hard to rank because they do not have a great win, but they don't have a bad loss either. Their next two games are against Concord Christian and Newmarket. We'll re-evaluate next week and see how they fared.