We are back with the 17th season of the Thursday Thoughts, where we will rank and break down the contenders from all four divisions.

 Our column is brought to you by our longtime partners at Nashua Community who have an Open House on Monday from 5 to 7 pm.

 Note: Rankings are written before the Wednesday games are played.

 Division I

 Division I Standings, Box Scores and Scoring Leaders

  Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Jaryd Piecuch of Londonderry, Mike Dunham of Pinkerton, Lorne Lucas/Chris Proulx of Spaulding, Matt Fennesey of Dover, Ray Boulay of Keene, Jeff Holmes of Exeter, Jay McKenna of Winnacunnet, and Tim  LaTorra of Concord.

1. Portsmouth- Contending teams are happy to average 65 points a game; that’s a number that will win you a lot of basketball games. Well, the Clippers scored 65 on Tuesday in the first half at Dover. The pre-season #1 has looked as good as advertised with Derek Swartz (18.0 ppg) (he just plays at a different speed), brother Ryan, Isaiah Reis (14.2), Finn McCauley, and Anthony Ferola (9.8) playing solid defensively and elite offensively. With Bedford, who they beat in our jamboree, and Trinity not on the schedule, and Exeter & Bishop Guertin in the rearview mirror, they’ll be ten-point favorites in every game on the regular season schedule.

2. Bedford- The champs have been just as impressive and are coming off a ‘wait, what was the final score?’ 89-58 win over previously unbeaten Pinkerton behind a season-high 27 points from Ali Shoukier and 32 combined from Luke O’Connell and Landon Ellsmore. Frank Moreno’s team won the state title by beating teams on the glass. This is a more perimeter-oriented/dominant group.

3. Exeter- Jeff Holmes has switched to a three-guard lineup featuring Tyler Ream, Jackson McDonald, who has been playing very well, and a much-improved Agee Griffith. They start alongside big men Jack Thibodeau and Huxley Brown, who is averaging 13.0 points. The Blue Hawks have picked up impressive wins over Salem, Londonderry, and Windham. Their only loss so far was a 65-52 game against Portsmouth.

4. Pinkerton Academy- The Astros have gotten off to a 5-1 start with good wins over Nashua South, Salem, and Windham, but the thirty-one-point loss to Bedford should serve as a bit of a wake-up call. Mike Dunham’s team won the 2024 title behind the best offense in the state and a player of the year, Jackson Marshall, who averaged over 30 points a game. The Astros are very good offensively, but to beat title contenders like Bedford and Portsmouth, they’ll need to be better defensively.

5. Trinity- Ray Farmers’ Pioneers were in need of a marquee win and picked up a good one Tuesday night at Bishop Gueritn behind a season-high 24 points from Xander McBournie and 12 from the always reliable Jamar Gregory-Alleyne. We’ll be in Manchester tomorrow night when they take on….

6. Nashua South- Tough to get a read on the Purple Panthers, as they’ve only played three games, but we’ll see them Friday night in Manchester. Nate Mazerolle’s team earned a really good 62-61 road win at Keene on Friday night behind 20 points from center Daniel Karavanic.

7. Windham- There is so much parity in this division that most nights are what I call ‘50-50 games’. Carson Desrosiers Jaguars have been very good in those match-ups, earning wins over Dover, Londonderry, and Winnacunnet. Tyler Jordan has emerged as a Top 20 scorer in the division at 15.2 ppg, while Sam Roidoulis and Brandon Jacobs have combined for 26.3 points a night. Another 50/50 game looms on Tuesday when they travel to Goffstown.

8. Bishop Guertin- No one has played a more difficult early-season schedule than the Cardinals, whose three losses have come against Portsmouth, Bedford, and Trinity. Connor McGowan leads Division I in scoring at 26.8 ppg while Eli Youssef (11.8) and Luca Fabrizio (10.2) have picked up where they left off last season. Will Horne’s team will travel to Rochester to face Spaulding tomorrow night, never an easy trip, before a showdown at Pinkerton on Tuesday.

9. Londonderry- Head coach Jaryd Piecuch has done a terrific job with a team that had to replace its entire rotation from last season. The Lancers beat Merrimack by twenty on Friday night and own wins over Manchester Memorial and Winnacunnet. It’s been balanced scoring that has led the way, with seven players averaging between five and eight points per game.

10. Merrimack- Forward Nate Johnson has been terrific for Austin Denton’s team, ranking second in the division at 22.5 ppg. Merrimack beat Keene and Spaulding by a combined seven points and has a chance to get to 4-1 when they face 0-4 Manchester Central on their home floor tomorrow night.

Division II

Division II Standings, Box Scores, and Scoring Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: David Smith of Coe Brown, Joe Morin of Pelham, Jim Cilley of Pembroke, Bill Duffey of Bishop Brady, Jim Migneault of Con Val, Kelly O’Brien of Merrimack Valley, Denver Greene of Hanover, Ryan Kelley of Hollis Brookline, Eric Saucier of Bow, Steve McDonough of Laconia, Peter Pierce of Souhegan and Rich Otis of Manchester West.

1. Hollis Brookline- The Cavaliers improved to 5-0 with a 55-41 win over a Sanborn team that knocked them out of the tournament in the quarterfinals ten months ago. All-state forward Alton Williams scored a season-high 31 points for an HB team that now has wins over all four final four teams from a year ago. We’ll see the Cavaliers next week whent they take on Bow.

2. Manchester West- Rich Otis’ team is playing good basketball and is off to a 5-0 start. It seems like a different player is stepping up offensively every night, but the constant has been all-state guard Max Houde, who ranks fourth in the division at 20.6 points per game.

3. Hanover- The Bears, our pre-season #2, have been as good as advertised. Roy Lucas (18.0 ppg) looks like a first-teamer, and the formula remains the same: win with defense and limiting turnovers. Denver Greene’s team has held opponents to forty points or less in four of their five games.

4. Pelham- The Pythons earned a good 58-41 win over defending champion Pembroke Academy Tuesday night behind 27 points from Brady Hegan and Luke Estell. Hegan (14.8), Brady O’Connor (13.4), and Estell (13.2) have led a balanced offensive attack while the defense is improving by the week. 

5. Kingswood- Joe Faragher’s Knights are off to a 4-1 start, earning a 60-53 victory over Kennett Tuesday night behind a season-high 29 points from all-state point guard Brady Moulton. With games at Laconia and Plymouth coming up, they have a chance to get to 6-1.

6. Pembroke Academy- The champs are still figuring out who they are. On the one hand, they are the only team to light up Hanover offensively (an 87-76 win), but on the other hand, they allowed 161 points in losses to Hollis Brookline and Manchester West. The Spartans can score, but last year they were a team that could get stops against the best teams in the division, and right now this team does not.

7. Kennett- The Eagles played without leading scorer Bo Noung (19.0) in the loss to Kingswood and now take on rival Plymouth tomorrow night. We’ll be in Kingston on Tuesday night when they take on Sanborn.

8. Oyster River- The Bobcats earned a good win Monday night over Division I Timberlane as Will Jernigan (14.4) and Owen Jacques (11.4) combined for 40 points. Two tough road games loom as they’ll travel west to Lebanon tomorrow night before we cover them on Tuesday night at Merrimack Valley, who just got all-state forward Ethan Dukette back from injury.

9. Souhegan- The Sabers have earned good wins over Coe Brown and Bow behind an improved defense and the play of all-state forward Weston Hickman (17.0) and Sean Zerega (13.2). Peter Pierce’s team is about to enter their most difficult stretch of the season. They’ll first travel to Peterborough to play Con Val before facing Milford, Pelham, Manchester West, Hollis Brookline, Oyster River, and Pembroke in consecutive games.

10. Coe Brown- The Bears are 4-1 after a 60-50 win on Tuesday night against Con Val as all-state guard Grant Hayes led the way with a season high 28 points. Tough stretch coming up as they’ll face Manchester West, Kingswood, Bow, and Hanover in their next four games.

Division III

Division III Standings, Box Scores and Scoring Leaders

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

1. Belm ont- Give head coach Tony Martinez a ton of credit because the Red Raiders have picked right up where they left off with a new cast of characters. Evan Martinez (16.4 ppg), like Cole McClure two years ago, is capable of leading a team to a title as a freshmen, Brody Ennis is averaging 12.6 points a game while being one of the best defenders in the division and Wyatt Carroll (13.0) is knocking down shots and taking care of the basketball. They’ll be heavily favored in their next four games until we cover them in back to back games at St Thomas and against Gilford.

2. St. Thomas- The Saints haven’t quite found their rhythm, and you could easily make a case for Gilford and Mascoma here. The team was expected to have a balanced offense, but Grant Baker (22.2) has often carried them on that end of the floor, with Jack Brennan (10.0) as the only other player averaging more than seven points per game. Even so, the Saints have a higher ceiling than most teams in the division, and they still have two weeks before facing Hopkinton and Belmont.

3. Mascoma- Head coach Silas Ayres picked up his 100th career victory, and it was a good night to get it done as they beat a Kearsarge team that blew them out in the semifinals and beat them twice last season, 55-35, behind 21 points from all-state point guard Bryce Ballou. This is a team with the potential to be much better defensively than they were a year ago, and in Ballou and all-state shooting guard Brayden Pierce (12.8), Ayres has two go-to guys late in close games.

4. Gilford- The Golden Eagles look ahead of schedule, and Mark Uicker (16.2) is carrying the confidence of a kid who just quarterbacked his team to a football title. With 6’4 Emmett Hughes and 6’4 Ryan Folan, Gilford has the size to match up with any team in the division. Owen Hawkins (16.0) might be the team’s most improved player, while Gavin Forest and Bryce Cook fill the glue guy role. The X-factor is 6’4 forward Henry Sleeper (11.7). If the alma mater is going to make a final four run and beyond, he is going to need to be a 16-plus a night scorer for Rick Acquilano’s team.

5. Fall Mountain- There may be rioting in the streets of Claremont, but I’m going to make Stevens beat the Wildcats before I rank them above them. Luke St. Pierre (18.5), who sat out a Tuesday night win over Hillsboro-Deering, has been very good, while Zach Hearne (15.0) has stepped into the scoring role filled by all-state guard Ledger Willet last season. Big one tomorrow night against…

6. Stevens- The Cardinals have been the surprise team of the young season and improved to 5-1 with a 55-46 win over a much-improved Derryfield team behind a 32-point performance from all-state guard Owen Wilkinson. Matt Dancosse’s team will go on the road for five straight games after the showdown with Fall Mountain tomorrow night.

7. Kearsarge- The Cougars dropped their second road game of the season, 55-35, at Mascoma on Tuesday night and have a rematch of a game we covered on the road Monday night when they travel to Hopkinton. As I said on the Division III podcast earlier this week, they need a second scorer to emerge. Eli Whipple (21.3) has been outstanding, but he is the only player averaging over five points a game, and that’s a recipe for a short playoff stay.

8. Hopkinton- The Hawks have a lot of upside and will get their measuring-stick games next week, when they host Kearsarge on Monday and then travel to St. Thomas on Friday. In Ben Normand (13.3) and Jackson Westover (17.8), they have two players, head coach Liam McNicholas can draw up plays for late in games.

9. Winnisquam- The Bears have wins over Prospect Mountain and Inter Lakes, and their losses have come against four teams ranked above them. Kevin Dame’s team has been led by a balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging five points a game or more, and their freshmen point guard, Owen Poole. Next up is another match-up with a title contender when Masocma comes to Tilton tomorrow night.

10. Derryfield- The Cougars are getting better under first-year head coach Mitchell Roy; they battled Stevens on the road Monday night behind 23 points from Nate Boudreau and 12 from Sammy Fazelot. After facing Belmont last night, they will play five straight games on the road before then playing six straight at home. That just felt like something that needed to be pointed out…

 Division IV

 Division IV Standings, Box Scores, and Scoring Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Tim Clough of Profile, Derek Summers & Drew McCormack of Portsmouth Christian, Chris Goldsack of Epping, Mark Collins of Groveton, Greg Farland of Concord Christian, Dylan Rowen of Franklin, Jason Darrah of Pittsfield, and Carl Anderson of Hinsdale.

1. Portsmouth Christian- The Eagles are 4-0 and boast the most depth of any team in the division. Cai Summers (20.3 ppg.) has been as good as advertised, while Zealand Marquis (15.0) and Jackson Malone (9.3) have been good in the backcourt, and Zach Beal gives them rebounding and defense in the paint. PCA and Littleton are the only two teams in the division with seven players averaging at least 5 points per game.

2. Littleton- The Crusaders lost to PCA because they struggled to score at the rim against the Eagles' size and length. Trevor Howard came away realizing he needed to go more than six players deep in the rotation, and the results have been good, including a 41-point win over Division III White Mountains. Big test at Groveton tomorrow night before a cross-over showdown with Newmarket next Friday.

3. Newmarket- When your defense holds opponents to just 31 points a game, victories tend to pile up, and Nick Farrer’s squad has turned that formula into a 6-0 record. Back in the pre-season, we predicted sophomore Nick Minutelli was ready to break out, and he’s proving us right, sitting 12th in the division with 17.5 points per game. Forward Matt Napoletano is close behind at 15.8 points per game, ranking 14th, as the Mules gear up for two huge road showdowns next week against arch-rival Epping and second-ranked Littleton.

4. Groveton- The Eagles moved to 5-0 with a 45-39 win over Profile on Monday night as the all-state duo of Ashton Kenison (19) and Hunter Parks (11) combined for 30 points. The bigger story was Mark Collins’ defense holding Patriots leading scorer Daryion Faustin to a season-low three points. Next up is Littleton, before back-to-back road games against Pittsburg-Canaan and Farmington.

5. Hinsdale- The Pacers passed their first test of the season on Monday night when they traveled to Epping and beat the Blue Devils 68-59 behind 25 points from all-state forward Connor Dixon. Next up is a Farmington team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.

6. Farmington- The Tigers have won four in a row since an opening night one-point loss to Epping. They’ll face three tough road games in a row, Portsmouth Christian, Concord Christian, and Hinsdale, before hosting Groveton.

7. Concord Christian- All-state guard Luke Farland has been terrific for the Kingsmen, ranking second in the division to Enzo Yonkeau of Holy Family, at 27.3 points per game. At the same time, Jonas Blackwood has stepped into a significant scoring role at 14.3 ppg. They begin a stretch of four straight home games against probable tournament teams, Nute, Farmington, Hinsdale, and Mascenic Regional.

8. Epping- The Blue Devils are outperforming expectations, thanks to point guard Blake Snyder, who’s averaging 25.3 points per game. Chris Goldsack’s squad is about to see how they stack up in the division. Their next five games are all against teams with a .500 record or better—each would make the tournament if the season ended now. We’ll be there next Friday to cover them when they take on.....

9. Profile- The Patriots’ game at Epping next Friday night will be a good test for a team that has gotten better but still needs a big win. So far, their only victory over a team with a winning record was against 3-1 Pittsburg-Canaan. With games against Lisbon and Lin Wood coming up, they won’t have another shot at a tourney team until their cross-over game.

    10. Moultonborough- The Panthers secure the last spot ahead of Mascenic and Holy Family after starting the season 4-1. Matthew Kelley (15.8 ppg) and guard Brodie Bacon (15.2) have both played at an all-state level for Rob Stokes’ team. At the same time, Matt Driscoll (11.4), Brett Johnson (9.6), and Cayden Cloutier (7.8) have added scoring depth to the starting lineup. We’ll be there when the Panthers face Groveton on February 3.