In our third of four columns we take a mid-season look at Division II and tell you the top performances so far and the two teams most likely to meet in the finals in March.
 

If forced today to pick the two teams that will meet in the final:

Pembroke Academy vs. Lebanon

 Is it crazy to feel like Pembroke’s loss to Portsmouth last Thursday night, which broke a 37 game winning streak, may actually take a lot of pressure off Matt Alosa’s Spartans?

 Carrying that kind of burden was part of the Patriots undoing in 2007 and really, is Dominic Timbas’s college roommate going to scoff at him if he tells him he went 49-1 over a two year stretch in high school? You think he’s going to ask why he lost that one game? Of course not and who would want to room with a guy like that anyway..

 You can point to the loss of their point guard Rene Maher from last year’s champions as the culprit, too much of a reliance on Patrick Welch and Kafani Williams or even on a defense that couldn’t get a stop without fouling when they needed it in the fourth quarter, all fair points. The truth though is that while Alosa has the best team in Division II the gap is not as wide as it was a year ago. Let’s not forget that Matt Persons graduated the same day as Maher and took with him over 1,000 career points and over a dozen career tournament starts. You just don’t plug Cameron Taylor and Max Curran into that spot without a bit of a drop off.

  Welch is being asked to handle the ball, cover point guards and score 25 points a night. He’s good enough to pull it off but it will take its toll over twenty plus nights. Williams has a tremendous first step and is so strong once he is in the paint that he can carry the offense for possessions at a time. What you see though when Pembroke gets down, and it has happened late in several games, is Welch and Williams dominate the ball and the movement stops. That can work, and listen there isn’t a guy you want shooting at the end of a game above Welch, but it also is fairly predictable for the defense and last Thursday night Jim Mulvey had an answer. Dominic Timbas isn't getting a lot of touches on offense and Curran is a spot up shooter at this point. If Pembroke has a fatal flaw it is that you know what they’re running and who they are running everything through. Actually stopping Welch & Williams…that’s where the real challenge begins.

 A follower of high school basketball in the state would probably guess that Pembroke had the highest scoring offense in Division II basketball. Nope, Lebanon has the highest scoring offense in Division II. Head coach Kieth Matte is doing it with balance after the graduation of 1,000 point scorer David Hampton. Six different players average between 12 and 8 points per game led by shooting guard Kalin Sau (12.3 ppg.) and Dominick Morrill (12.2) and the best freshman in the state KJ Matte (11.4). Both Sau and Morrill can and will make big shots. It was Sau’s corner three that tied last year’s final four game against Souhegan at UNH and if you saw the highlights of Lebanon’s double overtime loss to Bishop Brady you saw Morrill time & again make huge shots with the clock ticking down. Matte has balanced out the minutes and put players like Nic Shepard (very tough defensively and with good size), Austin Whaley (a future star) and Austin Pelletier in positions where they can thrive.

 The knock on Lebanon was always their schedule and their inability to make a deep run in the tournament. That’s all old news. Matte’s team owns wins over Pelham, Windham and Hanover and was literally one play away from beating both Pembroke & Bishop Brady. This has the look & feel of a final four team but after a disappointing end a year ago it’s also a club that won’t be happy just to reach the floor in Durham. Lebanon has the ability to get to the final Saturday and the make-up to win it once they’re there.

 Portsmouth is going to be a headache for any team that draws them in the postseason because no team in the state plays better defense. The issue with the Clippers from day one remains the same; they can go cold shooting the ball and this is a team that struggles to create easy baskets for themselves unless it is off of a designed play. If the offense is clicking they can beat anyone in the Division, as evidenced last Thursday night in Pembroke. Bishop Brady would love to turn Jourdain Bell loose on the that big floor at UNH and Mark Yeaton has gotten enough down low from Aaron Svendsen & Brendan Johnson. It would be a surprise if Brady didn’t get to the final four in Durham. When you get to March teams are going to face guard Pelham's Keith Brown and make someone else do the scoring for Matt Regan’s team. If they can turn their defensive intensity into transition points it may not matter but the Pythons are going to need scoring from players like Ryan Frank and Ryan Cloutier to take the pressure off their all-state sophomore.

  If you asked me today to rank, in order, Plymouth, Windham, Kennett, Coe-Brown, Hollis-Brookline & Hanover you’d be met with a blank stare and prolonged silence. Too much still to be determined…of the six I probably have the most confidence in Plymouth.
 
 First Team All-State (First half of the season)

 Patrick Welch of Pembroke Academy
 Kafani Williams of Pembroke Academy
 Jourdain Bell of Bishop Brady
 Collin Sullivan of Plymouth Regional
 Keith Brown of Pelham

 With apologies to: Dominic Timbas of Pembroke, Nick Mackey & Pat Glynn of Portsmouth, Joe Bell & Brendan Johnson of Bishop Brady, Nick Lazar of Oyster River, Andrew Lowman & David Carbonello of Windham, Kalin Sau & Dom Morrill of Lebanon, Ryan Vajenic & Brandon DiLucchi of Kennett, Logan Blake of Hollis-Brookline, Kyle Reisert of Plymouth and John Flory of Hanover.
 
 Coach of the first half of the season:  Steve Cote of Kennett

 Cote has built a Kennett program that hasn’t been to the tournament since the days of Ian White back up behind point guard Brandon DiLucchio, Nick Graziano and Ryan Vajenic.

 Runner-up:  Mike Soucy of Hollis-Brookline
 
 Player of the First half of the Season:  Patrick Welch of Pembroke 

 As stated above few players are asked to provide so much to their team and Welch is coming through on a nightly basis.

 Runner-up:  Jourdain Bell of Bishop Brady