As I do once a year I will preview every single game on the weekend schedule. My greatest adversary in this endeavor is my own tendency to ramble on….so I’ll try to keep it brief to keep you reading and maintain my own sanity……………here we go….
 

 Division I

 Bishop Guertin (10-1) at Trinity (9-1)
 The coverage of Trinity high school is sponsored by The Auburn Pitts

  Good one Friday night in what will be not only a rematch of last season’s Division I championship game but also a battle of two top 4 teams. Carmen Giampetruzzi is back playing at a first team all-state level and his ability to control the boards along with Wenyen Gabriel will determine not only how this game goes but how far they can advance in March. Trinity established themselves as the best team in the state last February when Giampetruzzi & Mabor Gabriel started regularly pulling down 20 plus rebounds a night, they need that type of production from Wenyen if they are going to defend their title in Durham.

 Jim Migneault’s team is right where we expected them to be.  They are winning shoot-outs on a nightly basis, if the defense picks up where the offense has been all season long this is a contender to win the title on March 15th. Match-ups to watch are Kyle Gavin & Joe Marandola against Giampetruzzi, Gabriel and Connor Walsh in the paint.

 Pete Tarrier and The Great Jon Kesty will have all the coverage for us Friday night in our Auburn Pitts Game of the Week coverage.
 
 Timberlane (0-11) at Alvirne (4-7)

 Timberlane rolls in at a very good time because Seth Garon’s crew has lost four of five amid some very close/tough losses.

 The Broncos have lost games to Merrimack (in double OT and the Tomahawks needed some heaves from deep just to get into OT), Spaulding, Bedford and Nashua South by a combined 10 points. So don’t let the record deceive you, this is a still a solid team. The issue for Alvirne has been getting off the bus…they’ve dug themselves in some very big first quarter holes and in a division with as much parity from 4 to 14 as Division I those can be fatal.

 The Owls are playing hard as they slowly march towards 80 consecutive losses. Something tells me they pull out a W soon….Garon is hoping it isn’t this week.
 
 Manchester West (2-8) at Dover (2-9)
The coverage of Manchester West is sponsored by 900 Degrees Pizzaria

 Every time I stare at the Dover game results I feel like Russell Crowe in that scene from ‘A Beautiful Mind’ where he stares at an entire wall of Russian codes for six straight hours. How do you play competitive games against Londonderry (51-40), Bishop Guertin (77-71) and Central (63-45) but then turn around and lose to Exeter by 49, Manchester Memorial by 40 and score a Division I season low 17 points against Merrimack??

 West is coming off a good upset win over Salem and has a lot to play for here as the difference between the 16 seed (at Central you can safely assume) or the 15 seed (anywhere else is better…) is pretty big.
 
 Nashua South (6-3) at Keene (0-9)

 South will turn this one into a track meet and a promising Keene season went up in smoke when point guard Brian Boulay went down with an injury. Disappointing because this looked like the year Dave Sontag was going to turn the corner.
 
 Exeter (5-6) at Londonderry (9-2)
 The coverage of Exeter is sponsored by Chad Fletcher at Blue Water Mortgage

 Jeff Holmes’ team has struggled without their point guard Zach Holler in the lineup and that separation anxiety will continue if he is unable to go against a guard oriented Lancer team that can put up points in a hurry. The outside shooting of Jake Coleman has added to Londonderry’s ability to spread the floor and beat you off the dribble. This is a team, like Central, that has three point guards and that makes them very difficult to pressure defensively. Exeter on the other hand is sliding after a strong start and needs a quality win to turn the tide in the second half of the season.

 Pinkerton Academy (6-4) at Merrimack (9-1)

  The Astros have not even been competitive since their starting center Luke Rosinski (19.7 ppg) went out with mononucleosis and if he isn’t fully recovered Friday night his team is in for another very long night. Merrimack has been as good as expected and Eric Gendron (22 ppg.) is stating a very strong case for player of the year honors. It probably doesn’t get mentioned enough how good of a coach Tim Goodridge is for Merrimack, he puts his players in position to make plays and succeed.
 
 Bedford (3-7) at Salem (3-6)
 The coverage of Bedford is sponsored by Bedford Dental Care associates and HK Photography
 The coverage of Salem is sponsored by Merrimack Valley Sports

 Two very good coaches looking to turn around slow starts. Bedford has shown signs of turning the corner under Mike Fitzpatrick while the Blue Devils suffered a particularly disappointing defeat to Manchester West this week. Rob McLaughlin’s team doesn't have a proven scorer to get them 20 points a night so this is a team that needs to beat you with defense and execution. That can work but it also won't happen if the effort takes a night off. Salem is known for how hard they play and after the West loss you can expect them to get after it Friday night when Bedford rolls in.
 
 Concord (3-7) at Spaulding (6-5)

 For the 1,000th time I’ll gush about the coaching abilities of Tim Cronin of Spaulding. This team has two primary scorers (Darian Berry and Charlie Nevejens) and a dangerous outside shooter in Quinn Connelly. What they are able to do through their ball movement and offensive set's is get their scorers in a good position to score without sacrificing movement on the floor. Cronin designs plays so that Nevejens and Berry are getting shots in rhythm, not through simple isolation sets that are easier to defend.

 Concord has lost four in a row but has a chance to make a move up the ladder in the second half of the season when the schedule eases up a bit. This is a team capable of scoring in bunches.
 
 Division II
 Coe-Brown (7-3) at Lebanon (9-3)

 Good one Friday night between two very good coaches. Lebanon is far more battle tested than Coe-Brown so this serves as a good test for David Smith and his staff of Ron Jock and Billy ‘Cheeze-its’ Clark. The Bears haven’t beaten a team with a winning record all regular season (they did defeat Plymouth in the Keene Holiday Tournament) and will have to contain a Lebanon offense that averages 70 points per game.
 
Hanover (6-4) at Con Val (1-10)

Wherever Hanover ends up their head coach Tim Winslow is sure to get the most out of them, with size down low and consistent scoring from John Flory they have rolled of five wins in six games. A stretch of success they duplicated last season in the second half of the year.

 Can’t tell you a thing about Con Val….I feel like we are both equally to blame for that…
 
Goffstown (3-9) at Hollis-Brookline (7-3)

 Mike Soucy has done a terrific coaching job and employed a zone defense that has given a lot of very good teams, like Portsmouth, trouble. His offense is coming from a group of players that include Logan Blake (11.7 ppg), Shea Whalen (10 ppg), Dan Bentall (8.8) and Matt Fothergill (8.2). With John Stark, Souhegan and Milford all down again this season don’t be surprised to look up in March and say ‘Wait…Hollis-Brookline is 14-4??’ It can happen…

 Wasn’t Goffstown more fun when they just tried to score 100 points every night? I kind of enjoyed that era…
 
 Portsmouth (8-2) at Kingswood (0-11)

 Is Kingswood going to score in double digits? Yes. No doubt.
 Could Portsmouth hold them under 20 if they really tried? Yes. No doubt.
 
 John Stark (2-9) at Milford (1-9)

 Tough go for Dan Murray since the graduation of Mike O’Loughlin, Mike Mitchell and Jamie Holder three years ago. This was a thin team as it was but Murray had to deal with some tough injuries coming into the season and it has proved to be a tough stretch for a very good program.
 
Souhegan (4-7) at Pelham (9-2)

 The Sabers were gutted of seven seniors and their head coach after their memorable run to the finals last season under Mike Heaney (one of our favorites over here..). The Sabers have played better of late though and will have to handle a Pelham transition game that can bury you with a 12-0 run in a hurry. Matt Regan’s team could benefit from one more player capable of stepping into the rotation and saving the legs of Keith Brown for the fourth quarter but this is a team controlling their own destiny when it comes to a top 4 seed and two home playoff games in the Pit.
 
 Plymouth Regional (9-2) at Pembroke Academy (11-1)

 The champs bounced back from their lost to Portsmouth a week ago to earn two good wins over Hanover and Lebanon. For Plymouth it will be about keeping this game in the 50’s and trying to make someone other than Patrick Welch beat you. If Max Curran breaks loose for 28 points because you are face guarding Welch all over the floor you tip your cap and move on. Covering Welch like he is just another guy is partly why he will go down as one of the great scorers in the New Hampshire high school history.

 Plymouth has the size with Kyle Reisert, Jared Kuehl and Gavin Brickley to defend players like Kafani Williams, Dominic Timbas and Curran. If Collin Sullivan can stay with Welch, in a match-up of all-state guards, the Bobcats have a chance to stay in this one for the duration.
 
Windham (7-4) at St. Thomas (5-5)

 Todd Steffinades team would like to earn a top 8 seed and the first round home game that comes with it and winning a game like this on the road is essential to making that a reality. The Saints have been well coached by Dave Sokolnicki in his second year at the helm and gotten good production from Schuyler Hedberg.
 
Division III
Berlin (8-2) at Laconia (8-3)

 The Sachems can shake off two lopsided losses to Division II Plymouth, they won’t have to deal with them until next summer, but the real measure of where they stand in the Division III race will come Friday night. Steve McDonough’s team has been led by the backcourt of Aiden Dean and Matt Swormstedt (nephew of Laconia legend Jim Swormstedt) and a frontline of Cody Greenwood and Jake Sullivan. The Sachems own good wins over both Gilford and Prospect Mountain but now enter a very tough four game stretch where they will travel to Gilford in addition to home game against Berlin and Winnisquam.

 Don Picard’s team has to endure the long bus trip and use their pressure defense to turn Dean & Swormstedt over. The Mountaineers can score in transition and are a very tough team to deal with when they are getting outside shooting from Cameron Patry off the bench.
 
Mascoma (7-5) at Fall Mountain (7-4)

 Good match-up and a rematch of a tough battle from opening night. Fall Mountain is 4-0 at home this season and are getting all-state performances out of Nick Burns (15.1 ppg.) and Ryan Murdock (13.8). This one has the feel of an 8/9 match-up and a pair of wins for the Royals could be the difference between a home or a road game in the tournament.

 Mascenic (3-6) at Monadnock (2-9)

 It was a year ago that Mascenic all-state shooting guard Jared Stauffeneker (17.8 ppg) went Kevin Durant on these same Monadnock Huskies in scoring 57 points in an overtime win.  The Huskies Isaiah Prince went for over 40 points as the crowd saw one of the most entertaining games of the year and every defensive oriented coach rolled over in their graves. Both teams will be more concerned with playing themselves into the Top 16 (don’t get me started on the Division III playoff system…) when they go back at it tomorrow night.

 White Mountains (0-13) at Gilford (8-3)

 The alma mater got 31 points from Josh Joyce Tuesday night and is still in the hunt for a top 4 seed. Tough road tests against Somersworth (Gilford never plays well there..) and Prospect Mountain still loom.

 White Mountains is 0-5 against Division IV teams, 0-2 against Division II teams and 0-6 against Division III teams. Just thought you should know…
 
 Hopkinton (10-1) at Hillsboro-Deering (3-9)

 Pete and I are trying to make sure we are there Monday night when Newport tangles with Hopkinton.

 That’s all I got on this one….
 
 Newfound (3-9) at Kearsarge Regional (1-10)

  Nick Tapply and Remmi Ellis give Newfound have made nightly contributions for a Bears team that has the size to be physical on the low block. Nate Camp is getting scoring from Connor Noordsij but has struggled to score in averaging just 43 points per game.
 
 Conant (11-1) at Raymond (3-7)

 These are the kind of games Conant feasts on. If you play a style of basketball where you look to push the pace and win by outscoring the other team (see: Raymond) you’re playing right into Eric Saucier’s teams hands. Because they are far superior in both aspects. Plus they play defense.
 Raymond head coach Rich Winget is known for sideline demeanor. Let’s just say when he doesn’t like a call…you’ll know pretty quickly….

 You can actually see how punchy I’m getting as we climb into the 2,500 word zone..I knew this was a mistake..on we go..
 
 Farmington (8-5) at Sanborn (5-6)

 The Tigers have a very good balance of production from Kevin Poulin (15 ppg), Tanner Gibbs (12 ppg) and Shane Hill (11.8). This is a team more comfortable in high scoring affairs, Sanborn can score (Jackson Morton is a good one..) but they don’t have the depth of scorers that Farmington has. If the Indians can keep it in the 50’s they give themselves a good chance to pull out a win here.

 Campbell (8-2) at Somersworth (4-8)

 Healthy rivalry here, in other words these teams do not like each other. The Hilltoppers are relying more and more on freshman Chance Ennis and Vincent Loho. Lorne Lucas will have this team back near the top of Division III before very long and he still likes his chances for this team to be a tough out come tournament time.

 Tough to contribute in more ways than Zach Bergeon (18.2 ppg.)has this season and a young team is coming together, winning seven games in a row, under John Langlois. Expect the Hilltoppers to make them earn it Friday night though…
 
 Division IV
 Groveton (6-5) at Colebrook Academy (9-2)   Saturday afternoon

 Jennifer Chick will be joining me for this one in Colebrook Saturday afternoon (2:30 tip off) and Lisbon head coach (they’re still the champs folks) Sam Natti is joining me and will be doing color commentary…expect that to go off the rails sometime between 2nd and 3rd quarters. Epping head coach Sean Young will be joining me as well as we pull out all the stops for our North Country video debut.

 The question is; are they rolling out the red carpet for us?
 
 Derryfield School (9-1) at Concord Christian (3-9)

 The Cougars have a chance to go down with the 2008 Colebrook team (Ryan Call/Reno Gilbert) and the 2009 Moultonborough team (Kevin Eisenberg/Drew Forsberg) as the best Division IV team of the past seven seasons.
 
 Portsmouth Christian (4-6) at Gorham (2-8)

 The Big Smooth Lewis Atkins has done a good job with his Portsmouth Christian team and will have plenty of time to bond with his club over the six hour bus rides there & back. Bill Goodrich is going through the growing pains that come with trying to replace Hunter Lambertson and 70% of his scoring from a year ago.
 
Littleton (11-2) at Lisbon (0-12)

 Trevor Howard’s Crusaders, much like Jim Mulvey’s Portsmouth Clippers, are one of the better defensive teams in the division but can suffer from time to time to score. In losses to both Woodsville and Profile Howard didn’t have a player who could step up and end a scoring drought by creating off the dribble or connecting from long range. This is a team that looks final four worthy but if there is a fatal flaw to this group that is it. Over the summer someone (Danny Brammer or Logan Briggs maybe?) needs to develop that part of their game because this is a very deep group that could be at the top of the standings in Division IV a year from now.

 It is very hard to win in basketball when you cannot score and as of today Trevon Moughn of Manchester Memorial (27.3 ppg.) is averaging only six points a game less than the entire Lisbon team (33.6 ppg). Short of one of his players turning into a high scoring werewolf in a headband Sam Natti has no choice but to pack in a zone and try to win with defense and rebounding.  Can you imagine the defenses Chad Knighton would have faced had he not spent his senior year playing for Holderness Prep.? The first ever 1 in Box defense?

 3,032 words..are we there yet? I’m losing steam quickly…which probably explains the Teen Wolf joke.
 
 Lin-Wood (2-8) at Nute (1-8)

 Oh come on now….who put this here??!
 
 Woodsville (8-2) at Profile (9-2)

 Finally to the game I will be at Friday night.. and a really good match-up between two good coaches.

 The Engineers got a big night out of Jaret Bemis from the outside Monday night and hope to carry that kind of scoring over against Profile’s zone defense. Joe Abrahamson has been very good for Jamie Walker’s team and will be going up against all-state guard Ian Baker (16.6 ppg).

 It has been all about match-ups in the north country and this is the first of two meetings. The Patriots rely on their point guard Bailey Johnson to take care of the basketball as well as providing scoring, how Woodsville is able to defend him Friday night goes a long way towards determining who comes out on top in this battle of top 8 teams.
 
Remember to listen in LIVE to The New Hampshire High School Basketball Show Saturday morning on WGIR & online from 8 to 9 am. Roger Brown of The Manchester Union Leader will sit in for me this week as Bishop Guertin head coach Jim Migneault will be our guest on the show.

Then catch ‘McIsaac on Sports’ on WTSN or online from 9 to 10 am