As we do in both basketball and football we hand over our semifinal previews to the people that know the four teams better than anyone; the coaches who have competed against them all year. The following are scouting reports from four Division IV coaches we spoke to using blind quotes.

 Sam Natti, The Great Jon Kesty and I will have full coverage of both games tonight as part of our 20 games in 21 days coverage.
 
(3) Epping vs. (2) Derryfield School

 Derryfield pulled out a pair of come from behind wins over Epping during the regular season. Both games went to the wire which gives you every reason to believe this game will be just as close.

 We first asked the coaches to break down Rob Bradley’s Derryfield team.

 “They are the best defensive team of the four going to Plymouth,” said one coach who faced the Cougars. “ They also do a really good job of controlling the pace of the game. They play their starters big minutes, so they know they can’t have them worn down by the end of the game because they are a different team when any of their big three (Rob Rizos, Pat McGinley & Sam Anderson) are off the floor.”

 Another coach focused in on Rizos, “ They key everything offensively off of their penetration. They are the best interior passing team we faced all year; whether it is Rizos driving, Anderson at the top of the key or McGinley out on the wing. They can beat you off the dribble and then dump the ball down for lay-ups. Rizos does a really good job of getting them all in the right spots and overall they seem to have a very good understanding of what Rob (Bradley) wants them to run.” Fellow coaches agreed, “ I think Rizos is the second best point guard in the division behind Matt Tenney. He doesn’t do any more than his team needs. He’s just smart & very reliable.”

 What are Derryfield’s weaknesses? “ They go at a very deliberate pace and they rarely go more than seven guys deep and that tells me as an opposing coach that they don’t really trust their guys outside of the three key players. I think Rob is actually underrated as a coach, they run some good stuff. Sometimes though I think they can be confused for a bit when you mix up your defense. They don’t always adjust quickly.”

 Another coach talked about the importance of rotating defensively, “ They hit so many guys weak side off of penetration. You really have to rotate and focus on staying in front of your man. McGinley is the guy you have to stop. Rizos isn’t going to score much, he has a decent floater but he isn't going to hurt you and Anderson gets most of his points off of dump down passes & just working hard. You need to be disciplined in the paint and focus on stopping McGinley. He is just a tough kid and I think they go to the beat of his ability to take you off the dribble or knock down three’s.”

 What about the Derryfield defense? “ Their ball pressure is really good but they won’t come out to meet you at half court, they will really just guard you from 25 feet in. It’s almost as if they wait for you in the last quarter of the court and compact you there.”

 What about defending champion Epping? “ I think big game experience does count for something and out of the four teams they have the most. They also have the best inside/outside combination with (Colby) Wilson & (Brett) Couture.” Another coach predicted Couture would be a very tough match-up, “He finishes in the paint better than any player in our division. Not just because of his size but because he is able to score at all sorts of angles. He just has a nose for the glass.” Coaches agreed Dylan Derosier would be a key for Epping. “ Is Derosier going to be able to play well on the big stage? I think that’s a real question. A year ago he was their fifth best player, so there was no pressure to produce, it’s a different story now.”

 What about the Epping defense? “ Sean (Young) does a nice job of mixing their looks up. I think as far as in game adjustments he is one of the best in our division. When he see’s something not working he usually has another option to send at you.” One coach questioned the Blue Devils on their  ball pressure while another coach saw it as a strength. One view, “ I think their defense off the ball is pretty good but they struggled to put any ball pressure on us. That could hurt them if Rizos is allowed to get to the paint. They are not a great man to man defensive team. “ The opposing view, “ I think (Tommy) Bullock does a good job on the ball, he’s a tough defender. Derosier also gave us a lot of problems because he is so lanky that he gets his hands on a lot of passes & can disrupt you.”

 So we asked our coaches who wins Monday night?

“ I think Epping wins because they control the paint. Couture is the difference.”

 “Derryfield has not been able to breakthrough up there and Epping has, that kind of baggage can stick with you and I think when it gets tough the Epping kids will respond.”

 “ I think winning close games is a skill and Derrryfield is better at that than anyone. I like their chances to make it to the final.”
 
 (4) Wilton-Lyndeborough vs. (1) Littleton

 Trevor Howard’s Littleton team is back in the final four, with every player on the roster having stepped on the floor at Plymouth a year ago. Yet all four coaches we spoke to agreed Littleton was the weakest of the four teams.

 Is that fair?

 “ It is fair because of the schedule they played. Colebrook & Groveton couldn’t even compete with Wilton-Lyndeborough and Epping. The southern teams were thought to be better and so far it seems pretty clear that was correct.”

 First and foremost how will Littleton defend Jordan Litts? “ I think if they have one strength it is that they can throw multiple players at him.  They’ll probably start Mike Rodriguez on him and maybe then have Cooper Paradice come out and guard him as well. Trevor can rotate different guys at him so he doesn’t have to worry about them wearing down or getting in foul trouble.”

 Coaches felt like Litts was going to a real problem for Littleton, “ He, and WLC as a team, are going to benefit from the bigger floor. They do a very good job of sending Ty Carrier and Casey Lane to the corners and letting Litts dial something up off the dribble.”

 Another coach also sited Litts as a match-up nightmare, “ I think Ethan Ellingwood was a kid you expected to play a bigger role for Littleton but he hasn’t. He’s not a stopper like some of us thought he would be. So who do they have that can match Litts’ size and speed? I like Rodriguez but he is a good defender when you pair him up with a player like Jaret Bemis who is a jump shooter. Litts is an entirely different player. He is going to constantly have the ball in his hands and he is stronger and bigger than any guard Trevor has.”

 Coaches saw Coach Howard as an advantage Monday night. “ I think he’s the best coach up at Plymouth. He gets the most out of his kids and he has won some pretty big games up there."

 “Can he find anyone to step up and score? That’s the question I have.” It was a question common amongst each coach we spoke to. “Where are they getting their points from in the half court? I watched the Woodsville game and Kuba Kubkowski got almost all of his points on tipped rebounds from Logan Briggs or off of turnovers. He’s not going to post up and Danny Brammer had two points against Woodsville so where are they getting points from? I just don’t see who gets them 20 points and in my opinion they need Brammer to be that guy. Litts is going to get his 20 plus points, so that means basically the rest of that WLC team only needs to score 30 points combined. Where does Littleton get production like that to stay in the game? I think it has to be Brammer.”

 Coaches talked about how WLC will defend Littleton. “They will mix in a 1-3-1 half court trap but they mostly go man to man on you. Litts is their best defender so he will guard the player they fear on Littleton whether that is Brammer, Kuba or even Logan Briggs. Briggs was overwhelmed a year ago by Jimmy Stanley when he was a freshman, but I think he has played better of late. With him it is all about whether he is going to be aggressive or shy away from contact.”

 One coach felt like WLC could have trouble matching up with the 6’3 sophomore Briggs. “ I think Briggs can pull Trey Carrier away from the basket by knocking down 15 footers. Briggs has become a very good shot blocker, his length is deceptive, and he gets his hands on a lot of balls.”

 Three of the four coaches named Wilton-Lyndeborough as their team to beat. “ I think when you get to the Final Four in Division IV the best player usually wins it. Last year it was Jimmy Stanley (Epping), the year before it was Chad Knighton (Lisbon) and the year before it was Drew Swedberg (Moultonborough) on that particular day. I think Litts takes over in any close game and he is too good to stop.”

 Another coach agreed, “ He almost passes too much if you ask me. His ability with the ball in  his hands gets everyone else open and they spread the floor very well. They’ve really come together nicely for a fairly new team.”

 So how do you defend WLC? “ Make their guards, Ty Carrier and Casey Lane, put the ball on the floor. They really hurt us when we allowed them to score without moving. You need to get them on the move because Litts is the only guy on that team who creates off the dribble. Trey Carrier is really underrated down low, he is tough and he finished through contact well.”

  Another coach felt like Litts was the only ballhandler Ken Grantham’s team had. “ They can’t run an offense without Litts on the floor, they depend on him for everything. I feel like he sets those shooters up so well that it makes their life easy.”

 Coaches all warned about watching for Trey Carrier releasing down the floor. “ He actually releases before they even secure the rebound, which is uncommon, but if you don’t have your guard get back he will cherry pick and get easy lay-ups. Colebrook wasn’t able to do much on Friday but they did a really good job getting back. Buddy (Trask) had them ready for that.”

 All four coaches picked WLC to win. “ If you believe in defense and that defense wins titles, Derryfield is your team. If you believe it is all about players that have been there before and have that experience, then Epping is your team. If you think it comes down to the player that takes over then you like Wilton to win it all. Littleton in my opinion is clearly the fourth best team.”

 “ When you get to Plymouth you are going to have two or three kids who crack under the bright lights and the big floor…so it comes down to who you can depend on. Wilton has Litts and the Carrier brothers and I don’t see any of them cracking under pressure.”

 “ I’ve seen Littleton quite a bit, they are certainly very good, but they get so many points off of turnovers. Up at Plymouth on that big floor against elite teams you are not getting that many turnovers. Not enough to outscore Wilton.”