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 We want to thank Jeff Holmes and the Exeter boys’ basketball booster club  for their recent donation and support of our coverage.

 We will be announcing details of our first ever NHsportspage year end party for players & parents where we will hand out player of the year and coach of the year in each division and debut our 2014-2015 Season Highlights. Details to come…
 
Division I

(16) Winnacunnet at (1) Londonderry

 When you have a really young team like Jay McKenna does there are always opportunities for what you would call, ‘teachable moments’.  Although McKenna has done a good job improving an inexperienced team over the last two months there are probably easier ways to learn a life lesson than facing an 18-0 team on their home floor. An 18-0 team who still can recount, in painful detail, a quarterfinal loss they suffered on that very same floor one year ago.

 The Lancers finished off a perfect regular season that may actually be more impressive than you thought at a first glance. Londonderry had to beat Manchester Central (the #2 seed), Pinkerton Academy (#3) and Spaulding (#4) on the road. They got the kind of player of the year performance they expected out of Cody Ball (21.3 ppg.); a reliable second scorer in Marc Corey (18.6) and saw a third weapon emerge in sophomore Jake Coleman (14.7). All while playing a chunk of games without Joe Kwiatkowski and dealing with the usual off-the-court noise that seems to be popping up all over Division I these days.

 Nate Stanton deserves a ton of credit for what this team has become. I’ve had coaches from other divisions pour over Londonderry games after they became donators to our site just to see the system Stanton is running. Stanton was a deadly three point shooter himself under EJ Perry at Salem and his ability to relate & communicate with his guards has been a key.

 Londonderry is your clear favorite in Division I in large part to that relationship he has with his team. There is a growing sense here that everyone has each other’s backs now and maybe some of that noise made it stronger.

 The Warriors are getting good guard play out of Anthony Primavera and Liam Viviano. Those two are going to have to get up and defend early as Ball and Coleman see the three point line as an open invitation. Freddy Schaake is a player to watch and not just because his father Fred Sr. is smart enough to invite Whitesnake, Cinderella and Quiet Riot back to the Casino Ballroom every summer . The 6’4 Schaake was raw when he came in but has really started to be a factor at the forward spot in the second half and he is a huge part of what is a pretty bright future for the Warriors.
 
 
 (9) Merrimack at (8) Alvirne

 Get ready for a grind it out affair in Hudson. Merrimack is a very good team defensively and Alvirne is a well-coached veteran crew who shares the basketball and is smart enough to know they have to value every possession they get in a playoff game.

 The Broncos get their scoring out of the flow of the offense. They have gotten consistent production from Evan Hunt (11.5), Connor Hodsdon (10.5), Andrew Wetmore (9.0) and the Twitter Assassin Sam Bonney-Liles (11.6).  Alvirne isn’t going to run sets for a specific player they are going to try and use the aggressiveness of the defense against them with back screens and backdoor cuts.

 Alvirne has lost seven of their last eight games (the lone win coming against…wait for it….Merrimack) but gained some momentum with a late surge against 17-1 Manchester Central in the season finale Friday night. In year one of this site I covered an 8/9 game between a Dover team (led by one of my all-time favorites Ryan Herrion) that had won eight in a row against an Alvirne team that had lost eight in row (coached by Sam’s uncle Kevin Bonney).

 Alvirne won.

 So momentum isn’t always as crucial as you think.

 The Tomahawks are similar offensively. The days of the Gendron's are gone but Merrimack has smart/reliable scorers in Austin Franzen (13.1) & Ian Roberts (12.0) and rebounding & defense from the underrated Dylan Richardson. It will be Merrimack’s defense that decides this one. Alvirne is 6-1 this season when they score 60 points in a game (the lone loss was against Central) and 3-8 when they don’t climb to 60. That is where Brian Lynch’s team needs to get to Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals.
 
(13) Keene at (4) Spaulding 

 Dave Sontag’s team comes in feeling pretty good about themselves after a win at Winnacunnet to close out the season and now they face off with a Spaulding team that has designs on getting back to Durham after a one year absence.

 Between Mason Blanchard (14.7), John Link (12.3), Spencer Feng (9.3) and Brad Blake (11.2) the Blackbirds have an offense that looks for the open man more than any particular player. The Blackbirds do a nice job on the boards but their issues have been guarding out on the perimeter. That is going to be a problem if they can’t find a way to slow down all-state shooting guard Darian Berry (20.0). Tim Cronin’s team will be patient offensively and has a good inside presence from Anthony Ciccotelli, Brock Paquette (future member of the all-glue guy team), Berry (an underrated rebounder) and Chris States.

 Keene will pressure full court at times and drop back into a zone and pack the paint. That doesn’t work well against teams like Central & Londonderry who can beat you from behind the arc but for a physical team like Spaulding it could give them trouble. Keene has good size and is very well coached; something tells me they aren’t going quietly.

 Keene needs to be patient on offense as well, slow down the pace and try to catch the Fighting McIsaac’s over pursuing. That has been another strength of their team as they will keep the ball moving for as long as they need to get a good look.
 
 (12) Bishop Guertin at (5) Bedford

 The coverage of Bedford is sponsored by Bedford Dental Care & HK Photography

 Two teams that have had uneven seasons, but both with a very good chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

 For BG it has been a struggle to get production down low. In years past with players like Jeff Lunn and Connor Green this was a forgone conclusion but this season it has been a weakness for Jim Migneault’s team. Jack Zimmerman (14.4) has played at an all-state level at the point guard spot while Kyle Gavin (13.1)has been solid at forward. BG gets rebounding from Chad Oliveri and Mike Rinko but hasn’t gotten the offensive production to avoid a losing record.

 Bedford won four in a row to close the season  and beat BG convincingly just two weeks ago 61-44. Ryan Hughes (14.3), Colby Gendron (13.2) and Ryan Brown (12.3) make up a very productive threesome for one of the biggest teams in Division I. Mike Fitzpatrick’s teams always gets better as the season goes along and this Bulldogs team has been no different.
 
(15) Nashua North at (2) Manchester Central

 The coverage of Manchester Central is sponsored by 900 Degrees Pizzaria

 Sometimes teams are not quite what their record would suggest and I feel like that is the case with Nashua North.  Steve Lane’s team lost 9 of 10 games after their only post threat Brennan Kastens went down with an injury but since his return they’ve finished 4-2 in their final 6 games. Ronnie Silva (11.8) has been really good at the point while Nathan Hale (16.7) and Brandon Rodriguez (12.8) will be a focus of the Central defense tonight.

 Central felt like a team with a lot of moving parts when they first took the floor back in December but Joey Martin has provided great leadership in addition to his all-state production and they all play for the man who is widely considered as the best coach in Division I. The Little Green play extremely hard for Doc Wheeler and they can beat you off of dribble penetration or from behind the arc. Oumaru Kante (18.5) is one of the toughest ball handlers in the state to stay in front of while Jalen Leroy (16.8) can step out to knock down shots or blow by you on the baseline. Evan MacDonald (10.7) is an elite three point shooter and Wheeler can’t rave enough about the contributions of David Baracka.

 Can North stay in this one long enough to make it interesting? That will depend on their ability to defend Central out on the perimeter. The Titans have enough weapons offensively but how they deal with the speed of Central dictates how well they play tonight.
 
(10) Trinity at (7) Nashua South

 The coverage of Trinity is sponsored by The Auburn Pitts

  Good match-up as most 7/10 games usually are.

  South is known for their offense this season. Nate Mazerolle’s team can score in a hurry with DJ Frechette (20.5) and Michael Osgood (13.8)  These two teams met early in the season with South winning 69-56.

 Trinity has played better of late and have gotten some nice minutes from shooting guard James Santos. Matt Lemieux’s team will need to defend South’s perimeter shooters and not get worn down by their transition game. How Luke Testa and Nick Capobianco defend out in space will be a key because the Pioneers have enough rebounding between Keanyon Lambert, Justin Trickett and Walsh to win here.
 
(14) Salem at (3) Pinkerton Academy

 The coverage of Salem is sponsored by Merrimack Valley Sports

 It’s all about defense for Rob McLaughlin’s Blue Devils. When they hold teams to under 60 points they are 6-2. When they do not..0-10.

 The days of Salem slowing the pace and having to beat you 50-46 are gone, this is a team that can put up points. They’ve gotten really good production from Matthew Vartanian (15.9) and Jared Gott (14.3) all season long and tonight they face a Pinkerton team that has struggled defending shooters at times. Salem has to limit second shots for the Astros and take care of the basketball against Pinkerton ¾ court pressure.

 The Astros got all-state point guard Geo Baker back from an ankle injury and saw Matt Rizzo (12.1) and Tom Romick (9.7) step up in his absence. The Astros just have so many players you have to account for on offense; David Faulks is a very tough match-up on the block and 24 feet away Brennan Morris is waiting for enough daylight to knock down three’s. Rizzo and Drew Green do an excellent job of making the defense react with their penetration and its Baker running the show from the top of the key.

 Pinkerton wants to get out early and remind themselves that they beat this team 74-55 early in the season. As we saw on night one of the Division II tournament, anything can happen, the quicker you jump out in front and establish yourself the more likely you’re avoiding the fate of so many March Madness early exits.
 
 (11) Manchester Memorial at (6) Pembroke Academy

 The coverage of Pembroke is sponsored by The Manchester Bingo & Poker Room

 Now this one should be interesting for a whole lot of reasons…

 Can Memorial compete with the length of Pembroke? Can the Spartans guard Trevon Maughn and Kabongo Ngalakulondi? Is Memorial going to share the basketball or is it the one on five offense we’ve seen glimpses of? Does the height of Dominic Timbas defensively force Kabongo into the paint and into a big Pembroke frontline? Is there any doubt that these are two programs who won’t mind being the one to send the other packing? Those are some pretty strong storylines.

 Matt Alosa knows how to win once he gets to March and although you remember him as the coach who kept winning with #1 seeds there were more than a few years he reached Durham with as a low as a #9. This team has gotten better, Max Curran can spread the floor, Connor Boucher has played very well of late and Timbas has been their rock all season long.

 Pete Tarrier asked the question on our radio show; can Memorial catch lightning in a bottle twice?

 When you have scorers like the Crusaders do, and don’t sleep on Craig Preston and Brandon Scott, you always have a shot. Pembroke has trouble defending the perimeter so that is the concern here. Memorial though hasn’t given us any indication they’re ready for a repeat performance but that’s why the post-season is so intriguing. Everyone is 0-0….it’s now one & done for everyone. Starting tonight…..