Division I

(9) Merrimack at (1) Londonderry

 This is the third meeting between these two so there are no secrets going in. Merrimack played the Lancers very tough on both occasions (losing 52-51 & 56-48) and it is just as important to pay attention to the final score as who won the games.

 The Lancers average 71 points per game but the best defense in the division, according to the numbers, held them in the 50’s twice. That bodes well if you are a Merrimack supporter. They’ve been able to get Londonderry to play at their pace and even though they lost both games they were able to stick around for 32 minutes.

 Tim Goodridge knows if this game gets into the 60’s the Tomahawks won’t be following them there. Nate Stanton will push the pace and find ways to get out in transition even off of made baskets. Winner punches their ticket to Durham..
 
(5) Bedford at (4) Spaulding

 Rematch of a game played on February 17th that Spaulding won 65-36.

 Those kinds of results haven’t been out of the norm for Bedford, and that’s not common for a #5 seed. They lost three games this season by 25 points or more all to three teams ranked ahead of them (Londonderry/Central/Spaulding) which suggest the gap between 4 & 5 might be pretty wide.

 We’ll know for sure Saturday night. Bedford certainly has the size to compete with Anthony Ciccotelli and Chris States. Gardner Gendron & Ryan Brown give Mike Fitzpatrick the kind of size down low to create second shot opportunities and if Bedford is going to pull the upset they’ll need to get more shots than Spaulding. Controlling the glass is going to be crucial.

 Tim Cronin’s team is very efficient in their half-court offense and is smart enough to run everything through Darian Berry. Between States, Cal Connelly and Brock Paquette (who I think McIsaac wants to adopt..) there is plenty of balance offensively. This is a very good, well balanced team and a win here gets them back to Durham for the fifth time in eight years.
 
(15) Nashua North at (10) Trinity

 I’m buying dinner at Billy’s if you had Trinity as the last Manchester team standing when the tournament started..

 Connor Walsh went off for 31 points in a win at Nashua South as the Pioneers are one game away from going back to the Final Four again. Central wouldn’t have been a good second round match-up for them, but Central isn’t the team coming in to McHugh Gymnasium this weekend…

 You’re going to have to take my word on this (and when have I ever lied to you??) but I had a feeling Nashua North was going to take Central to the wire. That was even before I found our Oumaru Kante was suspended and wouldn’t be playing.

 When Brennan Kastens missed eight games with an injury in the middle of the season it took away the only post player Steve Lane had. This was already a small team height wise but when he was gone this became a team that struggled to get any sort of contributions in the paint.

  After he returned the pieces started to fit again and Nathan Hale (31 points against Central) was able to find space out on the wings where he likes to operate. Add to that the fact that a very good point guard but inconsistent shooter (Ronnie Silva) hit 3 three pointers and North banked in a huge three late just as Central was turning the game back around and this one wasn’t as big of a shock as you might have thought.

 Joey Martin (25 points) and Jalen Leroy (24) went down fighting but after leading the team in scoring all season long Kante didn't do enough to make himself eligible to be on the floor. When he did that it allowed a lot of people in the city to roll out the ‘I told you so’s..’ which is unfortunate for Martin, his teammates and the entire Central coaching staff.

  All season long there was a lot of juggling, teaching and prodding going on behind the scenes with this team to get everyone on the same page and on the floor together. In the end it evaporated at the most crucial moment.

 If you’ve ever seen the Kevin Costner movie ‘Tin Cup’ you know the premise.  Even with pro level talent Roy Mcavoy was working at a driving range because when it really mattered he couldn’t control his emotions or be mature enough to handle the responsibility that his talent brought him.

 At the end of the movie McCovey is finally able to hold it together for 71 holes at his first US Open before all of the sudden it happens again…and he blows up right there on the 18th hole in front of everybody.

 Sometimes those kinds of issues aren’t fictional…
 
 (6) Pembroke Academy at (3) Pinkerton Academy

 Second meeting of the season and the first one was a fun we covered here:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zdkSJpw4U4

 The Spartans ran with Memorial and were involved in one of those shoot-outs Memorial craves. Max Curran erupted for 44 points (44!!) and Dominic Timbas was terrific again with 32 as the Spartans survived similar heat check performances from Trevon Maughn (26 points) and Kabongo Ngalakulondi (37) to win 91-87 in overtime.

 Pinkerton just beat Pembroke up in the paint in that first meeting and with David Faulks doing all of that damage it allowed Brennan Morris and Drew Green good looks on the perimeter. The Astros bothered Pembroke with their three quarter court pressure and forced a ton of turnovers.

 Pembroke really never got into the game until Pinkerton put their entire starting lineup on the bench for the final 3 minutes of the fourth quarter where Matt Alosa’s team promptly cut a 12 point lead to 6.

 In the end Geo Baker was too much and facilitated a Pinkerton win. How coaches Alosa and Rosinski adjust the second time around will be interesting to see. Pinkerton rolled to a first round win and Pembroke is a team playing with some confidence right now. Expect a good one Saturday night…