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 three Division II coaches we spoke to using blind quotes.

 We will have full coverage of all the Final Four games in Durham in this week.
 
  Division II

 (4) Lebanon vs. (1) Portsmouth

  These two teams met in a very physical & intense semifinal game a year ago that went all the way to the wire before the Clippers pulled out the win.

 This one should be just as close but the faces and styles have changed. Pace will dictate this match-up more than who wins the paint. We asked three Division II coaches to breakdown two of the best programs in the state.

 First Keith Matte’s Lebanon Raiders: “Probably the most fun team to watch. They have so many guards who can hurt you in different ways and I love the way Keith has them playing. They will try and trap you on the catch. Their ability to defend has vastly improved since December & January where they had to think before they got to their spots. Now it is instinct and they just gave Merrimack Valley all sorts of trouble in the quarterfinals that way.”

 Another coach talked about Coach Matte, “Having your son on the team, with kids he grew up with, makes a tremendous difference. He knows these kids; you can imagine how much he has driven these kids around while they were in middle school. There is a real trust and bond you see with this team. That team he had last year had talent but also a lot of personalities that Keith had to manage. This team seems to have great chemistry.”

 Coaches raved about point guard KJ Matte. “KJ has developed into one of the best players in our division,” said one head coach. “He is so tough off the dribble and he knows when to kick it out and when to go to the rim himself. He has really been special for them.” One coach talked about slowing Matte as the key to beating Lebanon. “You have to find a way to contain him. Certainly that is easier said than done but when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands they can struggle against pressure. He wants the ball in his hands, his dad wants it in his dads and so do his teammates. So deny him the ball back and overplay that denial. Have your big man waiting at the foul line to help and make someone else handle the ball.”

 Coaches though made it clear Matte was part of a very good backcourt, “I love the (Ryan) Milliken kid, he has a nose for the ball and he just comes at you. I actually think he is their most important player Wednesday night.” Another coach talked about Austin Whaley, “He is tough as nails; I was really impressed with them when we played them.”

 How does Portsmouth beat Lebanon? “I think Joey Glynn is a nightmare match-up for them. They are going to box him out and make Glynn go over the back but Glynn is smarter than that, he has great timing when it comes to tip ins and offensive rebounds.” Another coach talked about Lebanon’s success at home, “I think they are a very different team when you get them out of their home gym. That’s a team that is 10 points better at home than they are on the road.”

 Coaches talked about Lebanon’s lack of size. “They really struggle to defend bigs. When we played them we just got the ball into the post as much as we could. They doubled from the weak side and the corner was open all night. They really had no answer for it. If Portsmouth works it through the post Lebanon is going to be scrambling.”

 What about the top ranked Clippers? “They are great defensively. You have a lot of trouble figuring out that match-up zone they play and they are so good at help defense. I marvel at how well Manchester Central stays in front of ballhandlers and I marvel at how well Portsmouth rotates defensively. They can overplay on the outside because they help so well and because they have protection at the rim with (Joey) Glynn and (Devonn) Wilson-Miles.”

 Our coaches talked about the coaches in this match-up. “I’ve seen Jim (Mulvey) just flat out, out-scheme a guy or make adjustments they couldn’t counter. He won’t have that kind of big advantage with (Keith) Matte. I always thought Matte and Matt Alosa really went back & forth with Jim. That makes it a lot of fun as a coach to see that. They will throw some wrinkles at each other but at the end of the day it’s the team that makes the most shots and fewest mistakes. Both teams will be well prepared that’s for sure.”

 How do you defend Portsmouth? “I think if there is a weak link it’s their point guard (Shon Parham), I love him defensively but he can get rattled by pressure. If you are going to beat Portsmouth you need easy transition baskets, I’d go after Parham.” And what about the rest of the Clippers? “With (Cody) Graham you make him put it on the floor. You don’t allow him to catch and shoot because he’s not afraid to take the shot. Use what he doesn’t know yet against him, force him into the middle and make him make quick decisions with the ball in his hands. With (Charlie) Lehoux it’s the opposite, get up on him in transition because he likes to pull up behind the arc but he also can get it into the paint and makes good decisions there. He’s the rock on that team, the numbers don’t tell the story with him.”

 So who wins?

 “I like Portsmouth in a close game.”

 “I don’t think anyone is beating Portsmouth but if they get beat its Lebanon and not Brady.”

 “It will be a very good game; I like Portsmouth because of their ability to rebound.”
 
(10) Goffstown vs. (3) Bishop Brady

 The Grizzlies have crashed the party amid a blizzard of three pointers. Brady was the pre-season #1 but they haven’t been considered the favorite since January. Who advances to the Saturday final?

 First Cole Etten’s Bishop Brady team. “It all goes through Jourdain Bell, he is the best player in our division and his ability to set up his teammates is unmatched. If you are going to beat Brady you have to do it in the half court. They like to push the ball and you really pick your poison in regards to who you have to stop. Brendan Johnson has been an elite scorer and they are a surprisingly good rebounding team because they’ll send four guys to the boards.”

 So how do you slow down Brady? “Keep Jourdain out of the paint and make him beat you from the outside. Nothing they run on offense is that sophisticated, in fact it’s pretty loose but they have such good players they make it work.” Another coach talked about the players around Jourdain, “You can’t help off of (Brendan) Johnson, he’s too good. I was so impressed with him when we played them. You want to keep the game in the 50’s and clog the lane so Jourdain can’t get in the lane for dump down passes. Make Joe (Bell) create with the ball because he can struggle. He does so much for them but his role is not as the guy with the ball in his hands. When he is forced to take over he can struggle.”

 A fellow coach agreed on how to defend Jourdain Bell, “Play him from the foul line and make him beat you with jumpers. Clog that lane for him and make him beat you from 15 feet out. I’m not saying he won’t but that isn’t his game or his comfort level. Taking the paint away also takes away a lot of the motion they run and looks his teammates get.”

 What about the Brady defense? “They’ll pressure you full court,” said one coach, “they won’t gamble much because they really don’t have to. They have the kind of athletes that can stay in front of you and when you turn it over they convert better than any other team in our league.”

 What are the weaknesses for Bishop Brady? “Full court zones can rattle them; they sometimes get careless with the ball. You also want to get physical with them and keep the game at your pace. If Goffstown wants to go up and down the floor Jourdain will have 30 points..”

 What about Mark Elmendorf’s Grizzlies? “ They shoot it really well and they like to push the ball. If they are off from the outside though they struggle to find other ways to score. How do they react to the big floor? I think that is certainly a factor.”

 A fellow coach talked about the key to beating Goffstown, “ Stop Marcus Haynes. If you focus on him and stop him from scoring they really struggle, Brady needs to have his name in bold up on the pre-game chalkboard.” Another coach talked about Rob Girardin, “ I think he gets overlooked sometimes. He can certainly knock down shots and when they swing the ball to him they have a lot of success.”

 What about the Goffstown defense? “ They will pack in a 2-3 zone. You can attack them at the high post, swing the ball and get open looks. They rebound pretty well, (Tim) Comeau is a bull down low, but they are slow on their feet and if you move the ball you get the shot you want.” Another coach we spoke to talked about attacking the Goffstown zone, “ They are not a good defensive team, they are more focused on the other end of the floor. I think Brady is going to have a lot of success with Johnson and (Matt) Quirk against that zone because Goffstown is willing to give up open looks from deep.”

 So who wins the game?

 “ Bishop Brady is my pick to win it all, I think they win by double digits.”

 “Brady will beat them decisively if they slow down Haynes.”

 “ Brady has the most talent in our division, they have five all-state players. They should win this game.”