Today we take a look at the seven first-round games in Division II as we head into the best two weeks of the high school basketball season.

 I want to personally thank each and every one of you for being supporters of the work done by Jen, Pete, Jon, Justin, Eliot & I. We bring you all of our coverage while working full-time jobs.

 Thank you so much for supporting the work we do for the kids of our home state.

 As we have for all of our prior first round games we give you the chances of an upset in the first round and a breakdown of each & every game..

 

 Division II

1. Hollis-Brookline gets a first-round bye

 

Cole Etten’s team earns the top seed in the Division.

 

(9) Milford at (8) Timberlane

 Timberlane Team Page

 It’s Round 3 for these two as the Owls & Spartans split their two regular season match-ups.

 Dan Murray’s Spartans have been led all season by Jamie Pare, who has had an all-state season and does a little of everything for this team. He’s a physical guard and he fits the image of this team. Milford seldom gets pushed around and they play hard for Murray.

 Max Fortin has had a good season as well and this is a team that shoots (and makes) a lot of three’s. They will extend the Timberlane defense and operate with four players on the perimeter.

 Social media giant Timberlane could lose in the first round or win tonight and then upset Hollis-Brookline in the quarterfinals. It’s just been that kind of year for them. Matt Perry (very solid at the guard spot), Sam Hovan (scoring & size at forward), Connor Schott (who gives them another ball handler) and Bob Horgan (the Jason Kidd of Division II big men) all score in double figures, giving Bracketologist Jeff Baumann four consistent scorers.

 It’s a very unselfish group and they’re very well coached. They struggle at times because they don’t have that go to scorer who can get you points when the offense bogs down or the defense is confusing them.

Upset forecast: No upset no matter the result..this one could go either way

 

(13) Souhegan at (4) Kearsarge Regional

Kearsarge Regional Team Page

Souhegan Team Page

 Last summer at the Great Bay C.C golf tournament I won a raffle that allowed me to pick out of a hat for a prize. I reached into the bag and pulled out a $25 gift card to a nail salon in Portsmouth.

 The face I made when I took a look at that gift card was probably the same face the Souhegan Sabers made when they realized who they were drawing in the first round. That’s because Kearsarge is a 4 seed in name only.

 The pre-season #1 is 14-0 when Tommy Johnson & Tayler Mattos play this season. One of those fourteen wins came against Pete Pierce’s team (Box Score), a game in which the Sabers competed all night long.

 So can they again tonight when it’s win or go home?

 I believe they can. But they’re going to have to get a big game out of Anderson Geffard (19.1 ppg) and contributions from Ryan Hickey & Jordan LauQuan as well. The Sabers don't have a ton of size and Nate Camp’s team certainly does.

 Souhegan though has lost five games in a row and six of their last seven,,,meaning they are trending hard in the wrong direction.

 This is a Kearsarge team that relies on players like Noah Tremblay (Player profile page), Kyle Hernon, Joe Storozuk and Jordan Bryk. Camp gets production out of each and this is a team that has played in eight tournament games the past two seasons.

 They’re going to be a tough out…and even more so on their home floor.

Upset forecast: This was a scary match-up for Kearsarge a month ago but I’m not sure it is now

 

(12) Windham at (5) Merrimack Valley

Merrimack Valley Team Page

Windham Team Page

 Todd Stephanides team has won  6 of their last 7 games, and in their lone loss, they lost to top seed Hollis-Brookline 45-42.

 Do you know what that makes them?

 A very scary 12 seed.

 This is a team that wins on defense and with their rebounding. They get balanced scoring from Jake Teixeira, big man Thomas Splagounias & Jake Byers and they are going to be happy to win this game in the 40’s if that’s what it takes.

 Tim Mucher’s Merrimack Valley team beat Windham 45-39 in the second game of the season, a game both teams probably can’t remember and hardly matters. The Pride gets balanced scoring as well from Ryan Defina, Kyle Dube, Jake Hebert and Caleb LeClair. Mucher does an excellent job with this team and they will pressure the ball to try and create transition opportunities. Against Windham, they want to speed the game up and get out on the open floor. If Windham turns this into a grind it out half-court affair MV is in trouble.

 Merrimack Valley earned their 5 seed by being very consistent all season long. Their only bad loss was to a 4-14 Bishop Brady team, otherwise, the losses were a pair to Kearsarge and Pembroke, both Top 3 seeds. Tim Mucher deserves a ton of credit for that.

 Upset forecast: I’m not saying yes…but I’m not saying no either…..there’s something about those 5 vs 12 games…

 

(15) John Stark at (2) Lebanon

 I feel like there are going to be shockers in Division II…could this be the one?

 Lebanon has a terrific frontcourt with Chris Nulty and Matt Eylander…they have a terrific head coach in Kieth Mate…and they have some up & coming players ready to get to the big stage. Players like John Willeman, Wade Rainey, and point guard Logan Falzarano.

 The 20 point win at Coe-Brown was impressive and Matte’s teams have a reputation for getting better by the month. They understand the stakes and although this is an entirely new backcourt Eylander has played in two championship games the past two springs (its spring right?).

 Lebanon has seen the Generals and understands the defense they’re going to see and the personnel as well.

 Mike Smith’s team struggles offensively at times but is very good defensively & has won games this season with their offensive rebounding. 6’5 Parker McQuarrie, Christian Barr, and Aaron Bergeron all can kill you on the glass if they are not accounted for and their size makes their 1-3-1 defense tough to score against. Smith is a good coach and he gets the most out of this group. They will go to Lebanon with the belief that they can win.

Upset forecast: Crazy things seem about to happen…and this would classify as crazy

 

Kennett (10) at Oyster River (7)

Oyster River Team Page

 The third meeting between these two teams with the Bobcats winning both meetings.

 Lorne Lucas’s team will apply zone pressure in the half-court and rebound as a team. Max Lewis does a nice job on the baseline and does a little bit of everything to help this team win. Cam Thibadeau will handle the basketball and in Joe Morell, Kyle Landrigan and Brennan Oxford this is an unselfish group that rides the hot hand night to night.

 Kennett features a small lineup and each player can score. Colby Livingston is the Eagles point guard and he can either score or set up one of the many shooters they feature on the perimeter. Trey Snowden might be their most athletic player and Oyster River needs to communicate where he is on the floor at all times. They struggle against size but Oyster River conveniently is not as big team.

Upset forecast: Low……Oyster River matches up well with the Eagles

 

(14) Hanover at (3) Pembroke Academy

Pembroke Team Page

 Great job by Rich Otis in year one at Pembroke. From day one he told them they were going to have to defend to win tournament games and they have proven they can. They’re by no means an elite defense but they can win a game in the high 40’s and along the way, there is a solid chance you’re going to need to do that.

 Noah Cummings is a first team all-state guard, Jake Sherman can win a game with his scoring, Sean Menard has recovered very nicely from an injury suffered last year and players like Shea Shackford & Brandon Linscott understand their roles and fill them nicely.

 Tim Winslow’s Hanover team is led by sophomore guard Charlie Adams, who is a good one and a player to watch. He runs their motion offense as a very good ball handler but probably doesn’t look for his own offense enough.

 Caleb Putnam and Graham Penfield are the rare duo who can play with their backs to the basket. They will try and attack Pembroke in the paint where they are susceptible. Defensively Hanover will play man to man and try to run Pembroke, an excellent shooting team, off the three-point line.

Upset forecast: Very low for this one……….Pembroke has their eye on Durham

 

(11) Pelham at (6) Coe-Brown

Coe-Brown Team Page

Pelham Team Page

 Coe-Brown needs to fear the Pelham team that blew out Oyster River 72-45 on the road. A team with a very good shooting guard (Drew Brown 16.7), tough hard-nosed players in Derek Crowley (11.7) & Blake Woekel and a center in Dylan Andrews who can rebound and guard the post.

 Coe-Brown probably will have little trouble with a Pelham team that has lost six of their last eight games, including a 20-point loss to Milford at home and a  loss in the season finale to a 3-15 Goffstown team.

 So which Pelham team is showing up tonight? Because when this Pelham team is engaged, and they have the players and the coach, Mike Larson absolutely is not the issue, they can be scary.

 But are they?

 I have no idea how this one plays out and neither do you, it’s just been a confounding season. It may be players not sharing the ball, not getting along or an awful lot of bad breaks all in a row but Pelham needs to figure it out by 7 o’clock tonight because Coe-Brown feels like they are going to be there, in the end, fighting for another trip to Durham and I don’t doubt them for a minute.

The same can’t be said for Pelham…let’s see what they show us tonight.

Upset forecast: The band, the crowd and the Bear…..might be too much to overcome