This is an annual column where we stop to take a look around each of the four divisions at the midway point of the season. The purpose is to analyze the first half of the season to tell you where the teams stand today and where they are likely headed over the second half of the season.

 Coming tomorrow Division III

 As always I pick the two teams most likely to meet in the championship game, your most likely final four teams, the scary lower seed no one will want to see coming to their gym in Round 1, hand out mid-season all-state picks as well as our mid-season player & coach of the year.

 A Huge Thank you to our Gold Level Coaches/Programs:

 Mark Collins of Groveton, CC Deville of Poison, Rob Bradley of Derryfield, Jamie Hayes of Newmarket, Nick Fiset of Epping, Carl Anderson of Hinsdale, Trevor Howard of Littleton & Jamie Walker of Woodsville.

 

 If forced to pick the two teams that will meet in the final: Littleton vs. Newmarket

 If this comes as any surprise to you then you’ve been tuning me out for two months.

 Littleton and Newmarket are 15 points clear of every other team in the division and the only team out of the other 20 that read that statement and said ‘Hey!!??’ was Epping.

 They’ll get their chance to prove everyone wrong, as will every other contender but today, as was the case in November, it's Littleton/Newmarket and everybody else.

 Littleton has three go-to scorers (Jason Brammer, Parker Briggs & Danny Kubkowski), a familiarity with head coach Trevor Howard’s zone press & offensive system and big game experience after playing at Plymouth last March.

 Littleton beats teams in the North Country up with that zone press, but does that cost them when they get to the bigger college floor in March?

 Littleton is the most explosive team in the division. The team which can run off 12 straight points with ease. They have the athletes defensively and the shooters to do it.

 To beat Newmarket they are going to have to beat a team with more size than they have and a team that will play them man to man defensively for 32 minutes.

 Newmarket has all the pieces; the all-state point guard to run the show in Simon Cote, two very good forwards who can score & rebound in Jared Woodman & Logan Willey, a veteran coach, in Jamie Hayes, who has been in plenty of big games and enough firepower off the bench (Owen Tower is capable of a big performance when you need it) to win it all.

 If there is a weakness for Newmarket it is that they are not a great outside shooting team, there is no one you have to chase around 22 feet from the basket for fear that he is going to catch & shoot.

 Also, Jamie Hayes is playing 10 to 11 guys in the first half of games now. That won’t work in March, so the rotation is going to have to be cut down to 7 or 8. When you get to Plymouth Simon Cote & Jared Woodman need to be playing 25+ minutes.

 But these are all adjustments for mid-March.

 Nick Fiset’s Epping Blue Devils are the 3rd best team in the division. Hunter Bullock has been terrific at the point and in Shawn Hill & Adam LePage they have a pair of shooters to stretch out your defense.

 The X-factor remains junior power forward Peyton Rivers. If he’s able to help control the game with his rebounding Epping becomes capable of being there in the end.

 Epping can beat a better team with Rivers only scoring 10 points but they can’t with him only getting 10 rebounds.

The verdict is still out on: (and I’ll put them in order): Pittsfield (they play fast & they play smart. Dylan Bocash has stepped up as their go-to guy, Devin Bedell gives them a legitimate post-presence and players like Jah Gordon & Tyler Prentice fill their roles well)…...Groveton ( the maturation of the trio of sophomores will be the key. Matt St Cyr, in particular, has played better by the week. They need their young guards to be able to handle defensive pressure. Once they get you into the half court they run the offense through Josh Wheelock (15.7) & Gavin Simpson (16.8) in the post. If Mark Collins can control the pace of the game they might be the 4th best team in the division and a very tough out in March)…...Derryfield (Rob Bradley’s team doesn’t have the depth to beat either Littleton or Newmarket but they can get back to Plymouth again. How they do tonight against Epping at home will tell you how realistic that goal is. Max Byron has been really good for the Cougars but who is the consistent second scorer they need?)……....Sunapee (The Lakers are 6-2 and have several playmakers that can lead them on any given night {most notably Jordan Chappell & Brady Grzanna} but they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record yet. Their match-up on Thursday with Derryfield will tell us a lot about their ability to get to the final four in March).

 Your lower seeded team that will be a nightmare in Round 1: Woodsville

  I could see this team losing by 12 in the first round or getting to the final four. That’s a pretty big window but their combination of lack of size and shooting ability is the reason behind it.

 Woodsville, when they are unselfish and move the basketball, is a tough team to defend because they can put 5 shooters out on the perimeter that can knock down 3’s.

 When they hit the open man for open 3’s they have hung in games against both Newmarket & Littleton. When they start playing hero-ball and stop moving the basketball they aren’t very effective.

 The key to Woodsville is knocking down those open looks & and being unselfish enough to get them. They also have to rebound as a team because they don’t have the size to keep players like Newmarket's Logan Willey (who killed them on the glass) out of the paint.

 But if you get Woodsville in the tournament and Billy Green, Patrick Estes, Conner Maccini, Brendan Walker & Corey Bemis are knocking down shots, combined with a head coach in  Jamie Walker who has won big post-season games….they can take you out.

 

 Player of the year at the mid-point: Hunter Bullock of Epping

 The Blue Devils point guard leads his 7-1 team in scoring, assists, steals & is second in rebounding. I’d define that as a pretty convincing resume.

 Runner-up: Danny Kubkowski of Littleton

 

Coach of the Year at the mid-point: Jay Darrah of Pittsfield

 You didn’t think Pittsfield would be this good after losing 7 of their top 8 players and neither did I.

 Darrah has done a terrific job and the Panthers are playing better by the week. Right now they are right behind Epping as the fourth best team in the division and back to back final four appearances would be quite a statement for the program.

 Runner-up: Derek Summers of Portsmouth Christian

 

 First Team All-State (First half of the season)

 Hunter Bullock of Epping

 Danny Kubkowski of Littleton

 Simon Cote of Newmarket

 Max Byron of Derryfield

 Parker Briggs of Littleton

 

 With apologies to: Jared Woodman of Newmarket, Gavin Simpson & Josh Wheelock of Groveton, Jason Brammer of Littleton, Jordan Chappell & Brady Grzanna of Sunapee, Dylan Bocash of Pittsfield, Logan Ebare of Farmington, AJ Chase of Portsmouth Christian, Billy Green of Woodsville, Andrew Normandin of Mount Royal, Joey McClay of Moultonborough, Dylan Harden of Hinsdale and Camden Burt of Lisbon.