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.

 As always I pick the two teams most likely to meet in the championship game, your most likely final four teams, hand out mid-season all-state picks as well as our mid-season player & coach of the year.

 We want to first thank our five Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Cole Etten of Hollis-Brookline, Mike Larson of Pelham, Peter Pierce of Souhegan, Leo Gershgorin of Con Val & Lorne Lucas of Oyster River

 Every Gold Level Member has access to every single full game video we produce.

 We will be covering two Division II games tonight (more film for scouting purposes).

 Pete Tarrier & Austin Grass will be in Pelham when the Pythons host Souhegan.

 Nichole Marrero & I will be at Oyster River when the Bobcats host Hollis-Brookline in a championship game rematch.

Today’s column is sponsored by our friends and partners at Concord Orthopaedics

Concord Orthopaedics, with locations in Concord, Derry, New London & Windham, has been serving New Hampshire and beyond in specialized orthopaedic and arthritis care.

 Concord Orthopaedics is the sponsor of the coverage of Concord area high schools Bow, John Stark, Concord, Bishop Brady, Pembroke Academy, Kearsarge, and Merrimack Valley.

 

 If forced to pick the two teams that will meet in the final: Oyster River vs. Pembroke Academy (Part III)

 Yes I know it’s boring to go with my pre-season #1 and #2 but nothing has happened since early December to change my mind.

 Oyster River has only a one-point loss to Pembroke on their resume and they just got better last week with the return of Kyle Miller. His return gives Lorne Lucas a shooter to spread the floor and gives additional room to operate for their big three of Kyle Landrigan (18.1 ppg.), Max Lewis (13.3) and Joe Morrell (16.4).

 The Bobcats check every box for a run in March; 1) They have tournament experience after reaching the championship game a year ago 2) They have three players who can be their best player on any given night 3) They have size down low with Dan Judge & Doug MacGowan, which means they shouldn’t get dominated on the boards as they did in last year’s final (in their defense that Hollis-Brookline team was tremendous in the paint) 4) Miller gives them the knockdown shooter for when the defense collapses on Landrigan, Morrell, Lewis or all of the above and 5) In Lucas they have a veteran coach who has championships on his resume.

 Rich Otis’s Pembroke team has also passed just about every test they’ve faced, including a win at Oyster River. Noah Cummings has been as good as advertised (there can’t be many guards in the state with a better assist to turnover ratio), Sean Menard is healthy again & playing very well while Shea Shackford has stepped up as a scorer (15.7), giving the Spartans three players that average 15 points per game.

 Tim Pitman has been very solid in the starting lineup all season while Jack Lehoulier has done a nice job defensively against forwards like Merrimack Valley’s Kyle Dube and Landrigan.

 Pembroke is more of a perimeter team while Oyster River is better at attacking the basket. The last two meetings have come down to the final second of the game and a rubber match would only take place at UNH.

 Pelham might be playing better than anyone right now and the chemistry, which was an issue with that Jekyll & Hyde team last year, has been terrific. Derek Crowley has become a scorer you can ride in crunch team while Cam Loring & Blake Woekel are doing all the little things that win you games.

 The Snake Pit is a very tough gym to go into and walk away from a winner, especially in the post-season. Pelham still has road games at Merrimack Valley and Hanover in addition to a home game with Lebanon.

 Mike Larson’s team should be a top-four seed if they finish the year 5-2.

 

  The verdict is still out on: Con Val (They have been one of the best stories in the division. I love their energy, their depth and their guard play {you can go very far with Ben Henry & Max Richard}, but will their lack of size & big game experience cost them in the tournament?)……….Souhegan (another team that doesn’t have a ton of size & big game experience. The win over Lebanon was impressive as was the win at Coe-Brown in a game the Bears really needed. Is Matt McCool ready to win them a big playoff game? If he is, Jeff Boehm, Khaled Nazeer & Jeff Kiesewetter are good enough to help get you there)………Lebanon (In the pre-season I asked if they could score enough to beat good teams. Jon Willeman & Wade Rainey have answered that question; YES. Also their interim head coach Dave Faucher is pretty good I hear)……..Merrimack Valley ( I like their chances to get back to UNH if Dillon McCarthy becomes a consistent second scorer for them…we know what we are getting from Kyle Dube [he’s been terrific] & Griffin Wheeler [he’s been a great surprise for Tim Mucher] but they need a consistent 14 ppg guy and that player is McCarthy or Jared Sylvester).……Hanover (Charlie Adams is introducing himself to the rest of the state [we are going to cover their game with Lebanon next week] and this is a team that if they are making shots, could knock off anyone in the division. They also could be upset in Round 1 if they’re not)…………Milford (They have trouble with teams that get the ball into the paint on offense but they play very hard, and that masks some of their weaknesses)……..Kearsarge (They have a chance to close the season out with four straight wins but if they can’t go 2-3 in their next five against Hanover, Souhegan,  Oyster River, Hollis-Brookline & Con Val it might be too late. Noah Tremblay has been playing terrific for Nate Camp’s team)…..Hollis-Brookline (They need a second scorer to emerge behind Grant Snyder and I feel like Cole Etten is still trying to find his best five on the floor)

 

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

 The Giants look downright schizophrenic from afar but when you take a look at their results, you can see they’re a team you’d rather avoid in Round 1.

 First of all, if it’s a shootout you want they’ll happily oblige. Wil Spencer (15.8) and Tommy Frasier (18.1) have each gone for 27 or more points in a game this season and Brady has scored over 70 points in a game three times already.

 Brady has a shot blocker in Ryan Johnson to protect the rim and a pair of scorers that can get you 25 in a playoff game. All six of their losses this season are to teams with a winning record. All of which makes for a team you want to avoid in the opening round.

 

 Player of the year at the mid-point: Noah Cummings of Pembroke

 The pre-season pick remains in the top spot through 9 games.

 Runner-up: Derek Crowley of Pelham

 

 Coach of the Year at the mid-point:  Leo Gershgorin of Con Val

 The 8-1 start is not a product of two months of hard work & dedication; it’s the product of two years of hard work & dedication.

 Runner-up: Peter Pierce of Souhegan & Tim Winslow of Hanover

 

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

 Noah Cummings of Pembroke Academy

 Derek Crowley of Pelham

 Kyle Landrigan of Oyster River

 Kyle Dube of Merrimack Valley

 Charlie Adams of Hanover

 

 With apologies to: Matt McCool of Souhegan, Noah Tremblay of Kearsarge, Joe Morrell & Max Lewis of Oyster River, Shea Shackford & Sean Menard of Pembroke,  Mather Kipka of Con Val, Jon Willeman & Wade Rainey of Lebanon, Wil Spencer & Tommy Frasier of Bishop Brady, Lucas McCusker of Coe-Brown, Blake Woekel of Pelham, Grant Snyder of Hollis-Brookline & Colby Livingston of Kennett

 

 Tomorrow: Division I