The Auburn Pitts Division I & II Championship Game Previews
2015-03-21
Portsmouth meets Bishop Brady for the title Saturday
By Dave Haley Photo by Savannah Carberry
We will be holding a year end party at The Southside Tavern & Restaurant in Manchester with the likely date being Thursday April 2nd. Pete Tarrier & Justin McIsaac will MC and we will debut our ‘2014-15 Season Highlights Video’. There will be more details to come but we’d love to see as many coaches, players and parents as can make what should be a great night.
Our donations have greatly slowed down as the number of teams has dwindled to four. We have only heard from 10% of our readers and your support will determine what we are able to provide for our readers in the year to come.
Also remember, every Gold Level donation receives the full game videos to every single game we covered this season, all the way through the two championship games Saturday. Gold Level Donators were raving about this to me at Durham as the steal of the century..if your son is playing in these games you’ll have the videos (that can be burned into DVDs) forever while also supporting the hard work of our team.
Each donator will be listed on our year end video in appreciation of their support.
Our most recent contributors to our coverage:
The family of Brennan Morris of Pinkerton
Kendra Vedrani of Campbell
Ben Wheeler of Conant
Dave Sokolnicki of St Thomas
Brandi Litts of Wilton-Lyndeborough
Twenty tournament games in twenty one days have now come down to two games on Saturday.
Division I
(3) Pinkerton Academy vs. (1) Londonderry
Rematch of a terrific match-up we covered. To watch the highlights again click on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OFbGPgD3rg
We’re going with something a little different for this year’s championship previews. We’ll dial it down to one question for each team; how do they win Saturday?
How does Pinkerton win Saturday?: Londonderry buried enough three pointers in the first meeting to make the Golden State Warriors feel like it was overkill. Second time around the Astros want to extend pressure and force the Lancers into the paint. Pinkerton head coach Peter Rosinski made a nice adjustment late in the semifinal win over Nashua North when he went 2-1-2 from the three point line, leaving Matt Rizzo at the middle of the zone to guard the high post flasher. Extending out to the wings to take away jump shots by Nathan Hale (why did I think he was a lefty??) and Ronnie Silva (I was early on the Ronnie Silva bandwagon and very happy to be there).
You can say ‘Pinkerton is huge down low, attack Londonderry in the post!!’ but they’re not going to do that. The Astros don’t get a lot of back to basket production (who does?). What they do have is four excellent guards (Geo Baker, Brennan Morris, Drew Green & Matt Rizzo, who btw Division I coaches rave about) who all can create & stretch your defense. The Astros need to get back in transition and pull that three quarter court trap back. The Lancers want you to pressure them 70 feet from the basket because they know they are getting through you for a good look.
Pinkerton has to try and game plan for Jake Coleman. The sophomore guard kept Londonderry in it for three quarters against Spaulding until Cody Ball rode in to save the day. Expect Rosinski to mix up defenses as he looks to join the exclusive list of coaches who have won multiple titles.
How does Londonderry beat Pinkerton Saturday?:
Pretty simple…play their game. The Lancers want to get out in transition, negating Pinkerton’s size, and spread them out on defense. There are holes in that Pinkerton zone and Londonderry makes you pay when you leave them in open space.
Defensively it is about slowing down Geo Baker, who was sensational in scoring 33 points against Nashua North. I was lucky enough to be sitting with four Division I coaches watching the final four (while Pete did the heavy lifting for our team) and the comment you heard time and again was how hard he is to cover. Geo will go around you if you pressure him and he will pull-up on a dime from three if you sag off. Expect Cody Ball to get the assignment, two first team all-state guards going head to head.
Londonderry wants to attack the full court pressure of Pinkerton when they bring it. They won’t merely be satisfied to get through it, they want easy looks out of it. This team is elite offensively with Ball, Marc Corey and Coleman but when Joe Kwiatkowski steps up like he did against Spaulding (16 points) they are a legitimate nightmare. The Lancers feel like their style is a good match-up for what Pinkerton brings at them and remember they have won three straight games against their arch-rivals going back to last season.
Who will be dancing with Pete Tarrier in the locker room afterwards? We’ll find out Saturday afternoon.
Londonderry head coach Nate Stanton and Portsmouth head coach Jim Mulvey will join Pete Tarrier and I Saturday morning on the New Hampshire High School Hoop Show from 8 to 9 am. You can listen live on 96.7 FM on the seacoast and WGIR 610 AM in the Manchester area or, as most people do, find us online at http://www.iheart.com/live/WGIR-AM-610-2752/
Division II
(3) Bishop Brady vs. (1) Portsmouth
Rematch of an instant classic, watch the highlights at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w5UDt8bXUk
How does Bishop Brady win Saturday?: The Bishop Brady players looked like a bunch of little kids with an amusement park all to themselves Wednesday night. Jourdain Bell enjoyed all the extra space a college floor provides to the tune of 8 assists and Brendan Johnson & Joe Bell were too much for Goffstown to track in their 2-3 zone. Bell found center Aaron Svendsen time & time again for easy baskets (at one point Svendsen was 7 for 8 from the field…that’s a point guard doing his job..) as Brady was never challenged after a quick start.
Portsmouth came out with some different looks defensively, mixing in match-up zones with straight man to man. It stymied a very good Lebanon offense in the second half as the Clippers pulled away to earn its sixth championship game appearance in nine seasons..think about how impressive that is.
Brady has to get Bell into the paint in order to utilize Svendsen against a big & very active Portsmouth front line. Joe Bell will be called upon to play defensive stopper and he is fully capable of winning the game with his defense, rebounding and ability to get to 50/50 balls.
How does Portsmouth win Saturday?: The biggest match-up of the game may very well be between the two guys wearing slacks. Jim Mulvey is coaching in a Division II (formerly Class I) championship game for the sixth time. Bishop Brady head coach Cole Etten will be coaching in his 22nd varsity game. You cannot downplay how big of a factor that is. Etten has done an excellent job and looks like he is going to be a good one for a long time but Mulvey is considered by many to be one of the top 5 coaches in the entire state and he has gotten a look at Bishop Brady up close. He knows what changes he’ll make, what plays he will take away and it is going to be on Brady to adjust to that.
Portsmouth broke up a close game when they started limiting Lebanon to one shot per possession while getting two or three shots on their end of the floor. This is a different team, a better team, when Devon Wilson-Miles is contributing off the bench. Joey Glynn struggled early to convert easy looks but he was terrific when it counted in the second half. Freshman Cody Graham was able to spread Lebanon out after he knocked down a couple of early jumpers and his instincts as a player were on full display when he induced a late hoop & the foul to seal the win.
The struggle for Portsmouth early was with how they were defending Lebanon’s high ball screens and movement. Instead of hedging or switching Portsmouth was ducking under screens, giving KJ Matte and Ryan Milliken clean looks they were able to knock down. You could see Mulvey telling his guys where they needed to be but with their considerable noise the message was not always received. The Clippers adjusted and locked down Lebanon in the second half.
How they guard Bishop Brady and their potent offense the second time around, how they guard Brendan Johnson who lit them up in the first meeting, will tell you a lot about who wins the title Saturday.
If you can’t make it to Durham or only will be arriving for the second game you can listen live to the broadcast as Justin McIsaac and I bring you all the play by play online at www.am1270wtsn.com/ or on your Tunein Radio app at WTSN 1270 AM
Our donations have greatly slowed down as the number of teams has dwindled to four. We have only heard from 10% of our readers and your support will determine what we are able to provide for our readers in the year to come.
Also remember, every Gold Level donation receives the full game videos to every single game we covered this season, all the way through the two championship games Saturday. Gold Level Donators were raving about this to me at Durham as the steal of the century..if your son is playing in these games you’ll have the videos (that can be burned into DVDs) forever while also supporting the hard work of our team.
Each donator will be listed on our year end video in appreciation of their support.
Our most recent contributors to our coverage:
The family of Brennan Morris of Pinkerton
Kendra Vedrani of Campbell
Ben Wheeler of Conant
Dave Sokolnicki of St Thomas
Brandi Litts of Wilton-Lyndeborough
Twenty tournament games in twenty one days have now come down to two games on Saturday.
Division I
(3) Pinkerton Academy vs. (1) Londonderry
Rematch of a terrific match-up we covered. To watch the highlights again click on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OFbGPgD3rg
We’re going with something a little different for this year’s championship previews. We’ll dial it down to one question for each team; how do they win Saturday?
How does Pinkerton win Saturday?: Londonderry buried enough three pointers in the first meeting to make the Golden State Warriors feel like it was overkill. Second time around the Astros want to extend pressure and force the Lancers into the paint. Pinkerton head coach Peter Rosinski made a nice adjustment late in the semifinal win over Nashua North when he went 2-1-2 from the three point line, leaving Matt Rizzo at the middle of the zone to guard the high post flasher. Extending out to the wings to take away jump shots by Nathan Hale (why did I think he was a lefty??) and Ronnie Silva (I was early on the Ronnie Silva bandwagon and very happy to be there).
You can say ‘Pinkerton is huge down low, attack Londonderry in the post!!’ but they’re not going to do that. The Astros don’t get a lot of back to basket production (who does?). What they do have is four excellent guards (Geo Baker, Brennan Morris, Drew Green & Matt Rizzo, who btw Division I coaches rave about) who all can create & stretch your defense. The Astros need to get back in transition and pull that three quarter court trap back. The Lancers want you to pressure them 70 feet from the basket because they know they are getting through you for a good look.
Pinkerton has to try and game plan for Jake Coleman. The sophomore guard kept Londonderry in it for three quarters against Spaulding until Cody Ball rode in to save the day. Expect Rosinski to mix up defenses as he looks to join the exclusive list of coaches who have won multiple titles.
How does Londonderry beat Pinkerton Saturday?:
Pretty simple…play their game. The Lancers want to get out in transition, negating Pinkerton’s size, and spread them out on defense. There are holes in that Pinkerton zone and Londonderry makes you pay when you leave them in open space.
Defensively it is about slowing down Geo Baker, who was sensational in scoring 33 points against Nashua North. I was lucky enough to be sitting with four Division I coaches watching the final four (while Pete did the heavy lifting for our team) and the comment you heard time and again was how hard he is to cover. Geo will go around you if you pressure him and he will pull-up on a dime from three if you sag off. Expect Cody Ball to get the assignment, two first team all-state guards going head to head.
Londonderry wants to attack the full court pressure of Pinkerton when they bring it. They won’t merely be satisfied to get through it, they want easy looks out of it. This team is elite offensively with Ball, Marc Corey and Coleman but when Joe Kwiatkowski steps up like he did against Spaulding (16 points) they are a legitimate nightmare. The Lancers feel like their style is a good match-up for what Pinkerton brings at them and remember they have won three straight games against their arch-rivals going back to last season.
Who will be dancing with Pete Tarrier in the locker room afterwards? We’ll find out Saturday afternoon.
Londonderry head coach Nate Stanton and Portsmouth head coach Jim Mulvey will join Pete Tarrier and I Saturday morning on the New Hampshire High School Hoop Show from 8 to 9 am. You can listen live on 96.7 FM on the seacoast and WGIR 610 AM in the Manchester area or, as most people do, find us online at http://www.iheart.com/live/WGIR-AM-610-2752/
Division II
(3) Bishop Brady vs. (1) Portsmouth
Rematch of an instant classic, watch the highlights at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w5UDt8bXUk
How does Bishop Brady win Saturday?: The Bishop Brady players looked like a bunch of little kids with an amusement park all to themselves Wednesday night. Jourdain Bell enjoyed all the extra space a college floor provides to the tune of 8 assists and Brendan Johnson & Joe Bell were too much for Goffstown to track in their 2-3 zone. Bell found center Aaron Svendsen time & time again for easy baskets (at one point Svendsen was 7 for 8 from the field…that’s a point guard doing his job..) as Brady was never challenged after a quick start.
Portsmouth came out with some different looks defensively, mixing in match-up zones with straight man to man. It stymied a very good Lebanon offense in the second half as the Clippers pulled away to earn its sixth championship game appearance in nine seasons..think about how impressive that is.
Brady has to get Bell into the paint in order to utilize Svendsen against a big & very active Portsmouth front line. Joe Bell will be called upon to play defensive stopper and he is fully capable of winning the game with his defense, rebounding and ability to get to 50/50 balls.
How does Portsmouth win Saturday?: The biggest match-up of the game may very well be between the two guys wearing slacks. Jim Mulvey is coaching in a Division II (formerly Class I) championship game for the sixth time. Bishop Brady head coach Cole Etten will be coaching in his 22nd varsity game. You cannot downplay how big of a factor that is. Etten has done an excellent job and looks like he is going to be a good one for a long time but Mulvey is considered by many to be one of the top 5 coaches in the entire state and he has gotten a look at Bishop Brady up close. He knows what changes he’ll make, what plays he will take away and it is going to be on Brady to adjust to that.
Portsmouth broke up a close game when they started limiting Lebanon to one shot per possession while getting two or three shots on their end of the floor. This is a different team, a better team, when Devon Wilson-Miles is contributing off the bench. Joey Glynn struggled early to convert easy looks but he was terrific when it counted in the second half. Freshman Cody Graham was able to spread Lebanon out after he knocked down a couple of early jumpers and his instincts as a player were on full display when he induced a late hoop & the foul to seal the win.
The struggle for Portsmouth early was with how they were defending Lebanon’s high ball screens and movement. Instead of hedging or switching Portsmouth was ducking under screens, giving KJ Matte and Ryan Milliken clean looks they were able to knock down. You could see Mulvey telling his guys where they needed to be but with their considerable noise the message was not always received. The Clippers adjusted and locked down Lebanon in the second half.
How they guard Bishop Brady and their potent offense the second time around, how they guard Brendan Johnson who lit them up in the first meeting, will tell you a lot about who wins the title Saturday.
If you can’t make it to Durham or only will be arriving for the second game you can listen live to the broadcast as Justin McIsaac and I bring you all the play by play online at www.am1270wtsn.com/ or on your Tunein Radio app at WTSN 1270 AM