The Manchester Bingo & Poker Room Thursday Thoughts for 1/28/16
2016-01-28
Brennan Morris and Pinkerton will face a tough road test Friday night
By Dave Haley Photo by Joe Marchilena
As we head into February we are starting to get a better sense of which teams are capable of making a run in March. In all four divisions you find yourself looking at the box scores every week saying ‘Wow… (Team that shall remain nameless) just might not be any good... .’ and ‘ Wait a second… Manchester Memorial is 5-2!?’
Today we take a look at six games around the state in all four divisions in more of a condensed version of the Thursday Thoughts because of the two division snapshots we posted yesterday. Look for the Division I & II snapshots next week.
Before we get to the games we tried to put together a video message to our readers that explained what it is we do and why we need this to be a website we are all a part of. I think Jennifer Chick did a terrific job with our video message to you. The relationship we have with players, coaches and parents is so unique, it is something really special to every member of our team.
We will be highlighting the players whose family has become a part of our team in our weekly columns and previews.
NHsportspage message to our readers
Thank you to our newest team members;
Amy Austin & Logan Briggs of Littleton
The Santos family of Trinity
Josh Hubbard
Mike Rathgeber of Inter-Lakes
Stephen &Ethan Carrier of Gilford
Eric Saucier of Conant
And Rob Bradley of Derryfield
Friday night The Great Jon Kesty & I will be in Woodsville to bring you the Engineers game against Groveton while Pete Tarrier & Jen Chick will be in Nashua for North vs. Pinkerton in our games of the week.
Division I
Pinkerton Academy (5-1) at Nashua North (6-2)
The Astros are playing very good basketball right now and head into this rematch of last years excellent semifinal game with a lot of confidence. Four players average double figures for Peter Rosinski’s team led by Brennan Morris (15.6 ppg.), Tommy Romick (14.1), Matt Rizzo (12.3) and Ben Olson (10.5). Rizzo is usually in the middle of everything for this team as the facilitator. This is a team lacking a true floor general but Rizzo is the man flashing middle against zone looks and directing traffic. Morris is the best pure scorer on the team and someone you can post up against smaller backcourts like Nashua North.
The Titans deal with pressure well, Ronnie Silva is one of the best pure point guards in the state and having Nate Hale (23.1) flying up the wing tends to draw a lot of the attention away from an improving by the week Alonzo Linton (13.5). Last year in Durham Silva was patient enough to read Pinkerton’s three quarter court traps and smart enough to exploit it. How the Astros defend Nashua North, with a lot of the same personnel, this time around will be interesting to see.
The Titans are moving forward without their head coach Steve Lane who suffered a medical issue in the days after the Chik-Fil-a holiday tournament. Lane may not return to the sidelines this season as interim coach Michael Henderson has taken over the team in his absence.On Friday night one of the key players for North will be big man Sam McCarthy and his ability to slow down Olson & Romick down low.
Spaulding (3-6) at Manchester Memorial (5-2)
To answer my own rhetorical question; yes Memorial is 5-2 (at least as I write this on Wednesday afternoon) and they are doing it with the #1 ranked offense in the division.
Jack Quirk told us all he had a team that could score in waves in the pre-season and that is exactly how it has played out. The Crusaders are averaging 80 ppg, nine points a contest ahead of the second highest scoring offense in the division (Exeter at 71 ppg.). Brandon Scott (20.0) has been a beast down low while Jake Carrier (15.8) and Nick Philibert (15.4) are both thriving in the up tempo offense. A year ago this was a team dependant on Kabongo Ngalakulondi & Trevon Maughn going off for 30 points if they were going to win games. It’s a different feel with this group as players like Paul Rodolf and Michael & Malo Roumraj has also gotten into the act.
The Fighting McIsaacs have been better than expected as Cal Connelly (17.3) has played at an all-state level from the forward spot. Ari Breakfield and Keagan Calero have played like freshman, up & down, but each has been good enough to gain the trust of veteran head coach Tim Cronin.
This will be a contrast in styles as Spaulding has been able to keep games in the 40’s (only Nashua South has broken the 70 point mark against them) with the 3rd ranked defense in the division (Pinkerton is first at 45 ppg. Merrimack next at 48 ppg.). Memorial is going to play their game, they only know one speed and are not interested in a grind it out affair.
Division II
Lebanon (6-0) at Souhegan (5-2)
This is a match-up that personifies perception & reality. First of all Lebanon is only 70 miles from Manchester but it feels like 470 these days. Has anyone seen or heard from our pre-season #1 since Christmas? Kieth Matte’s team keeps winning, so we hear, while people are calling Portsmouth the best team in the state (ok that was me..) and Manchester West is seemingly in post-game interviews with Pete Tarrier once a week.
What about Lebanon??? Last I checked KJ Matte (20.0) & Ryan Milliken (11.5) still made up one of the best backcourts in the state while Austin Whaley & Greg Roberge give the Raiders four starters who can pressure you for 84 feet.
Then we have Souhegan, a team that has slowly climbed the rankings under Pete Pierce and a very good coaching staff. The Sabers are 5-2 and feature one of the best forwards in Division II in Jarrell Webster (15.4). Souhegan has taken care of business in beating the teams they are expected to but in two games against Top 5 teams in the division they have lost by 25 to Portsmouth and 28 to Reggie & Milford. This game Friday night and a February 12th game at defending champion Bishop Brady will be their last two opportunities to prove themselves against a final four level team.
We plan to cover Lebanon at least twice in February (and expect to see them late into March as well) but has any pre-season #1 flown this low under the radar while going undefeated before?
Division III
Gilford (7-3) at Laconia (6-3) Thursday night
A good old fashioned rivalry game that means something.
Gilford has won six in a row and done it without leading scorer Zach Djabelarbi who was sidelined for nearly a month with an ankle injury. Chip Veazey’s team is holding teams near the 50 point mark and winning with seven different players averaging at least five points per game; Mason McGonagle (14.7), Ethan Carrier (9.2), Mike Bugnacki (7.8), Oliver Roy (7.4), Tyler Swarthout (5.7), Carter Mercer (5.3) and Shane Podmore (4.8). That’s the formula that got Gilford to the quarterfinals the past two seasons and on Thursday night they try to beat a Laconia team that has given them problems the past three seasons.
When the Golden Eagles got on a doomed bus ride to Pelham for the quarterfinal round a year ago they need look no further than the closest mirror for why they weren’t hosting a final 8 on their home floor. A late season loss to a sub .500 Laconia team sealed their fate and sent them to watch Ryan Cloutier dunk four times in the first half. With a Top 8 seed very much in play Gilford has to take care of business against a Sachem team with tournament aspirations of their own.
With Andre McNeil back in the lineup the Sachems have the balance between front & backcourt scoring to stay with most Top 10 teams. Jake Ellis has given this team a real spark while Jordan & Ryan McCrea have each contributed for Steve McDonough’s team. Laconia begins a stretch where they will face Gilford twice, Inter-Lakes (on the road), Stevens, Prospect Mountain (on the road) and undefeated Winnisquam in the next three weeks. How they come together during the stretch will go a long ways towards determining where Laconia finds itself in the Division III their seeding come March.
Division IV
Groveton (9-2) at Woodsville (9-1)
Big one up north and one we are excited to cover.
Groveton won a pair of close games against Woodsville last season and as Littleton is starting to have the look of a top overall seed how the teams fill in the top four is of critical importance. Mark Collins’ Groveton teams force as many turnovers as any team in Division IV and utilize the cozy confines of their home floor to that end. Woodsville’s home floor carries the same smaller dimensions and that may explain the success the Eagles have had against Jamie Walker’s team.
The Engineers have beaten teams like Sunapee & Colebrook by taking care of the ball and being patient enough to get Sam Pushee and the emerging Nick Stokes touches in the paint. All-state shooting guard Jaret Bemis will stretch out your defense and that extra spacing has given Woodsville’s forward tandem room to operate. Groveton on the other hand plays without a true center, or power forward for that matter, but they average about 6’0 across the board and they fight you for every rebound. Corey Gadwah is one of the best pure scorers in the division and the emergence of Austin Lesperance as a shooter has opened up driving lanes for point guard Daegan Lurvey and forward Lucas Simpson.
This game feels like a contest that comes down to who wins the battle in the paint. If Derek Maccini handles the Groveton pressure and gets Pushee looks on the block Woodsville gives themselves a very good chance to get to 10-1. For Groveton it will be about balanced scoring and pushing the tempo. Lurvey has to be careful with the basketball against one of the better perimeter defenders in the division (Maccini). If one team gets the six or seven extra possessions that come from turnovers that will be enough to push one team closer to a top 4 seed and the other into a position where they are going to need a win against Littleton to stay in the mix for a pair of home playoff games.
Epping (8-1) at Sunapee (7-2)
I feel like between the radio show and the Wednesday column I’ve covered both of these teams ad nauseam so let’s go with some quick thoughts on both teams and this match-up:
Epping has to figure a way to get Dylan Dersosier going, he suffered a midseason slump at about this time last year and bounced back with a good tournament performance but he is too critical to this teams success to be averaging 10 points a game……you feel like if Ed Tenney could hit pause and spend a week in the gym working with this new look team he would……fair or unfair any time Sunapee plays a good team, scores 60 points with Matt Tenney & Issaiah Chappell getting 46 of that, the whispers are going to start again that this is the same team as a year ago…….I don’t feel like we’ll see that, there are too many options this time around and the old formula didn’t work a year ago…………Epping has a brutal second half schedule with most of their big games coming away from home, if there is a time to start playing like the pre-season #1 that time begins now.
The New Hampshire High School Hoop Show is on ESPN NH radio(900AM in the Nashua area & 1250AM around Manchester) every Saturday morning from 9 to 11am. Pete Tarrier & I give you the scores of every game in the state from Friday night and breakdown all four divisions. Our guests Saturday will be two of the best… Colebrook head coach Buddy Trask will join us in the first hour followed by Manchester Central head coach David ‘Doc’ Wheeler in hour number two. We will also have our weekly call with Justin McIsaac that usually straddles the line between thought provoking & absurdity.
If you are outside the ESPN NH "listening area" you can hear the show by simply clicking on one of the NH HS Basketball Show links on our website OR on the Tune In or ESPN Radio apps, both of which can be downloaded for free.
Today we take a look at six games around the state in all four divisions in more of a condensed version of the Thursday Thoughts because of the two division snapshots we posted yesterday. Look for the Division I & II snapshots next week.
Before we get to the games we tried to put together a video message to our readers that explained what it is we do and why we need this to be a website we are all a part of. I think Jennifer Chick did a terrific job with our video message to you. The relationship we have with players, coaches and parents is so unique, it is something really special to every member of our team.
We will be highlighting the players whose family has become a part of our team in our weekly columns and previews.
NHsportspage message to our readers
Thank you to our newest team members;
Amy Austin & Logan Briggs of Littleton
The Santos family of Trinity
Josh Hubbard
Mike Rathgeber of Inter-Lakes
Stephen &Ethan Carrier of Gilford
Eric Saucier of Conant
And Rob Bradley of Derryfield
Friday night The Great Jon Kesty & I will be in Woodsville to bring you the Engineers game against Groveton while Pete Tarrier & Jen Chick will be in Nashua for North vs. Pinkerton in our games of the week.
Division I
Pinkerton Academy (5-1) at Nashua North (6-2)
The Astros are playing very good basketball right now and head into this rematch of last years excellent semifinal game with a lot of confidence. Four players average double figures for Peter Rosinski’s team led by Brennan Morris (15.6 ppg.), Tommy Romick (14.1), Matt Rizzo (12.3) and Ben Olson (10.5). Rizzo is usually in the middle of everything for this team as the facilitator. This is a team lacking a true floor general but Rizzo is the man flashing middle against zone looks and directing traffic. Morris is the best pure scorer on the team and someone you can post up against smaller backcourts like Nashua North.
The Titans deal with pressure well, Ronnie Silva is one of the best pure point guards in the state and having Nate Hale (23.1) flying up the wing tends to draw a lot of the attention away from an improving by the week Alonzo Linton (13.5). Last year in Durham Silva was patient enough to read Pinkerton’s three quarter court traps and smart enough to exploit it. How the Astros defend Nashua North, with a lot of the same personnel, this time around will be interesting to see.
The Titans are moving forward without their head coach Steve Lane who suffered a medical issue in the days after the Chik-Fil-a holiday tournament. Lane may not return to the sidelines this season as interim coach Michael Henderson has taken over the team in his absence.On Friday night one of the key players for North will be big man Sam McCarthy and his ability to slow down Olson & Romick down low.
Spaulding (3-6) at Manchester Memorial (5-2)
To answer my own rhetorical question; yes Memorial is 5-2 (at least as I write this on Wednesday afternoon) and they are doing it with the #1 ranked offense in the division.
Jack Quirk told us all he had a team that could score in waves in the pre-season and that is exactly how it has played out. The Crusaders are averaging 80 ppg, nine points a contest ahead of the second highest scoring offense in the division (Exeter at 71 ppg.). Brandon Scott (20.0) has been a beast down low while Jake Carrier (15.8) and Nick Philibert (15.4) are both thriving in the up tempo offense. A year ago this was a team dependant on Kabongo Ngalakulondi & Trevon Maughn going off for 30 points if they were going to win games. It’s a different feel with this group as players like Paul Rodolf and Michael & Malo Roumraj has also gotten into the act.
The Fighting McIsaacs have been better than expected as Cal Connelly (17.3) has played at an all-state level from the forward spot. Ari Breakfield and Keagan Calero have played like freshman, up & down, but each has been good enough to gain the trust of veteran head coach Tim Cronin.
This will be a contrast in styles as Spaulding has been able to keep games in the 40’s (only Nashua South has broken the 70 point mark against them) with the 3rd ranked defense in the division (Pinkerton is first at 45 ppg. Merrimack next at 48 ppg.). Memorial is going to play their game, they only know one speed and are not interested in a grind it out affair.
Division II
Lebanon (6-0) at Souhegan (5-2)
This is a match-up that personifies perception & reality. First of all Lebanon is only 70 miles from Manchester but it feels like 470 these days. Has anyone seen or heard from our pre-season #1 since Christmas? Kieth Matte’s team keeps winning, so we hear, while people are calling Portsmouth the best team in the state (ok that was me..) and Manchester West is seemingly in post-game interviews with Pete Tarrier once a week.
What about Lebanon??? Last I checked KJ Matte (20.0) & Ryan Milliken (11.5) still made up one of the best backcourts in the state while Austin Whaley & Greg Roberge give the Raiders four starters who can pressure you for 84 feet.
Then we have Souhegan, a team that has slowly climbed the rankings under Pete Pierce and a very good coaching staff. The Sabers are 5-2 and feature one of the best forwards in Division II in Jarrell Webster (15.4). Souhegan has taken care of business in beating the teams they are expected to but in two games against Top 5 teams in the division they have lost by 25 to Portsmouth and 28 to Reggie & Milford. This game Friday night and a February 12th game at defending champion Bishop Brady will be their last two opportunities to prove themselves against a final four level team.
We plan to cover Lebanon at least twice in February (and expect to see them late into March as well) but has any pre-season #1 flown this low under the radar while going undefeated before?
Division III
Gilford (7-3) at Laconia (6-3) Thursday night
A good old fashioned rivalry game that means something.
Gilford has won six in a row and done it without leading scorer Zach Djabelarbi who was sidelined for nearly a month with an ankle injury. Chip Veazey’s team is holding teams near the 50 point mark and winning with seven different players averaging at least five points per game; Mason McGonagle (14.7), Ethan Carrier (9.2), Mike Bugnacki (7.8), Oliver Roy (7.4), Tyler Swarthout (5.7), Carter Mercer (5.3) and Shane Podmore (4.8). That’s the formula that got Gilford to the quarterfinals the past two seasons and on Thursday night they try to beat a Laconia team that has given them problems the past three seasons.
When the Golden Eagles got on a doomed bus ride to Pelham for the quarterfinal round a year ago they need look no further than the closest mirror for why they weren’t hosting a final 8 on their home floor. A late season loss to a sub .500 Laconia team sealed their fate and sent them to watch Ryan Cloutier dunk four times in the first half. With a Top 8 seed very much in play Gilford has to take care of business against a Sachem team with tournament aspirations of their own.
With Andre McNeil back in the lineup the Sachems have the balance between front & backcourt scoring to stay with most Top 10 teams. Jake Ellis has given this team a real spark while Jordan & Ryan McCrea have each contributed for Steve McDonough’s team. Laconia begins a stretch where they will face Gilford twice, Inter-Lakes (on the road), Stevens, Prospect Mountain (on the road) and undefeated Winnisquam in the next three weeks. How they come together during the stretch will go a long ways towards determining where Laconia finds itself in the Division III their seeding come March.
Division IV
Groveton (9-2) at Woodsville (9-1)
Big one up north and one we are excited to cover.
Groveton won a pair of close games against Woodsville last season and as Littleton is starting to have the look of a top overall seed how the teams fill in the top four is of critical importance. Mark Collins’ Groveton teams force as many turnovers as any team in Division IV and utilize the cozy confines of their home floor to that end. Woodsville’s home floor carries the same smaller dimensions and that may explain the success the Eagles have had against Jamie Walker’s team.
The Engineers have beaten teams like Sunapee & Colebrook by taking care of the ball and being patient enough to get Sam Pushee and the emerging Nick Stokes touches in the paint. All-state shooting guard Jaret Bemis will stretch out your defense and that extra spacing has given Woodsville’s forward tandem room to operate. Groveton on the other hand plays without a true center, or power forward for that matter, but they average about 6’0 across the board and they fight you for every rebound. Corey Gadwah is one of the best pure scorers in the division and the emergence of Austin Lesperance as a shooter has opened up driving lanes for point guard Daegan Lurvey and forward Lucas Simpson.
This game feels like a contest that comes down to who wins the battle in the paint. If Derek Maccini handles the Groveton pressure and gets Pushee looks on the block Woodsville gives themselves a very good chance to get to 10-1. For Groveton it will be about balanced scoring and pushing the tempo. Lurvey has to be careful with the basketball against one of the better perimeter defenders in the division (Maccini). If one team gets the six or seven extra possessions that come from turnovers that will be enough to push one team closer to a top 4 seed and the other into a position where they are going to need a win against Littleton to stay in the mix for a pair of home playoff games.
Epping (8-1) at Sunapee (7-2)
I feel like between the radio show and the Wednesday column I’ve covered both of these teams ad nauseam so let’s go with some quick thoughts on both teams and this match-up:
Epping has to figure a way to get Dylan Dersosier going, he suffered a midseason slump at about this time last year and bounced back with a good tournament performance but he is too critical to this teams success to be averaging 10 points a game……you feel like if Ed Tenney could hit pause and spend a week in the gym working with this new look team he would……fair or unfair any time Sunapee plays a good team, scores 60 points with Matt Tenney & Issaiah Chappell getting 46 of that, the whispers are going to start again that this is the same team as a year ago…….I don’t feel like we’ll see that, there are too many options this time around and the old formula didn’t work a year ago…………Epping has a brutal second half schedule with most of their big games coming away from home, if there is a time to start playing like the pre-season #1 that time begins now.
The New Hampshire High School Hoop Show is on ESPN NH radio(900AM in the Nashua area & 1250AM around Manchester) every Saturday morning from 9 to 11am. Pete Tarrier & I give you the scores of every game in the state from Friday night and breakdown all four divisions. Our guests Saturday will be two of the best… Colebrook head coach Buddy Trask will join us in the first hour followed by Manchester Central head coach David ‘Doc’ Wheeler in hour number two. We will also have our weekly call with Justin McIsaac that usually straddles the line between thought provoking & absurdity.
If you are outside the ESPN NH "listening area" you can hear the show by simply clicking on one of the NH HS Basketball Show links on our website OR on the Tune In or ESPN Radio apps, both of which can be downloaded for free.