The 900 Degrees Pizzaria Division III Tournament Preview
2016-03-02
Zach O'Brien and Stevens head to Inter-Lakes
By Dave Haley
20 teams entered the tournament and after last night only 16 remain. Today we take a look at the Division III first round where fifteen teams will try to send Pelham back to Division II without a title.
Division III players, parents & coaches; to avoid being shut out of the website please take 45 seconds to register for a one time cost of $50 and you are set through next (2017) season.
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( 16) Belmont at (1) Pelham
I could tell you the story of when little Chaminade of Honolulu beat #1 Virginia in 1982, the time Florida Gulf Coast upset 2nd seeded Georgetown or even when Ralphie finally beat up Scut Farkus. None of it will come into play here. Pelham isn’t losing on their home floor in the first round but what is a story is Belmont making it to the field of 16 with most of their team returning next season.
Jim Cilley’s team features a strong junior class and is led by Trevor Hunt (15.5), Doug Price (12.9) and sophomore Matt Pluskis (10.9). Going to Pelham for a tournament game is good experience and something the program will be able to build on. With the core back next season Belmont should compete for a Top 8 seed next season.
(9) Mascenic Regional at (8) Gilford
This will be a battle of contrasting styles when the Vikings arrive at the Alma Mater for the 8/9 game.
Jay Starr’s team has a terrific backcourt in Daimon Gibson (15.4) & Brett Stauffeneker (15.3) and because of that Mascenic wants to push the tempo to get good looks in transition or secondary breaks.
When these two are shooting well it stretches your defense so look for Carter Mercer and Zach Djabelarbi (13.3) of Gilford to overplay against the jumper and try to force the duo into the paint where one of the biggest frontcourts in the division awaits.
Oliver Roy, Tyler Swarthout, Shane Podmore & Ethan Carrier are all at or over 6’4 and each can move you off of your spot. Chip Veazey’s team does a really nice job of not settling for jumpers. Gilford’s strengths lie in the interior and they are smart enough to work the ball through the low post. Roy has shown the ability to finish along the baseline, when he is able to stay out of foul trouble, while Carrier has range out to 15 feet. Podmore and Swarthout are bangers on the low block and in Mascenic they face a good frontcourt (Roman Ojala leads the unit) but one that doesn’t have the size & strength of the Golden Eagles.
So look for Mascenic to push the pace to try and force Gilford to play faster than their comfort level. Gilford’s best transition scorer is Djabelarbi but their most effective scorer in the half court is Mason McGonagle (15.9), who has shown very good instincts around the basket.
McGonagle can knock down jumpers but he also rebounds very well for a guard & finishes well against contact. Mascenic is going to have to dedicate three or four players to the paint defensively and that may open up looks for McGonagle, Mercer and shooter Mike Bugnacki off the bench.
These are two teams with good wins and puzzling losses on the resume, which is usually what you find in the 8/9 match-up. You also anticipate it going down to the final minutes, this one won’t disappoint.
(12) Prospect Mountain at (5) Hopkinton
Two teams that have had to overcome injuries just to get here and for Dave Chase’s team that bad luck didn’t end in the regular season. The Hawks may have lost forward Henry Yianakopolos (12.2) to a season ending injury in the season finale. That puts even more pressure on knockdown shooter Cam Cyr (14.7) to produce against a Prospect Mountain defense that will be focused on him.
The Timberwolves were hit hard back in December when point guard Dylan Tiede suffered a season ending injury. In his place freshman Zach Bennett has stepped up and played well. His ability to handle Hopkinton’s pressure in his first tournament game will tell you a lot about Prospect Mountain’s ability to hang around long enough to sneak off with the upset. Jacob Rockwood likely draws the assignment of guarding Bennett while Chase will also look to focus their defense on Hudson Ingoldsby.
The Hawks struggled to score at times before Yianakopolos got hurt, so if there is an opening for the 12 seed it is pushing the pace and turning this into a track meet for a ticket to the quarterfinals.
(20) Bow at (4) Winnisquam
The Falcons beat Sanborn convincingly 61-42 to make the field of 16 and intend to give Winnisquam all they can handle now that they are here. Adam Nelson (15.5) has been Bow’s most consistent player all season long and he along with Nate Alford will pose a challenge to an undersized Winnisquam frontcourt.
The health of Winnisquam's Mike Buxton, who was injured in a loss to Franklin last week, will be something to watch going into this one but the biggest concern for Bow or anyone facing Kevin Dame’s team is slowing down all-state point guard Christian Serrano (24.0). Bow ranked 7th in the division in defense at 48.0 ppg so they can and will defend. Can they score enough points to keep up with Serrano and Tim Harmon (12.2) on their home floor?
(11) Laconia at (6) Franklin
Rich Otis’s team won the only regular season meeting between these two Lakes Region teams 69-52 as Kenny Torres (30 points) and Dana Bean (19) combined for 49 points. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way; if that happens again Franklin can reserve a coach bus for the trip to North Sutton Saturday night.
Steve McDonough’s task is to figure out a way to slow down one or ideally both of Franklin’s all-state performers. Torres is at his best in transition. His speed alone is enough to beat defenders down the floor and he & Bean have developed a good chemistry with their outlet passes. Laconia will mix up defenses with the intent of a half-court trap enticing someone beside Torres to take perimeter jumpers.
Franklin forward Matt Hennessy can do some damage on the baseline while Jacob Geddis is steady on both ends of the floor. Corey Nelson gives this team a scorer off the bench but Franklin really relies on their Top 6 players for their production.
The Sachems are going to take their chances with sophomore Jayden Torres knocking down shots and will sacrifice open jumpers if it keeps Torres or Bean from getting into the paint. Bean is at his best when he squares up going to his right and for a big man he has very good footwork. The Sachems can score but if this is a game that gets into the 60’s Franklin has the better weapons.
Laconia will need a big night out of Andre McNeil (17.5) and for Brenden Mooney (9.8), a good power forward forced to play center, to disrupt Bean in the paint. Franklin comes in winners of 10 of their last 11 games. Otis feels like his team is going to be a very tough out, the first step would be advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.
(19) Campbell at (3) Kearsarge Regional
Sudi Lett’s team won a 38-28 rock fight over Berlin last night to move into the first round (I’m not calling the first round the second round, this has been my stance for five years and it’s never changing…please send all angry emails to Justin McIsaac or feel free to call his house).
Campbell became a one dimension team when Harrison Vedrani, an all-state big man, went out for the season but it is a dimension that can give Kearsarge’s 1-3-1 zone trouble. Michael Gray and Kyle Shaw can knock down shots and that is only way you are staying with Nate Camp’s team.
The Mattos brothers 6’7 Taylor (16.6) and 6’7 Zach (12.2) are going to be a match-up nightmare so expect Lett to apply full or ¾ court pressure to throw Kearsarge’s rhythm off. Camp has an all-state guard of his own in Trent Noordsij (14.5) to make sure that doesn’t happen.
This is a team that hasn’t lost a game since January 8th, its Final Four or bust for Nate Camp’s crew.
(10) Stevens at (7) Inter-Lakes
This is your popular upset pick. People remain dubious on the Lakers because of their schedule (seven of their wins came against four teams that combined for six wins) and Stevens is a talented team trending in the right direction, having won 5 of their last 7 games.
Stevens ranked 3rd in Division III in scoring at 64.5 ppg. So if you invite them to a track meet they will show up.
What Mike Rathgeber’s Inter-Lakes team is going to do is make them feel like they are playing in a phone booth. The Lakers will sit in a 2-3 zone on their small floor and make Stevens beat them by executing in tight spaces. Zach O’Brien (12.7), Nick O’Brien (12.1) and Parker Smith (12.1) give the Cardinals the balance you’ll need to advance. Noah Spaulding is very underrated at the point guard spot while Henri Bourque & Richard Bell have produced all season for Stevens
Their patience against the zone will be crucial as the sidelines are so tight at Inter-Lakes it makes getting a shot off inbounds a challenge. Rathgeber and his team will use that to their advantage and try to play from ahead in the hopes Stevens will lose their patience in the half court.
Offensively the Lakers will go as their all-state forward Zach Swanson (17.4) goes. Matt Norton (9.7) is an undersized power forward who outworks most of the players he lines up against while Ryan Kelly will run the Laker offense and control the pace.
This is a game where the home court is going to play a major role. Inter-Lakes doesn’t often host playoffs games and if you haven’t set foot in their gym it’s an adjustment. Stevens hasn’t played in Meredith in recent years, how they adjust to the space & pace will tell you who moves on to the quarterfinals.
(15) Monadnock at (2) Conant
The Huskies played Conant tough two times and get a third shot Thursday night. This is a Monadnock team that led Pelham at halftime and played Mascenic down to the wire twice. In other words, while Conant will famously take on all comers….they really would have rather seen someone else coming in for the first round.
Expect Eric Saucier to tell his team that if they hold Monadnock to under 40 points for a third time they will move on to the quarterfinals again Saturday night.
Division III players, parents & coaches; to avoid being shut out of the website please take 45 seconds to register for a one time cost of $50 and you are set through next (2017) season.
Register for full access
Putting it off will cost you triple the cost after March 10th ($150) or if you do not register at all, you will not have access to any of columns, highlight videos or statistics. So players let your parents know now while you can save them money!
( 16) Belmont at (1) Pelham
I could tell you the story of when little Chaminade of Honolulu beat #1 Virginia in 1982, the time Florida Gulf Coast upset 2nd seeded Georgetown or even when Ralphie finally beat up Scut Farkus. None of it will come into play here. Pelham isn’t losing on their home floor in the first round but what is a story is Belmont making it to the field of 16 with most of their team returning next season.
Jim Cilley’s team features a strong junior class and is led by Trevor Hunt (15.5), Doug Price (12.9) and sophomore Matt Pluskis (10.9). Going to Pelham for a tournament game is good experience and something the program will be able to build on. With the core back next season Belmont should compete for a Top 8 seed next season.
(9) Mascenic Regional at (8) Gilford
This will be a battle of contrasting styles when the Vikings arrive at the Alma Mater for the 8/9 game.
Jay Starr’s team has a terrific backcourt in Daimon Gibson (15.4) & Brett Stauffeneker (15.3) and because of that Mascenic wants to push the tempo to get good looks in transition or secondary breaks.
When these two are shooting well it stretches your defense so look for Carter Mercer and Zach Djabelarbi (13.3) of Gilford to overplay against the jumper and try to force the duo into the paint where one of the biggest frontcourts in the division awaits.
Oliver Roy, Tyler Swarthout, Shane Podmore & Ethan Carrier are all at or over 6’4 and each can move you off of your spot. Chip Veazey’s team does a really nice job of not settling for jumpers. Gilford’s strengths lie in the interior and they are smart enough to work the ball through the low post. Roy has shown the ability to finish along the baseline, when he is able to stay out of foul trouble, while Carrier has range out to 15 feet. Podmore and Swarthout are bangers on the low block and in Mascenic they face a good frontcourt (Roman Ojala leads the unit) but one that doesn’t have the size & strength of the Golden Eagles.
So look for Mascenic to push the pace to try and force Gilford to play faster than their comfort level. Gilford’s best transition scorer is Djabelarbi but their most effective scorer in the half court is Mason McGonagle (15.9), who has shown very good instincts around the basket.
McGonagle can knock down jumpers but he also rebounds very well for a guard & finishes well against contact. Mascenic is going to have to dedicate three or four players to the paint defensively and that may open up looks for McGonagle, Mercer and shooter Mike Bugnacki off the bench.
These are two teams with good wins and puzzling losses on the resume, which is usually what you find in the 8/9 match-up. You also anticipate it going down to the final minutes, this one won’t disappoint.
(12) Prospect Mountain at (5) Hopkinton
Two teams that have had to overcome injuries just to get here and for Dave Chase’s team that bad luck didn’t end in the regular season. The Hawks may have lost forward Henry Yianakopolos (12.2) to a season ending injury in the season finale. That puts even more pressure on knockdown shooter Cam Cyr (14.7) to produce against a Prospect Mountain defense that will be focused on him.
The Timberwolves were hit hard back in December when point guard Dylan Tiede suffered a season ending injury. In his place freshman Zach Bennett has stepped up and played well. His ability to handle Hopkinton’s pressure in his first tournament game will tell you a lot about Prospect Mountain’s ability to hang around long enough to sneak off with the upset. Jacob Rockwood likely draws the assignment of guarding Bennett while Chase will also look to focus their defense on Hudson Ingoldsby.
The Hawks struggled to score at times before Yianakopolos got hurt, so if there is an opening for the 12 seed it is pushing the pace and turning this into a track meet for a ticket to the quarterfinals.
(20) Bow at (4) Winnisquam
The Falcons beat Sanborn convincingly 61-42 to make the field of 16 and intend to give Winnisquam all they can handle now that they are here. Adam Nelson (15.5) has been Bow’s most consistent player all season long and he along with Nate Alford will pose a challenge to an undersized Winnisquam frontcourt.
The health of Winnisquam's Mike Buxton, who was injured in a loss to Franklin last week, will be something to watch going into this one but the biggest concern for Bow or anyone facing Kevin Dame’s team is slowing down all-state point guard Christian Serrano (24.0). Bow ranked 7th in the division in defense at 48.0 ppg so they can and will defend. Can they score enough points to keep up with Serrano and Tim Harmon (12.2) on their home floor?
(11) Laconia at (6) Franklin
Rich Otis’s team won the only regular season meeting between these two Lakes Region teams 69-52 as Kenny Torres (30 points) and Dana Bean (19) combined for 49 points. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way; if that happens again Franklin can reserve a coach bus for the trip to North Sutton Saturday night.
Steve McDonough’s task is to figure out a way to slow down one or ideally both of Franklin’s all-state performers. Torres is at his best in transition. His speed alone is enough to beat defenders down the floor and he & Bean have developed a good chemistry with their outlet passes. Laconia will mix up defenses with the intent of a half-court trap enticing someone beside Torres to take perimeter jumpers.
Franklin forward Matt Hennessy can do some damage on the baseline while Jacob Geddis is steady on both ends of the floor. Corey Nelson gives this team a scorer off the bench but Franklin really relies on their Top 6 players for their production.
The Sachems are going to take their chances with sophomore Jayden Torres knocking down shots and will sacrifice open jumpers if it keeps Torres or Bean from getting into the paint. Bean is at his best when he squares up going to his right and for a big man he has very good footwork. The Sachems can score but if this is a game that gets into the 60’s Franklin has the better weapons.
Laconia will need a big night out of Andre McNeil (17.5) and for Brenden Mooney (9.8), a good power forward forced to play center, to disrupt Bean in the paint. Franklin comes in winners of 10 of their last 11 games. Otis feels like his team is going to be a very tough out, the first step would be advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.
(19) Campbell at (3) Kearsarge Regional
Sudi Lett’s team won a 38-28 rock fight over Berlin last night to move into the first round (I’m not calling the first round the second round, this has been my stance for five years and it’s never changing…please send all angry emails to Justin McIsaac or feel free to call his house).
Campbell became a one dimension team when Harrison Vedrani, an all-state big man, went out for the season but it is a dimension that can give Kearsarge’s 1-3-1 zone trouble. Michael Gray and Kyle Shaw can knock down shots and that is only way you are staying with Nate Camp’s team.
The Mattos brothers 6’7 Taylor (16.6) and 6’7 Zach (12.2) are going to be a match-up nightmare so expect Lett to apply full or ¾ court pressure to throw Kearsarge’s rhythm off. Camp has an all-state guard of his own in Trent Noordsij (14.5) to make sure that doesn’t happen.
This is a team that hasn’t lost a game since January 8th, its Final Four or bust for Nate Camp’s crew.
(10) Stevens at (7) Inter-Lakes
This is your popular upset pick. People remain dubious on the Lakers because of their schedule (seven of their wins came against four teams that combined for six wins) and Stevens is a talented team trending in the right direction, having won 5 of their last 7 games.
Stevens ranked 3rd in Division III in scoring at 64.5 ppg. So if you invite them to a track meet they will show up.
What Mike Rathgeber’s Inter-Lakes team is going to do is make them feel like they are playing in a phone booth. The Lakers will sit in a 2-3 zone on their small floor and make Stevens beat them by executing in tight spaces. Zach O’Brien (12.7), Nick O’Brien (12.1) and Parker Smith (12.1) give the Cardinals the balance you’ll need to advance. Noah Spaulding is very underrated at the point guard spot while Henri Bourque & Richard Bell have produced all season for Stevens
Their patience against the zone will be crucial as the sidelines are so tight at Inter-Lakes it makes getting a shot off inbounds a challenge. Rathgeber and his team will use that to their advantage and try to play from ahead in the hopes Stevens will lose their patience in the half court.
Offensively the Lakers will go as their all-state forward Zach Swanson (17.4) goes. Matt Norton (9.7) is an undersized power forward who outworks most of the players he lines up against while Ryan Kelly will run the Laker offense and control the pace.
This is a game where the home court is going to play a major role. Inter-Lakes doesn’t often host playoffs games and if you haven’t set foot in their gym it’s an adjustment. Stevens hasn’t played in Meredith in recent years, how they adjust to the space & pace will tell you who moves on to the quarterfinals.
(15) Monadnock at (2) Conant
The Huskies played Conant tough two times and get a third shot Thursday night. This is a Monadnock team that led Pelham at halftime and played Mascenic down to the wire twice. In other words, while Conant will famously take on all comers….they really would have rather seen someone else coming in for the first round.
Expect Eric Saucier to tell his team that if they hold Monadnock to under 40 points for a third time they will move on to the quarterfinals again Saturday night.