The Southside Tavern Division III Semifinal Scouting Report
2016-03-09
Zach Mattos and Kearsarge get another shot at Conant
By Dave Haley
As we do in both basketball and football we hand over our semifinal previews to the people that know the four teams better than anyone; the coaches who have competed against them all year. The following are scouting reports from three Division III coaches we spoke to using blind quotes.
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(5) Hopkinton vs. (1) Pelham
Pelham team page & statistics
Hopkinton team page and statistics
The Pelham Pythons are trying to leave Division III with back to back titles and send their all-time leading scorer out in style.
Meanwhile Dave Chase’s Hopkinton Hawks overcame injuries and a very good Winnisquam team on the way back to the Final Four.
On Wednesday night they meet for the second time this season with a trip to Saturday afternoon’s championship game at stake. Pelham won the regular season match-up 75-56.
We asked coaches to break down the rematch. First the defending champion Pelham Pythons: “They are so incredibly hard to defend because of Keith Brown and how (Matt) Regan moves him around. They can attack you with Brown having the ball in his hands, at the high post or even when they put him in the low post. A big topic of conversation is how there are no back to basket big men in high school basketball anymore. Do you know who the best post player is in the state? Keith Brown.”
What about the other Pelham weapons? “(Cam) Deloreto is a beast, what does he have over 20 points in both of their tournament games? He’s facing a big frontline Wednesday night but he is a bull down there and will be a big factor.”
Another coach talked about the Pelham perimeter attack, “(Ryan) Nystrom and (Trevor) Gagnon are good complimentary players because they can both knock down shots and that spreads you out.”
What about the Pelham defense? “They are very disciplined when they are dialed in, and physical. Because they are playing teams from south of the border during the off-season they bring a physical presence that most Division III teams can’t handle.”
Another tournament coach talked about Matt Regan’s best defender, “Kyle Frank is the best on ball defender in our division. They put him on the opposing teams best player and he usually holds them in check, look what he did to (Brett) Stauffenker the other night.”
How about the Hopkinton Hawks? “They are a big and physical team so that allows them to match-up down low with Deloreto and Joe Panteleo. (Robert) Wilkerson and (Nick) Meserve are tough kids and they won’t get pushed around Wednesday night.”
Another coach talked about the Hopkinton offense, “Hopkinton struggles to score at times so expect Dave (Chase) to slow it down. Cam Cyr has really stepped up for those guys, he is a knockdown shooter and he has really played well. Jacob Rockwood does a nice job but you can give him space and try to get in the passing lanes to stop Cyr.”
A tournament coach talked about losing Henry Yianakopolos to injury. “That was a big loss because that’s a kid who would have guarded Keith Brown. I’m not saying he was going to shut him down but he is a good defender with size. He also is their second leading scorer so it’s another big factor. It means Dave is going to have to get ‘gimmicky’ Wednesday night.”
What about those gimmicks? “You will see Dave throw a bunch of different looks at Pelham. Regan has them so well-schooled against box & ones that I don’t think you’ll see that, Brown is unselfish and too good of a passer. But you will see a ton of different looks with the idea being to keep Pelham off balance like Campbell was able to do a year ago.”
So who wins?
“Pelham, I don’t think it will be close.”
“If Dave keeps the pace down Hopkinton can stay with them but I think Pelham wins by 8.”
“It has been Conant/Pelham all year long and that won’t change in the semifinals.”
(3) Kearsarge Regional vs (2) Conant
Conant team page and statistics
Kearsarge team page and statistics
Conant took care of business with a win over Stevens (watch out for Stevens next year) while Kearsarge won an instant classic over Franklin in a game we covered, to move on the semifinals Wednesday night.
An undermanned Conant team beat Kearsarge 52-51 back in December and faces them again Wednesday night for a spot in Saturday’s championship.
We asked our coaches to breakdown both teams, starting with Nate Camp’s Kearsarge Cougars: “ BIG. When you have one 6’7 brother getting to the hoop and the other 6’7 brother trailing to get the offensive rebound that is a pretty tough thing to stop.” That would be brothers Tayler & Zach Mattos. “The key to defending their bigs is to force them 6 to 8 feet away from the basket. If they are not getting those lob passes into the post they struggle to score. Sanborn played a 3-2 zone and didn't allow any of those over the top passes and Kearsarge really struggled against it. I think with (CJ) Bilodeau and (Brandon) Ford Conant can take that away as well.”
Another coach broke down the Kearsarge offense. “ I love (Trent) Noordsij as a player but you have to turn him into a scorer. I watched the highlights (on NHsportspage) of him hitting pull up jumpers against Franklin, you have to make him hit that at SNHU. He’s a very smart player, tough competitor. Nate (Camp) relies on him a lot and he is a kid who always seems to come through.”
Another coach talked about shooting guard Tommy Johnson “ Johnson is the piece that doesn’t get a lot of credit. If you stop him it makes them a lot easier to beat. I thought Franklin did a very good job of that in the quarters.”
What about the Kearsarge defense? “They will usually play that 1-3-1 but Conant shot them out of it the first time around. They switched to man against Franklin but sort of let Rich Otis (Franklin’s head coach) control the pace. It will be interesting to see how Nate (Camp) mixes it up Wednesday night.”
Coaches talked about Kearsarge making their first appearance together in the semifinals. “ Their exposure or lack of, to that big stage will be a factor. The Conant kids think it’s an annual trip and (Eric) Saucier has his cards to tell the kids what they are running when it is too loud to hear him. What will the Kearsarge kids do? They are not going to be able to hear their coach and they’ll have to figure it out on their own for a few plays at a time.”
We then had our coaches’ breakdown the Conant Orioles: “ They are elite defensively. Five guys are on the same page and (CJ) Bilodeau at the end of that defense does such a good job of calling out screens and switches. You have to execute against them on every pass and every possession.”
“ Simeon Hodgson is their best on the ball defender but CJ is in control of everything on the back end. What they do exceptionally well is rotate and play help defense. That’s a credit to Eric (Saucier).”
How will Conant defend Kearsarge? “ Kearsarge likes to run that high pick & roll with Noordsij and Tayler Mattos, but Conant has the big guard to defend Noordsij in Hodgson and Brandon Ford is quicker out top than either of the Mattos brothers. They just match up very well.”
Another coach talked about ball pressure. “ Most teams play zone against Kearsarge because of their size that means they don’t see a ton of on the ball pressure. That’s exactly what Conant will bring. How do the Kearsarge guards handle pressure they haven’t really seen all season?”
What about the Conant offense. “ They are really patient and they move. (Josh) Degrenier is that one kid who can get his shot off quickly but if you leave (JP) Record or Rowan Niemela they will bury shots. The thing you know about them is they always take good shots and they are very unselfish.” A fellow coach agreed, “ They are not a great offensive team, they win with defense and rebounding but they get such good shots that it makes up for their lack of explosiveness.”
So who wins Wednesday night.
“ Conant by 10.”
“ I like Conant to get up early and hold Kearsarge off.”
“ It’s Pelham/Conant on Saturday.”
Time is running out on our early bird registration rate of just $50 for uninterrupted coverage of every game video, column, statistic and podcast we bring you. After the deadline of March 10th the registration process will go through our web provider with a cost of around $150 annually.
Anyone not registered will not have access to any of the content on our website. This is a move to grow NHsportspage and we hope you love the coverage enough to come with us.
Each registration will be getting an NHsportspage Black game jersey mailed to you after the season, so act today and you are set through next (2017) season!
Register for access through 2017
(5) Hopkinton vs. (1) Pelham
Pelham team page & statistics
Hopkinton team page and statistics
The Pelham Pythons are trying to leave Division III with back to back titles and send their all-time leading scorer out in style.
Meanwhile Dave Chase’s Hopkinton Hawks overcame injuries and a very good Winnisquam team on the way back to the Final Four.
On Wednesday night they meet for the second time this season with a trip to Saturday afternoon’s championship game at stake. Pelham won the regular season match-up 75-56.
We asked coaches to break down the rematch. First the defending champion Pelham Pythons: “They are so incredibly hard to defend because of Keith Brown and how (Matt) Regan moves him around. They can attack you with Brown having the ball in his hands, at the high post or even when they put him in the low post. A big topic of conversation is how there are no back to basket big men in high school basketball anymore. Do you know who the best post player is in the state? Keith Brown.”
What about the other Pelham weapons? “(Cam) Deloreto is a beast, what does he have over 20 points in both of their tournament games? He’s facing a big frontline Wednesday night but he is a bull down there and will be a big factor.”
Another coach talked about the Pelham perimeter attack, “(Ryan) Nystrom and (Trevor) Gagnon are good complimentary players because they can both knock down shots and that spreads you out.”
What about the Pelham defense? “They are very disciplined when they are dialed in, and physical. Because they are playing teams from south of the border during the off-season they bring a physical presence that most Division III teams can’t handle.”
Another tournament coach talked about Matt Regan’s best defender, “Kyle Frank is the best on ball defender in our division. They put him on the opposing teams best player and he usually holds them in check, look what he did to (Brett) Stauffenker the other night.”
How about the Hopkinton Hawks? “They are a big and physical team so that allows them to match-up down low with Deloreto and Joe Panteleo. (Robert) Wilkerson and (Nick) Meserve are tough kids and they won’t get pushed around Wednesday night.”
Another coach talked about the Hopkinton offense, “Hopkinton struggles to score at times so expect Dave (Chase) to slow it down. Cam Cyr has really stepped up for those guys, he is a knockdown shooter and he has really played well. Jacob Rockwood does a nice job but you can give him space and try to get in the passing lanes to stop Cyr.”
A tournament coach talked about losing Henry Yianakopolos to injury. “That was a big loss because that’s a kid who would have guarded Keith Brown. I’m not saying he was going to shut him down but he is a good defender with size. He also is their second leading scorer so it’s another big factor. It means Dave is going to have to get ‘gimmicky’ Wednesday night.”
What about those gimmicks? “You will see Dave throw a bunch of different looks at Pelham. Regan has them so well-schooled against box & ones that I don’t think you’ll see that, Brown is unselfish and too good of a passer. But you will see a ton of different looks with the idea being to keep Pelham off balance like Campbell was able to do a year ago.”
So who wins?
“Pelham, I don’t think it will be close.”
“If Dave keeps the pace down Hopkinton can stay with them but I think Pelham wins by 8.”
“It has been Conant/Pelham all year long and that won’t change in the semifinals.”
(3) Kearsarge Regional vs (2) Conant
Conant team page and statistics
Kearsarge team page and statistics
Conant took care of business with a win over Stevens (watch out for Stevens next year) while Kearsarge won an instant classic over Franklin in a game we covered, to move on the semifinals Wednesday night.
An undermanned Conant team beat Kearsarge 52-51 back in December and faces them again Wednesday night for a spot in Saturday’s championship.
We asked our coaches to breakdown both teams, starting with Nate Camp’s Kearsarge Cougars: “ BIG. When you have one 6’7 brother getting to the hoop and the other 6’7 brother trailing to get the offensive rebound that is a pretty tough thing to stop.” That would be brothers Tayler & Zach Mattos. “The key to defending their bigs is to force them 6 to 8 feet away from the basket. If they are not getting those lob passes into the post they struggle to score. Sanborn played a 3-2 zone and didn't allow any of those over the top passes and Kearsarge really struggled against it. I think with (CJ) Bilodeau and (Brandon) Ford Conant can take that away as well.”
Another coach broke down the Kearsarge offense. “ I love (Trent) Noordsij as a player but you have to turn him into a scorer. I watched the highlights (on NHsportspage) of him hitting pull up jumpers against Franklin, you have to make him hit that at SNHU. He’s a very smart player, tough competitor. Nate (Camp) relies on him a lot and he is a kid who always seems to come through.”
Another coach talked about shooting guard Tommy Johnson “ Johnson is the piece that doesn’t get a lot of credit. If you stop him it makes them a lot easier to beat. I thought Franklin did a very good job of that in the quarters.”
What about the Kearsarge defense? “They will usually play that 1-3-1 but Conant shot them out of it the first time around. They switched to man against Franklin but sort of let Rich Otis (Franklin’s head coach) control the pace. It will be interesting to see how Nate (Camp) mixes it up Wednesday night.”
Coaches talked about Kearsarge making their first appearance together in the semifinals. “ Their exposure or lack of, to that big stage will be a factor. The Conant kids think it’s an annual trip and (Eric) Saucier has his cards to tell the kids what they are running when it is too loud to hear him. What will the Kearsarge kids do? They are not going to be able to hear their coach and they’ll have to figure it out on their own for a few plays at a time.”
We then had our coaches’ breakdown the Conant Orioles: “ They are elite defensively. Five guys are on the same page and (CJ) Bilodeau at the end of that defense does such a good job of calling out screens and switches. You have to execute against them on every pass and every possession.”
“ Simeon Hodgson is their best on the ball defender but CJ is in control of everything on the back end. What they do exceptionally well is rotate and play help defense. That’s a credit to Eric (Saucier).”
How will Conant defend Kearsarge? “ Kearsarge likes to run that high pick & roll with Noordsij and Tayler Mattos, but Conant has the big guard to defend Noordsij in Hodgson and Brandon Ford is quicker out top than either of the Mattos brothers. They just match up very well.”
Another coach talked about ball pressure. “ Most teams play zone against Kearsarge because of their size that means they don’t see a ton of on the ball pressure. That’s exactly what Conant will bring. How do the Kearsarge guards handle pressure they haven’t really seen all season?”
What about the Conant offense. “ They are really patient and they move. (Josh) Degrenier is that one kid who can get his shot off quickly but if you leave (JP) Record or Rowan Niemela they will bury shots. The thing you know about them is they always take good shots and they are very unselfish.” A fellow coach agreed, “ They are not a great offensive team, they win with defense and rebounding but they get such good shots that it makes up for their lack of explosiveness.”
So who wins Wednesday night.
“ Conant by 10.”
“ I like Conant to get up early and hold Kearsarge off.”
“ It’s Pelham/Conant on Saturday.”