The 900 Degrees Pizzaria Division II Quarterfinal Preview
2016-03-15
Romeo Ingram and Portsmouth square off with Coe-Brown
By Dave Haley
The response we received from our readers was incredible yesterday. We are happy to have an audience that will be getting uninterrupted coverage through next (2017) season and it is coverage we plan to expand going forward.
I’m going to personally return every email I was sent and reach out to every person that registered but let me just say how proud we are of the relationship we have with our readers; the kids, the parents and the fans of high school basketball.
We will have full coverage of both championship games starting with the Division IV title game tonight. Justin McIsaac, Sam Natti, Jennifer Chick & I will bring you all the play by play, highlights and post-game celebration.
On Saturday afternoon we will be at SNHU for the Division III title game between Kearsarge & defending champion Pelham. Pete Tarrier & Jon Kesty will bring you full coverage and that evening we follow up with two more games; Bedford at Manchester Central and Spaulding at Merrimack in the Division I quarterfinals.
Division II
(8) Coe-Brown at (1) Portsmouth
Jim Mulvey’s Clippers have been the most dominant team of the last five years during the regular season. The task now is to become an all-time team by winning three more games and then trying to become the first team to win back to back titles in two different divisions.
How dominant has Portsmouth been? They at one point led an opponent 59-14 in the 3rd quarter this season, and that team is the 4 seed in this tournament.
Coe-Brown lost their two regular season meetings with the top seed 82-50 and 72-28, so there is no way they are playing them straight up a third time. David Smith’s team will try and throw some different zone looks at Portsmouth and hold the ball on offense.
The problem with that approach is Portsmouth’s perimeter defense is so good they are not going to allow you to hold the ball. The Clippers pick up full court pressure with Romeo Ingram, Shon Parham, Christian Peete and Cody Graham to force the pace and trap your ball handler.
Coe-Brown would have to run a Princeton offense and try to get scores backdoor with their big man Dylan Andrews pulling Clipper center Joey Glynn away from the basket.
Portsmouth will be ready for the slow down tactics and the zone looks mean the ability of Graham, Parham and AJ McManus to knock down perimeter shots becomes a big piece of their attack.
(5) Bishop Brady at (4) Milford
These two teams did not meet during the regular season but will square off Saturday night with the winner moving on to Durham.
Milford will attack a smaller Brady team with Kirk Palladino, Jack Briggs & Ryan Banuskevich (Milford scoring leaders on the perimeter and Bojan Jovanovic & Dan Murray down low.
The Spartans want to control the glass against Brady and not allow Joe Bell & Matt Quirk to get out in the open floor. Brady will run their offense but when things break down or the play is not materializing Bell will create on his own. Murray needs to protect the middle of the paint and force forwards like Bryce Johnson and Matt Desmarias away from the basket.
Milford got a huge scare from Goffstown while the champs took care of business in a ten point win over Hanover. Milford got their jitters out in the opening round and Bell, Quirk and head coach Cole Etten have been here before. This should be a good one in Milford Saturday night.
(6) Hollis-Brookline at (3) Manchester West
Mike Soucy’s team was shorthanded in their opening round win over John Stark and will need all hands on deck Saturday night to beat 17-2 Manchester West.
West is getting really balanced offense over the second half of the season and great leadership from Joe Simpson & Keenan Caron. Danny Bryson’s team beat Hollis-Brookline 56-45 back on January 12th but that is the range Mike Soucy’s team will shoot for Saturday night. The Cavaliers want this game in the high 40’s and they can do that by being very patient on offense (we need a shot clock but until we do don’t blame it on the coaches) and forcing their zone defense to make West a jump shooting team.
When West pounds the ball down low to Akok Akok and Caron they take advantage of being the biggest team in Division II. Simpson can get it going from deep but this is not a great three point shooting team. Hollis-Brookline will take their chances with West shooting from the perimeter and concentrating five guys to the defensive glass.
It has been eight years since either of these teams made the trip to Durham. Winner here will make the trip next week.
(7) Souhegan at (2) Lebanon
Another game where you are likely to see the lower seed slow down the pace.
If there is an Achilles heel with an unbeaten Lebanon team it has been their outside shooting which has been inconsistent at times this season. Souhegan wants to force Keith Matte’s team into tough shots and control the pace of the game. Teams like Hollis-Brookline were able to hold Lebanon in the 40’s (in a 44-40 loss) and you can expect Pete Pierce’s team to follow a similar script.
Lebanon is one of the best halfcourt man to man defenses in the state and their ball movement is excellent. KJ Matte is a terrific, player of the year worthy floor general, and he, Ryan Milliken and Austin Whaley are on the same page out on the floor. Beating them on their home floor will be a tall order for a Souhegan team that has had a very good season.
I’m going to personally return every email I was sent and reach out to every person that registered but let me just say how proud we are of the relationship we have with our readers; the kids, the parents and the fans of high school basketball.
We will have full coverage of both championship games starting with the Division IV title game tonight. Justin McIsaac, Sam Natti, Jennifer Chick & I will bring you all the play by play, highlights and post-game celebration.
On Saturday afternoon we will be at SNHU for the Division III title game between Kearsarge & defending champion Pelham. Pete Tarrier & Jon Kesty will bring you full coverage and that evening we follow up with two more games; Bedford at Manchester Central and Spaulding at Merrimack in the Division I quarterfinals.
Division II
(8) Coe-Brown at (1) Portsmouth
Jim Mulvey’s Clippers have been the most dominant team of the last five years during the regular season. The task now is to become an all-time team by winning three more games and then trying to become the first team to win back to back titles in two different divisions.
How dominant has Portsmouth been? They at one point led an opponent 59-14 in the 3rd quarter this season, and that team is the 4 seed in this tournament.
Coe-Brown lost their two regular season meetings with the top seed 82-50 and 72-28, so there is no way they are playing them straight up a third time. David Smith’s team will try and throw some different zone looks at Portsmouth and hold the ball on offense.
The problem with that approach is Portsmouth’s perimeter defense is so good they are not going to allow you to hold the ball. The Clippers pick up full court pressure with Romeo Ingram, Shon Parham, Christian Peete and Cody Graham to force the pace and trap your ball handler.
Coe-Brown would have to run a Princeton offense and try to get scores backdoor with their big man Dylan Andrews pulling Clipper center Joey Glynn away from the basket.
Portsmouth will be ready for the slow down tactics and the zone looks mean the ability of Graham, Parham and AJ McManus to knock down perimeter shots becomes a big piece of their attack.
(5) Bishop Brady at (4) Milford
These two teams did not meet during the regular season but will square off Saturday night with the winner moving on to Durham.
Milford will attack a smaller Brady team with Kirk Palladino, Jack Briggs & Ryan Banuskevich (Milford scoring leaders on the perimeter and Bojan Jovanovic & Dan Murray down low.
The Spartans want to control the glass against Brady and not allow Joe Bell & Matt Quirk to get out in the open floor. Brady will run their offense but when things break down or the play is not materializing Bell will create on his own. Murray needs to protect the middle of the paint and force forwards like Bryce Johnson and Matt Desmarias away from the basket.
Milford got a huge scare from Goffstown while the champs took care of business in a ten point win over Hanover. Milford got their jitters out in the opening round and Bell, Quirk and head coach Cole Etten have been here before. This should be a good one in Milford Saturday night.
(6) Hollis-Brookline at (3) Manchester West
Mike Soucy’s team was shorthanded in their opening round win over John Stark and will need all hands on deck Saturday night to beat 17-2 Manchester West.
West is getting really balanced offense over the second half of the season and great leadership from Joe Simpson & Keenan Caron. Danny Bryson’s team beat Hollis-Brookline 56-45 back on January 12th but that is the range Mike Soucy’s team will shoot for Saturday night. The Cavaliers want this game in the high 40’s and they can do that by being very patient on offense (we need a shot clock but until we do don’t blame it on the coaches) and forcing their zone defense to make West a jump shooting team.
When West pounds the ball down low to Akok Akok and Caron they take advantage of being the biggest team in Division II. Simpson can get it going from deep but this is not a great three point shooting team. Hollis-Brookline will take their chances with West shooting from the perimeter and concentrating five guys to the defensive glass.
It has been eight years since either of these teams made the trip to Durham. Winner here will make the trip next week.
(7) Souhegan at (2) Lebanon
Another game where you are likely to see the lower seed slow down the pace.
If there is an Achilles heel with an unbeaten Lebanon team it has been their outside shooting which has been inconsistent at times this season. Souhegan wants to force Keith Matte’s team into tough shots and control the pace of the game. Teams like Hollis-Brookline were able to hold Lebanon in the 40’s (in a 44-40 loss) and you can expect Pete Pierce’s team to follow a similar script.
Lebanon is one of the best halfcourt man to man defenses in the state and their ball movement is excellent. KJ Matte is a terrific, player of the year worthy floor general, and he, Ryan Milliken and Austin Whaley are on the same page out on the floor. Beating them on their home floor will be a tall order for a Souhegan team that has had a very good season.