Winter Sports

Bedford, Londonderry again at the top of the standings

Different season, same top two seeds for the Division I girls basketball tournament, which gets underway Tuesday.

Nashua North will face Dover in the first round for the third time this year.

Different season, same top two seeds for the Division I girls basketball tournament, which gets underway Tuesday.

A year ago, Bedford and Londonderry were the top two teams going into the tournament, and that's the case again this year, but with major change. The Bulldogs were undefeated, and looked unbeatable, in 2014, while the Lancers and the rest of the field looked to be a step behind.

Londonderry proved that wasn't the case, winning last year's title, but this year looks a lot different. Sure, Bedford and Londonderry lead the pack, but on any given day, any one of the other top 10 seeds could give the favorites a run for their money.

Here's how the brackets look, and our prediction for a winner.

Preliminary round: Tuesday, March 3

No. 16 Concord (3-15) at No. 1 Bedford (16-2), 6:30 p.m.: These teams met in the first game of the regular season, a 53-25 win for the Bulldogs. Concord got into the tournament by beating Spaulding on the final day of the regular season, and its two other wins came against Alvirne and Manchester Memorial. Bedford has held opponents under 40 points 12 times this season, including eight of its last 10 games.
No. 9 Winnacunnet (11-7) at No. 8 Manchester Memorial (11-7), 7 p.m.: Memorial won the regular-season meeting back on Dec. 19, giving the Crusaders the home game, but these teams are heading in opposite directions. Memorial enters the tournament having lost six of its last nine games, while Winnacunnet had won six in a row before dropping its finale to Manchester Central.
No. 13 Trinity (6-12) at No. 4 Bishop Guertin (14-4), 7 p.m.: Another matchup of teams that met in December, as the Cardinals beat the Pioneers in the first game of the season. After a 4-2 start to the season, Trinity finished the year 2-10, including losses in seven of its last eight games. Bishop Guertin suffered a few injuries down the stretch, but the Cardinals expect to have everyone back that's going to come back this season.
No. 12 Salem (6-12) at No. 5 Pinkerton (13-5), 6:30 p.m.: Pinkerton steamrolled Salem back on Jan. 2 by 38 points, and after a mini-slump midseason, the Astros won six of their final seven games, including a win over Bedford. Salem has struggled throughout the season, with its biggest win coming against Trinity.
No. 15 Exeter (3-15) at No. 2 Londonderry (16-2), 7 p.m.: These teams meet in the first round for the second year in row. Londonderry won the regular-season meeting back on Jan. 10 by 25 points. The Lancers two losses (to Bedford and Central) were by a combined four points. Since beating Nashua South on Jan. 23, Exeter has lost 10 games in a row.
No. 10 Dover (10-8) at No. 7 Nashua North (12-6), 6 p.m.: This will be third meeting between the teams this year, with North winning at home on Dec. 16 and Dover doing the same on Jan. 15. Those games were decided by a combined 15 points. Both teams have been playing well of late. The Green Wave won five of their final seven, but none of those were against a team with a winning record. After a 3-4 start, the Titans went 9-2 the rest of the way, including wins over Pinkerton, Bishop Guertin and Memorial. These teams also met in the quarterfinals last year, as Dover was the lone road team to win in the first round last year, upsetting Salem as the 12th seed.
No. 14 Keene (5-13) at No. 3 Manchester Central (14-4), 7 p.m.: Central won the regular-season meeting by 40 points and since starting the year 2-3, the Little Green have won 12 of 13, with the lone loss coming to Bedford. That stretch includes wins over Londonderry, Bishop Guertin, North and Pinkerton. Keene got into the postseason by going 4-3 in its final seven games.
No. 11 Nashua South (6-12) at No. 6 Alvirne (12-6), 7 p.m.: Alvirne handed South a 17-point loss on Feb. 17, part of a 5-1 run by the Broncos to end the regular season. The Panthers are in the postseason for the first time in two years, bouncing back from a 1-17 season a year ago. South was 5-7 in early February, but lost five of its final six games.

First-round winners: No. 1 Bedford, No. 2 Londonderry, No. 3 Manchester Central, No. 4 Bishop Guertin, No. 5 Pinkerton, No. 6 Alvirne, No. 7 Nashua North, No. 9 Winnacunnet.

Final four matchups: No. 2 Londonderry vs. No. 3 Manchester Central; No. 1 Bedford vs. No. 5 Pinkerton.

Championship: No. 2 Londonderry over No. 1 Bedford.