Coe-Brown looking to be another undefeated champion in D2 girls basketball

The Coe-Brown Academy girls basketball team is four wins away from becoming the third undefeated champion in Division II in the last six years.

The road to get there looks like a tough one for the Bears, as the tournament begins Wednesday night. The list of teams with the potential to knock Coe-Brown off is long, but none of them got closer than six points during the regular season.

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

Preliminary round: Wednesday, March 4

• No. 16 Hollis Brookline (4-14) at No. 1 Coe-Brown (18-0), 7 p.m.: This is a rematch of last year's preliminary round, which was won by Coe-Brown.  The teams didn't play in the regular season, and while the Cavaliers played better down the stretch, it would take a lot for them to pull off the upset. HB gives up an average of 48.9 points per game, a number that Coe-Brown has topped in 16 of its 18 games this year.
• No. 9 Portsmouth (11-7) at No. 8 Merrimack Valley (13-5), 6 p.m.: Tough to believe that these two teams, which didn't play in the regular season, are meeting in the first round. Portsmouth was among the top teams in the division at 7-1, but injuries derailed the Clippers, as they lost six of their final 10 games. But they were able to hand Bishop Brady a loss, and came close to handing Coe-Brown one. Merrimack Valley is the defending champ and got big road win over Milford that capped a 6-1 finish to the regular season.
• No. 13 St. Thomas (7-11) at No. 4 Oyster River (14-4), 7 p.m.: This will be the third meeting between the two teams, but the first since Jan. 9. Oyster River won both, by nine points on the road and four points at home. After a midseason stretch of three losses in four games, the Bobcats won eight in a row before a one-point loss to Milford to end the regular season. St. Thomas won four of its final five games to secure a playoff spot.
• No. 12 Windham (7-11) at No. 5 Pembroke (13-5), 7 p.m.: Another intriguing first-round matchup of teams that didn't play during the regular season. Like St. Thomas, Windham got itself into the tournament by winning its final three games of the regular season, including a win at Portsmouth to end the regular season. Pembroke was even hotter down the stretch, winning its final seven games, including victories over Goffstown and Lebanon that helped the Spartans finish ahead of those teams in the standings.
• No. 15 Timberlane (5-13) at No. 2 Milford (16-2), 7 p.m.: These teams played back on Feb. 3, with Milford winning by 29 points. The Owls got off to a 4-2 start, but won just once over their final 12 games. Six weeks ago, Milford might have been an easy pick to meet Coe-Brown in the final, but losing two starters to season-ending injuries hurt the Spartans depth. Milford was still able to go 6-2 down the stretch without those players.
• No. 10 Hanover (10-8) at No. 7 Lebanon (13-5), 7 p.m.: These teams will meet for the third time this season in what should be a great first-round game. Lebanon won both games in the regular season, with the last one coming on Jan. 8, but Hanover has gone 9-4 since that game, including winning five of its final six. The Raiders got a one-point win over the Marauders in that second meeting on a buzzer-beater.
• No. 14 Manchester West (7-11) at No. 3 Bishop Brady (16-2), 7 p.m.: This will be the first meeting between the two this season. West is having one of its best years in recent memory, although the Blue Knights struggled down the stretch, losing five of their final six. Bishop Brady was a bit of an unknown after moving up from Division III, but the Giants have some big wins over the division's best teams, although they didn't face any of the other top four seeds.
• No. 11 Souhegan (8-10) at No. 6 Goffstown (13-5), 7 p.m.: When these teams played on Feb. 20, Souhegan had a one-point lead at halftime before falling to Goffstown by seven points. That was the Grizzlies' lone win in their final three games, a stretch that kept them from getting a top four seed. After a stretch of six losses in seven games, Souhegan ended the year going 3-2 to move up in the standings.

First-round winners: No. 1 Coe-Brown, No. 2 Milford, No. 3 Bishop Brady, No. 5 Pembroke, No. 6 Goffstown, No. 8 Merrimack Valley, No. 10 Hanover, No. 13 St. Thomas.

Final four matchups: No. 2 Milford vs. No. 6 Goffstown; No. 1 Coe-Brown vs. No. 5 Pembroke.

Championship: No. 1 Coe-Brown over No. 2 Milford.

Tournament schedule

• Preliminary round: Wednesday, March 4 at higher seed
• Quarterfinals: Saturday, March 7 at higher seed
• Semifinals: Thursday, March 12 at Southern New Hampshire University, 6 and 8 p.m.
• Final: Saturday, March 14 at Southern New Hampshire University, 7 p.m.