> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Every team looking to make a run in D1 boys basketball tournament - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/every-team-looking-to-make-a-run-in-d1-boys-basketball-tournament/ - Published: 2022-02-09T14:00:28.000Z - Updated: 2022-02-09T14:00:28.000Z - Description: The Division I boys basketball tournament gets underway Wednesday with 14 of the 15 playoff teams taking part in the preliminary round. While Trinity High School has the top seed and the lone first-round bye in the tournament, the Pioneers are by no means the clearcut favorite to be the last team st - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division I, boys basketball, playoffs, preview, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 The Division I boys basketball tournament gets underway Wednesday with 14 of the 15 playoff teams taking part in the preliminary round. While Trinity High School has the top seed and the lone first-round bye in the tournament, the Pioneers are by no means the clearcut favorite to be the last team standing. In fact, it could be any of the 15 teams still alive. "Don’t discount anybody in this tournament," Bishop Guertin coach John Fisher said. "Anybody (can win) and it wouldn’t be a Cinderella story because they’re all good basketball teams. I have a ton of respect for the teams at the top, but I honestly think you could see somebody making a run here." Trinity (16-1) captured the No. 1 seed, with its only loss during the regular season to Goffstown (15-3), which ended up as the third seed after finishing in a three-way tie with Nashua North (15-3) and Pinkerton (15-3). The Titans handed a loss to both the Grizzlies and the Astros, while Fisher's Cardinals (13-5), who are seeded sixth, beat both the Titans and the Astros. But Bishop Guertin ended the regular season with back-to-back losses to Goffstown and Portsmouth (13-6), which is the fifth seed and also has wins over North and Goffstown. And that's just among the top five teams in the tournament. "That’s why we’ve got to be ready," Fisher said. "Every game, every night is going to be difficult." The Cardinals appear to have their hands full in their opening matchup with No. 11 Manchester Central (9-9). The Little Green, who a handful of coaches in the division mentioned as a dark horse contender, gave Bishop Guertin all it could handle in the Cardinals' 74-71 win on Jan. 26. Goffstown finds itself in a similar situation, drawing No. 14 Salem (8-10) in the preliminary round. The Grizzlies escaped with a 57-56 win on the road over the Blue Devils back on Jan. 3, in a game in which Salem had a chance to win at the end. "The field is incredibly deep," Goffstown coach Ryan Cowette said. "I don’t think there is an easy game in the first round. Doesn’t matter where you go, who comes to you. We have to be ready and be as good as we can be on Wednesday night. It’s the luck of the draw. We’ll do our best to prepare, but you can’t complain about who you play." All seven of the preliminary matchups is a rematch of a game played during the regular season, with all of those previous meetings won by the higher seed, with the exception of one. Portsmouth dropped a road game against Windham (9-9), its first-round opponent, back on Jan. 18 by seven points, 52-45. That was the start of a run of six wins in the final eight games for the Jaguars to help propel them into the tournament. Two more of the hottest teams entering the playoffs come from the Gate City, as North and Nashua South (10-8) finished out the regular season strong. The Titans, who face No. 15 Timberlane (7-11) in the first round, have won six straight since losing in overtime to the Panthers on Jan. 21. No. 10 South, which heads to No. 7 Exeter (12-6) for the opening round, had won five in a row - including wins over North, Portsmouth and Bedford - before falling to Pinkerton in the regular-season finale. The Panthers had five losses this year by nine points or less, including a 57-49 setback against the Blue Hawks on Dec. 20. "We’re playing our best basketball," South coach Nate Mazerolle said. "Certainly, things to work on as always. It was a struggle early on, we lost some games, but right now, we’re playing pretty well." No. 8 Bedford (11-7) hosts No. 9 Dover (10-7), who the Bulldogs defeated by 22 points just 12 days ago in Dover, while Pinkerton faces rival No. 13 Londonderry (9-9), who the Astros beat 64-58 on Jan. 22. Trinity will get the winner of Bedford-Dover in the quarterfinals on Saturday, while the rest of Wednesday's winning teams will also move on to play Saturday.