Division II

Portsmouth, Lebanon get top seeds in D2 boys basketball

The Division II boys basketball tournament gets underway on Wednesday, and here's a look at the opening-round matchups, plus some predictions on who will be advancing.

First-round games

All games are scheduled for Wednesday night at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted.

No. 16 St. Thomas (6-12) at No. 1 Portsmouth (18-0): Can the Saints pull off another opening-round upset, like they did as a 15th seed against Manchester West a year ago? Considering they lost twice to the Clippers this year by an average of 43 points, it's not likely. But St. Thomas did win its final two games over Milford and Timberlane to get into the playoffs. Portsmouth's first game of the season, at West, was decided by just two points and the Clippers scored just 48 points. They've averaged 77.9 points and won every game by double digits since.
No. 9 Timberlane (8-10) at No. 8 Coe-Brown (10-8): It's been almost three months since these teams met in the first game of the regular season, when the Owls grabbed a 48-47 road victory. Here they meet again to open the postseason. Timberlane looked like it was headed in the right direction midseason, winning three in a row over Bishop Brady, Oyster River and St. Thomas. But then the Owls lost four of six, including rematches with the Bobcats and Saints. Coe-Brown ended the year in the opposite direction, winning five of seven, with one of the losses a seven-point defeat at the hands of Lebanon.
No. 13 Goffstown (7-11) at No. 4 Milford (15-3): These teams didn't play each other during the regular season, despite being just a half an hour apart. They did meet in the Chick-Fil-A Holiday Tournament, with Milford taking a 50-46 win over a shorthanded Goffstown. Early in the year, the Grizzlies struggled on offense, averaging 40.4 points through their first five games. In their next 11, that number jumped to 51.8 as the Grizzlies went 6-5, but then they ended the season with back-to-back 30-point games. Milford has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the division, averaging 64.8 a game and scoring fewer than 55 points three times.
No. 12 Hanover (8-10) at No. 5 Bishop Brady (12-6): This will be the third meeting between the two teams this year, and while the Giants have won both, the margin of victory was just a combined six points. Hanover opened the year 0-5 against a tough schedule, and ended the year going 2-4 against some tough teams. The defending champs were in contention for a top four seed, but dropped two games to Lebanon and one at Portsmouth in the final weeks of the regular season, averaging 32.7 points along the way. The Giants had just one win all year over a team with a winning record.
No. 15 Oyster River (6-12) at No. 2 Lebanon (18-0), 6:30 p.m.: The Bobcats earned a trip across the state by winning two of their final three games to get into the postseason. Before that, Oyster River had lost eight games in a row, but extended their season by a game with convincing wins over Timberlane and Kennett. Lebanon survived a scare from Milford on the final night of the regular season to finish off an undefeated regular season. Like Portsmouth, the Raiders have dominated opponents for most of the season, winning games by an average of 33.7 points. Lebanon has allowed 50 or more points just three times all season.
No. 11 Windham (8-10) at No. 7 Souhegan (10-8): The Sabers won both regular meetings, besting the Jaguars by five points at home and three on the road on Feb. 23. That win helped Souhegan stop a late-season slide that saw them drop four in a row and five of six. Windham also went into a slide in the final weeks of the season, going 2-5 down the stretch, with the Jaguars' lone wins coming in a 72-43 beating of Kennett and a 37-36 win over Hollis Brookline.
No. 14 Kennett (7-11) at No. 3 Manchester West (16-2): When these two met last Friday, it was a one-point game before West took over and outscored Kennett 22-6 in the fourth quarter. That was the Eagles six straight defeat to end the season, and their ninth in 11 games after starting the year 5-2. The Blue Knights should be on high alert on Wednesday given how their season ended in a flash last year against St. Thomas. Their only losses this year have come against the top two seeds in the tournament.
No. 11 John Stark (8-10) at No. 6 Hollis Brookline (11-7): Another pair of teams that played each other to end the regular season, with the Cavaliers taking a 28-point win at home last Thursday. That ended a two-game slide for HB and a four-game winning streak for the Generals. That run by John Stark moved it from outside the playoff picture to the middle of the pack in just two weeks. HB has been inconsistent offensively at times this season, scoring 50 or more points eight times (8-0), in the 40s seven times (3-4) and in the 30s three times (0-3).

First-round winners: Portsmouth, Lebanon, Manchester West, Milford, Hollis Brookline, Souhegan, Coe-Brown, Hanover. The matchup between No. 5s and No. 12s always seems to produce something exciting, and Hanover seems like a good pick to continue that trend. Don't be surprised if any of the other lower-seeded home teams (HB, Souhegan, Coe-Brown) are shocked in the first round.

Final four: Portsmouth, Lebanon, Manchester West, Milford. These four were a combined 67-5 on the season, with only one of those losses not against each other. (Preseason picks: Portsmouth, Lebanon, Manchester West, Souhegan).

Championship: Lebanon over Portsmouth.