The theme in the NHIAA boys’ basketball scene over the past two weeks? Upsets.
Though top-ranked Portsmouth has continued steamrolling through Division 1 without any hiccups, Bedford, Trinity and Bishop Guertin each had their lengthy winning streaks snapped over the past 14 days. The same was true in the Division 2 ranks, where No. 10 Manchester West finally stumbled.
As the postseason nears at the end of February, the picture in both Division 1 and Division 2 has become increasingly clear: Unbeaten Portsmouth and Hollis-Brookline are the title favorites in their respective leagues, but there is a formidable mix of challengers behind them.
With most teams down to four or five remaining regular season games, here is how the latest NHIAA Top 10 shake out.
1. Portsmouth (14-0)
Previous rank: 1
Next game: at Concord, Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m.
The Clippers have continued tearing through the opposition, winning each of their past eight games by more than 20 points. Sophomore Derek Swartz (team-high 16.9 points per game) lit up the scoreboard with 25 points against Keene last Friday, but on most nights, Portsmouth is getting it done with an array of scorers — seniors Isaiah Reis and Anthony Ferola and sophomores Finn McCauley and Damien Sanu all average over nine points per game. The Clippers’ home matchup against No. 5 Pinkerton on Feb. 20 should be their biggest remaining test ahead of postseason play.
2. Bedford (12-2)
Previous rank: 2
Next game: at Salem, Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m.
After opening the season with 12 consecutive wins, adversity finally struck for the Bulldogs with back-to-back losses to Goffstown on Jan. 30 and Nashua South on Feb. 3. Star senior Logan O’Connell scored a season-low seven points in the Goffstown loss, but bounced back for 26 points against Nashua South; fellow senior anchor Landon Ellsmore posted 10 points in each loss. The good news: Bedford responded with an emphatic 86-54 win over No. 8 Alvirne on Friday, led by 24 points from O’Connell. The Bulldogs remain in the No. 2 spot courtesy of wins earlier this season over No. 3 Trinity and No. 4 Bishop Guertin.
3. Trinity (11-3)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: vs. Londonderry, Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Trinity was winners of nine straight games before suffering a setback with its 61-56 road loss to Keene on Feb. 3. Junior Jordan Torres led the Pioneers with 11 points in the loss, but no other player reached double figures. Trinity logged a big 84-70 win over No. 5 Pinkerton on Jan. 27, with Torres dropping 28 points to help the Pioneers outscore the Astros, 50-33, in the second half. The team’s most challenging remaining matchup in the regular season will be against Windham on Feb. 17, but it should roll into the playoffs with strong momentum.
4. Bishop Guertin (11-4)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: at Keene, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.
In a similar tale to the two teams above, the Cardinals’ nine-game winning streak was halted in Tuesday’s 64-61 loss to Nashua South on a 3-pointer at the end of regulation. Bishop Guertin was led by 27 points from senior Connor McGowan and appeared to be in control early in the contest before getting outscored, 39-24, in the second half. The Cardinals were playing well prior to the loss, with an impressive 75-43 win over No. 9 Goffstown on Friday — senior Eli Youssef delivered a team-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Bishop Guertin’s depth behind the star backcourt has also been on display, with junior Andre Steinbruick leading the team with 20 points in a 64-55 win over Manchester Memorial on Feb. 3.
5. Pinkerton (11-3)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: vs. Spaulding Alvirne, Feb. 13, 4:45 p.m.
The Astros’ consistent success against lesser Division 1 opponents has cemented themselves in the upper-tier of the league, but they’ve come up short against the teams above them in the rankings. That trend continued with the aforementioned 84-70 loss to Trinity on Jan. 27, despite sophomore Josh Phanor popping off for 31 points. The Big 3 of Phanor (17.5 points per game) and seniors Wilson Youssef (17.3 points per game) and Brady Sullivan (16.0 points per game) make the offense as dangerous as any in the division, and they will get their crack at No. 1 Portsmouth on Feb. 20.
6. Hollis-Brookline (13-0)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: at Kingswood, Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers keep on cruising in Division 2, with their most recent wins against ConVal, Timberlane, and Kennett all coming by double digits. Junior James Arthur (16.6 points per game) and senior Alton Williams (15.3 points per game) lead the nightly scoring charge, and others have proven capable of stepping up — sophomore Renzo Bergskaug led the team with 19 points in the Kennett victory. All four remaining matchups on its schedule are against teams with sub-.500 records, so the odds are strong that the Cavaliers will enter the postseason unblemished.
7. Nashua South (7-6)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: at Dover, Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m.
The Panthers slid out of the last edition of the rankings, but are back up to the No. 7 spot following huge wins over No. 2 Bedford and No. 4 Bishop Guertin over the past week. Though leading scorer Daniel Karavanic was limited to 1o points against Bedford, juniors Francsico Rodriguez (16 points) and Shane Lemire (14 points) stepped up to close out the tight win. Against Bishop Guertin, the Panthers overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and Karavanic (17 points) drained a game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
8. Alvirne (8-5)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: vs. Merrimack, Feb. 13, 6:15 p.m.
Alvirne’s record has taken a slight dip with losses to No. 3 Trinity and No. 2 Bedford over the past two weeks, but the Broncos have continued stacking wins against the rest of their schedule. Senior Garrett Hall, the team’s leading scorer, posted a team-high 21 points in a tight victory over Nashua North on Feb. 3. Sophomore Alex Bettencourt has also emerged as a key contributor in recent weeks, posting a team-high 15 points in the Bedford loss and 12 points against Nashua North.
9. Goffstown (8-5)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: vs. Dover, Feb. 11, 6:45 p.m.
Goffstown nearly cracked the last edition of the rankings after a hot stretch in mid-January, and its spot was solidified with a 71-63 victory over No. 2 Bedford on Jan. 30. Senior Liam O’Brien led the way with 22 points in the win, and seniors Cole Osburn, Gio Santos and Tyler Dionne also reached double figures. The veteran Grizzlies did suffer a letdown in the following game, falling 75-64 to a sub-.500 Manchester Central squad on Feb. 3, and then were blown out by No. 4 Bishop Guertin on Friday.
10. Manchester West (11-2)
Previous rank: 10
Next game: vs. Merrimack Valley, Feb. 13, 6 p.m.
It was an up and down two weeks for the Blue Knights, who suffered their first loss of the season in a nine-point defeat to Kingswood on Feb. 3 and then dropped a 60-57 nailbiter against Bow on Monday. Still, Manchester West holds onto the No. 10 overall spot — and the second team from Division 2 — courtesy of a 58-54 overtime win against a contending Hanover squad on Jan. 30. Senior Max Houde led the way with 24 points in the pivotal win, highlighted by his go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime.
Dropped out: Exeter
The next five: Windham, Exeter, Hanover, Keene, Pelham
