Division I

Bedford girls basketball still among favorites in competitive D1

The top division of New Hampshire high school girls basketball has always been about dynasties.

Whether it was Manchester Central in the late 1970s, Nashua in the 1980s and 1990s, Winnacunnet in the late 2000s, and Bishop Guertin for the better part of the last decade, there have been programs that have dominated for stretches, whether it was Class L or Division I.

With four straight title-game appearances, and two championships, is Bedford on the verge of joining that group? The Bulldogs went undefeated, and at times unchallenged, on their run last season, but this year, the gap between Bedford and the rest of the division doesn’t look so wide.

Here’s a look at the landscape of D1 girls basketball with the regular season set to begin Friday.

Favorites

Bedford (21-0, D1 champs): The Bulldogs didn’t lose much in terms of numbers, but they’ll have some key roles to fill going into this season. Leading the way are senior wing Kate Allard and junior guards Annie Zink and Sarah Muir. They’re joined by senior Karina Kamineni (guard), junior Grace Wolf (guard) and sophomores Mel McCarthy (forward/wing), Ella Allard (wing/guard) and Bella Landies (forward). Freshmen Eva Zink (forward), Julliet Laws (guard) and Ava Collins (forward/wing) will also look to contribute this season.
Pinkerton (19-2, lost in final): The Astros lost some key pieces from last year’s runner-up, but return plenty to fill in the gaps. Leading the way are seniors Sydney Gerossie (guard), Kaylee Dupuis (guard/forward), Emily Leonard (guard) and Hayden Leccese (forward) and junior forward Brooke Benz. Sophomores Mia Marshall (forward), Taya Brown (guard) and Courtney Russell (guard) will have chances to contribute while junior Taylor Elliot (forward), sophomores Audrey Earehard (guard/forward) and Julia Caruso (forward) and freshman Madison Leccese (guard) will be in the mix.
Londonderry (18-3, lost in semis)
Bishop Guertin (8-10, lost in prelims)

Challengers

Salem (14-6, lost in quarters): The Blue Devils return all five starters from last year’s team, with captains Lily George (senior guard), Lindsay Goetz (senior guard) and Makayla Burns (junior forward/center) leading the way. Other starters back are senior Ella Mosto (guard/forward) and junior Olivia Defrancesco (forward/guard) and they’re joined by returning seniors Amelia Murray (guard) and Kyleigh Oliveri (forward/center), junior Nicole Ringdahl (guard) and sophomore Bradley Thompson (forward). Junior guard Valery Nunez and sophomore guards Morgann Raskow and Shae O’Loughlin will also have a chance to contribute on varsity.
Exeter (10-10, lost in quarters): Despite graduating six seniors, the Blue Hawks return a solid core, including senior guard Karli Scherpf, juniors Anna McGuinness (guard) and Jessica Melick (forward) and sophomore Lexy Rogers (guard). Also back for Exeter are senior Hannah Outhouse (forward), juniors Emma Gillis (forward) and Nicole Melick (guard) and sophomore Emme Kayes (guard). Senior guards Elizabeth Moriarty and Ava Young and sophomore guard Mya Dinneen will also look to contribute.
Dover (12-8, lost in quarters)

Contenders

Portsmouth (17-4, lost in semis): The Clippers lost four of five starters from a year ago, with senior guard Syd Pettis the lone returner. Senior forward Bridget Emery is also back after being in the rotation a year ago, while other returners include seniors Aundrea Ingram (guard), Ella Fletcher (guard) and Maggie Pataki (forward), along with sophomore guard Addie Lane. Junior forward Reese McCauley will be in the mix along with sophomores Jenna Lucy (guard), Jolie Robichaud (forward), Lana Vidacic (forward) and Tyler Ricker (guard) and freshman Leaina Corey (forward).
Alvirne (10-10, lost in quarters): The Broncos will look to build off their run to the quarterfinals last year with eight players returning. Seniors Ella Hartson (wing) and Avery Willard guard) are back along with juniors Haylie Christman (guard), Taylor Small (guard), Julia Adams (center), Lexi Floyd (guard) and Ashlynne Fain (center). Sophomore wing Courtney Anderson also returns while junior guard Alana Tardiff and freshman center Isabella Haven-Tate will also be in the mix.
Goffstown (13-6, lost in prelims): The Grizzlies go into the year with a new head coach, as Nate Bracy slides over from the assistant’s chair. Goffstown will look to a trio of seniors to lead, as Meredith Winterburn (wing), Morghan Dodge (guard) and Peyton Duff (guard) return, along with junior Mia Brissette (wing). Sophomores Reece Still (center) and Addy Glejzer (forward) are back as well, while sophomore guard Jenna Shannon will have a chance to contribute.
Keene (9-10, lost in prelims): David Springfield takes over as head coach of the Blackbirds, their third in as many seasons. Keene does have a solid group of returners, including senior guard Lexi Lounder and juniors Harper Zalaski (guard/forward), McKenna Nelson (guard/forward), Lucy Timmer (guard) and Izzy Payne (guard). Also returning is sophomore guard Isabella Parham-Brown. Senior Logan Lord (forward), junior Emily Antosiewicz (guard) and freshman Payton Margaitis (guard) will look to contribute as well.
Windham (11-8, lost in prelims): The Jaguars enter the year with a new head coach, as Todd Steffanides steps in this season. Windham has a handful of returning players, including senior co-captains Lilah Boucher (guard), Meghan Husson (guard) and Avery Steffanides (guard). Seniors Amelia Bushey (guard), Sarah Guarnaccia (forward) and Gabby Gullifa (forward) are also back, as are junior forward Elizabeth Grasso and sophomore guard Rileigh Finneran. A trio of sophomores will look to contribute, with forward Grace Mondello and guards Taylor Procek and Molly Welby joining the varsity.

Dark Horse

Concord Christian (20-1, D2 champs)

Rest of the Field

Nashua North (8-11, lost in prelims): The Titans return all but one player from last year’s playoff team, with a trio of seniors returning in guards Nora Ross, Kayla Dahl and Aidan Walker. They’re joined by juniors Angie King (guard), Lauren O’Neil (forward) and Jordan Cottier and sophomore guards Lily Small and Kathleen Schreiner. Freshmen Madellyn Tino and Reagan Campbell will also have an opportunity to contribute for North.
Nashua South (8-11, lost in prelims): The Panthers lost just two players from a year ago, but both leave a big hole to fill for South. Seniors Karina O’Donnell and Maren Lowell return to lead the Panthers while juniors Addie Borden, Jaynilies De Jesus and Amber Wong are also back. Junior Brooke Berger and sophomore Nitzann Alkalay will also look to contribute.
Timberlane (8-11, lost in D2 prelims): The Owls make the move back up to D1 after reaching the postseason in D2 last year. Timberlane return a pair of starters in seniors Ava Stewart (forward) and Ella Lampron (center) while seven others also return, including seniors Tatenda Chanakira (guard), Talia Lopez (guard), Paige Simmonds (forward) and Lulu Trasatti (forward). Junior forwards Hailey Hannaford and Lila Fitzgerald are also back along with sophomore guard Rylee Donohue. Senior Emma Norcott (center) and junior Lilyanna Clark (guard) join the varsity along with sophomores Julia Johnson (forward), Alexa Ring (guard) and Anita Scibelli (guard) and freshman guard Sam Mooney.
Merrimack (0-18): The Tomahawks enter the year with a new head coach, as Kaitlyn Petrocelli takes over a young Merrimack team. Guard Julia Hoag is the lone senior on the roster, and she’s joined by three returning players in juniors Avary Cruz (forward) and Kelsey Ledoux (guard) and sophomore Natalia Maglio (guard). Junior Maya Fredrickson (forward) and sophomores Kira Lord (guard), Stella Tomaselli (guard) and Sydney Lamontagne (guard) will look to contribute while freshmen Meghan McCarthy (guard) and Abby Herod (forward) join the mix.
Manchester Central-West (4-14): Central-West returns just five players from a year ago, but all five were starting by the end of last season. Leading the way are seniors Chloe Murphy (forward) and Adrianna Perron (guard) and they’re joined by juniors Tianna Mann (guard), Leyla Mohamed (guard) and Marley Oates (forward). A handful of freshmen and sophomores will look to help contribute on varsity.
Spaulding (2-16): The Red Raiders return four juniors who gained a lot of experience a year ago and are looking to take the next step. Leading the way are guards Meagan Uraskevich, Mackenzie LeBlanc and Sydney Daly and forward Damiya Perkins. Sophomores Ava Damon (guard) and Addie Stockbridge (forward/guard) will be looked at to contribute as well. Juniors Morgan Rizan (guard) and Kaydintz Caiazzo (forward) and sophomores Sarah Lin (forward) and Aivah Helton (guard/forward) will also be in the mix.
Winnacunnet (1-17): Brian Gray steps in as the new head coach for a Warriors team that has just one senior on the roster. A solid group of juniors returns, including guards Kate Starr and Kaila Roy, center Colette Le and Ari Bennett and Izzy Turcotte, who will see time at guard and forward. Senior guard Imani Walker joins the mix, along with junior forward Julie Allen. Sophomores Nora Simmons (center/forward), Cali Titcomb (guard) and Olive Needham (guard/forward) and freshman Eve Sirmaian (forward) will look to contribute.
Manchester Memorial (5-13): The Crusaders also had a new coach taking over the program as Lauren Gaudette steps in at Memorial. Seniors Ashlyn Bartnicki (guard), Kelly Legallo (guard) and Elizabeth Champagne (guard/forward) and sophomores Avery Jenkins (guard), Jenavyzia Collazo (guard) and Jaelyn Hartford (guard) all return for the Crusaders. They’ll be joined by senior guard Aeva Dessalines, junior guard JoJo Alley, sophomore forward/center Taylor Angerami and freshman forward/center Taelyn Gould-Poulin.
Concord (8-10)
Trinity (3-15)

Playoff Predictions

Playoff teams (16): Alvirne, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord Christian, Dover, Exeter, Goffstown, Keene, Londonderry, Nashua North, Nashua South, Pinkerton, Portsmouth, Salem, Timberlane, Windham.
Final four: Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Londonderry, Pinkerton.
Championship: Bedford over Londonderry.