Winter Sports

Finalists: King of New Hampshire High School Basketball

Here are the six finalists for the second King of New Hampshire High School Basketball.

Souhegan's Brandon Len is one of six finalists for King of New Hampshire High School Basketball. — Souhegan’s Brandon Len is one of six finalists for King of New Hampshire High School Basketball.

Here are the six finalists for the second King of New Hampshire High School Basketball. All are worthy candidates for the crown, but only one will win. To find out who it is, tune in Saturday morning from 7-9 a.m. to the New Hampshire High School Sports Show on WGIR AM 610 and 96.7 “The Wave.”

To find out who the finalists are (listed in alphabetical order), go to the jump.

Mabor Gabriel, Trinity

Gabriel was named to the Division I first team while helping the Pioneers to a 21-1 season and the division title. The senior averaged 15.8 points per game this season and was an intimidating presence inside for Trinity. In a semifinal win over Nashua South, Gabriel dominated early and finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Had 20 points in a regular-season win over Manchester Central that helped wrapup the No. 1 seed for the Pioneers.

Carmen Giampetruzzi, Trinity

The unofficial most valuable player of the Division I championship game, Giampetruzzi scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Trinity’s win over Bishop Guertin in the title game. The junior was named to the Division I first team after averaging 16.3 points a game this season and bumped that up to 18.5 points in the playoffs.

Brandon Len, Souhegan

Len finished his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in Sabers’ history, going over 1,000 points during his senior season and helping Souhegan reach the Division II title game. The senior was a Division II first-team player for the second straight year and was the top scorer in the division, averaging 21.6 points per game. Len had a season-high 37 in a regular-season win over Goffstown, while in the postseason, he scored 33 in the quarterfinals against Portsmouth and 21 in the semifinals against Lebanon.

Troy Pelletier, Manchester Central

Pelletier finished off his high school career by earning Division I Player of the Year honors, as he helped the Little Green open the season with 15 straight wins. The senior averaged 17.5 points per game, including going over the 20-point mark six times. Often times, Pelletier carried Central on his back.

Tim Preston, Nashua South

Preston almost single-handedly got the Panthers into the championship game with a huge second half in a semifinal loss to Trinity. The junior finished that game 10 of 19 from the field for 22 points with four assists and four steals. Preston averaged 16.3 points per game this season, including a 25-point performance in South’s win over Manchester Central during the regular season. Topped off the season by being named to the Division I second team.

Patrick Welch, Pembroke

Welch helped the Spartans finished the regular season undefeated and winners of the Division II title. A junior, Welch topped the 1,000 career point plateau and was named Division II Player of the Year after earning first-team honors a year ago. He averaged 19.9 points per game this season and in Pembroke’s semifinal win over Coe-Brown, scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half of his first game at UNH.

How the voting was done: Members of the media (listed below) selected their top six players, assigning them a ranking of one through six. A first-place vote got six points, second place got five points and so on down to sixth place, which got one point. A complete list of points will be revealed on Saturday after the winners have been announced.