Several teams trying to keep Bishop Guertin from 4th straight D1 girls basketball title

Bishop Guertin and Bedford. Bedford and Bishop Guertin. That’s right, the usual suspects are expected to win it all in Division I high school girls basketball. Not far behind are Pinkerton Academy, Manchester Central and Manchester Memorial, all trying to break out of that second tier of challenger

Bishop Guertin and Bedford. Bedford and Bishop Guertin. That’s right, the usual suspects are expected to win it all in Division I high school girls basketball.

Not far behind are Pinkerton Academy, Manchester Central and Manchester Memorial, all trying to break out of that second tier of challengers looking to knock off the Cardinals and Bulldogs.

Also fighting for a spot in the final four will be three sleeper picks, including Salem, Londonderry and D1 newcomer Portsmouth.

Even with a plethora of talent spread across the division, the championship conversation always reverts back to the three-time defending champion Cardinals.

Cardinals coach Brad Kreick tries to deflect the title talk by pointing out the loss of senior Caroline Hoffer.

“I’m optimistic about this season,” the fourth-year BG coach said. “We have most of the crew back from last year’s team so it’s hard to say we aren’t one of those top four teams, at least on paper, to start the season.

“But the one kid we did lose is an enormous loss. It’s not only a loss because of Caroline’s athletic talent on the court and with the ball, but also her leadership and basketball acumen and overall smarts.”

Salem coach Ricky Oliver isn’t letting Kreick off the hook that easy.

“Let’s be honest, BG is the team to beat,” said Oliver, who has four starters returning for his Blue Devils. “Losing Hoffer is big, but it’s not as big a loss for a program with so much talent and depth as it would be for the majority of schools.”

Goffstown, Windham and Portsmouth jump up from D2, with the latter expected to make a lot of noise in its return to D1.

Favorites

Bishop Guertin: The Cardinals have eight of their top nine back for another title run. Setting the tone is junior captain Erin Carney, who, according to Kreick, “has been a main cog in BG’s success since her freshman season.” Fellow juniors Bri Wilcox, Addi Smith, Aaliyah Foreman and Hannah Muchemore also have been playing at an elite level the last two years. There’s nothing to indicate any drop off in their play. Junior Ava Owens, a transfer from Pelham last year, and senior Gabby Sousa also are expected to help fill any gap left by the graduation of Hoffer.

Bedford: Sue Thomas always has her teams prepared for the long haul. That’s no different this winter with a strong group of returning players throughout her varsity roster. Alli Morgan leads the group of Bulldogs into action, with two-way standout guard Lizzy Stevenson, sharpshooter Isabella King, and Kendi Barnard and Amanda Jonas manning the post.

Contenders

Pinkerton: If the Astros expect to get back to the title game this season, they’ll need another strong season out of last year’s Player of the Year Brooke Kane, who has officially committed to the University of New Hampshire. Despite the loss of returning starter Alicia D’Onofrio to an ACL injury, Kane will have plenty of support, including fellow returning starter Madison Mahoney.

Manchester Memorial: A semifinalist last season, the Crusaders – led by juniors Lyric Grumblatt and Jennessa Brunette – aren’t expected to fall far from that position this winter.

Manchester Central: Senior Shae Rix and junior Destiny Jordan lead a Little Green squad expected to win a lot of games with shutdown defense.

Dark Horses

Salem: Young and undersized compared to the other teams in the D1 title talk, these Blue Devils are hungry. Salem returns seven, including four starters – seniors Emily Doucette and Christine Aboujaoude, and juniors Jordyn Franzen and Carly Saif – while also expecting big things out of freshman Arianna Lakos.

Londonderry: Courtney Shay is certainly a player to watch this winter. Between Shay and Ashley Rourke, the Lancers will be a team to watch as well.

Portsmouth: The trio of Abbe Laurence, Arianna Hebert and Corinne Lamond have the Clippers ready for the jump back up to D1.