D2 Boy's Championship Game

Here we are for the Clipper - Spartan show down. If you look back to 1980 it seems like every 4 to 7 years there is a back to back champion in D2:
Timberlane 81/82
Merry Valley 89/90
Oyster River 95/96
Goffstown 99/00
Souhegan 03/04

Now, we have Milford trying to accomplish this same back to back championship. Holder did not play well in the semi final against Pelham. I don't see him having 2 no-shows in a row. O'Loughlin played well in the semis and I expect him to play well in the championship. Mitchell vs. Walker will be one sweet point guard matchup. There is no shortage of quickness and speed with these 2. DiCesare had a quiet game in the semis. He will have to score more points in the championship game for Portsmouth to have a chance. Milford wants the game in the 50s and 60s. Portsmouth prefers the 30s and 40s. One of my new associates (Hint- fine broadcaster on 1380) told me Coach Mulvey is Belichick-ian in his approach to games and matchups. I do believe Milford can win a game in the 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s. They can adapt to just about anything Portsmouth can throw at them. Milford did not play that great of a game against Pelham Wednesday night and still won. Anything can happen, but I believe Milford will play the game of their lives in order to win their 2nd championship in a row and firmly cement their legacy in NH High School basketball.

Milford 90% Portsmouth 10%

Disagree with the 90% 10% on the tully scale, i'd go Milford 70% Portsmouth 30%. Milford needs to get out and run. The semi's they started off shooting poorly, but also weren't looking for the break which allowed Pelham to keep it close. Last time they met (in Milford) Dicearse didn't play and Walker was in foul trouble for majority of the game and Milford won by 20, Milford also shot the ball very poorly for most of that game and still took it by a wide margin, but I don't see that happening unless Walker gets in foul trouble again. I don't see this game getting into the 60's if it does Milford wins it somewhat easy, I'd be shocked if Portsmouth were to win a high scoring game against Milford. I think it'll be low 50's high 40's. I agree with you T&F Milford adapts very well to the type of game, they have the ability to play games in the 90's but if it's a defensive battle that doesn't bother them either. Milford can't afford to have Holder and Mike O to have a silent first half, and I don't imagine they will, although Portsmouth's zone is outstanding and it's very hard to get to the hole on them, so Milford can't settle for the first shot. Should be a great game.

Predicition: Milford 52 Portsmouth 48, certainly could see this one going to OT.

I agree BigMan. I just think Milford has been there, done that and become so hardened over the last 3 years as a core in varsity games, that they can handle anything anything Portsmouth will throw at them. The Portsmouth zone does worry some Milford-ites. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of an offense Milford has against a good zone defense. If anybody has a clue I'm all ears. Milford cold shooting would be the only thing I would be worried about if I'm a Spartan fan. I just keep thinking back to Holder's 6 points against Pelham in the semis. I just don't think he'll have that type of game against Portsmouth. O'Loughlin will be solid in the title game. Mitchell will adapt to any game Portsouth wants to play. Nelson is an unsung hero. If he doesn't score he blocks shots and rebounds. He can hit a dagger 3 or a dagger put back when the opponent is focusing on the Big 3. This is what makes Milford so tough. They are a nightmare for drawing up a defensive scheme. I know I am looking forward to this game and the 4 pm game. It will be a great afternoon of basketball.

Heh Animal, any Portsmouth perspective for the 1:00 pm championship game or are you going to be Belichick-ian also ??

Last time Milford faced Portsmouth they put Holder on Walker he shut him him down while putting him in foul trouble. I don't see them changing that? And if Portsmouth has to put their other point gaurd in they are dead in the water. I also don't think DiCesare will have a good game just a feeling. I have Milford putting on one last show for all to see. I have them winning 66-43.

If it gets into the 60's + I agree, it'll probably be a blow out/20pt win. I just see Mulvey finding a way to keep this thing close. It's tough to shoot at UNH, so unless Milford can get to the hoop against the Portsmouth zone with ease I think this game stays close (I'm sure they will have some success but if you saw last game for the first half there zone was like Fort Knox, no one on Milford could get to the hole a few circus shots) could this game get ugly yes, I think any game has the potential for that but I just don't see it happening this time.

I just heard that Dicearse has a bummed ankle? Any truth to this?

Where is Animal with the Portsmouth information. Is his Portsmouth information being Clipped for the championship game?

Last year's score with a stronger Portsmouth team in my opinion was 60-56. This year at Milfords smaller gym it was 56-41 so i just have a feeling they could come out strong and never stop until the buzzer sounds.

We're Al-Clipper-zeer over at 1380, but I have not seen or heard anything to indicate DiCesare is hurt. I have no idea what the Clipper game plan would be, wanted to get over to practice today but my kids were home from school (thanks teacher workshop!).

Clearly, Portsmouth will have to play their best game of the year on both ends to win this thing. I didn't have a chance to see the regular season matchup, and I've only seen Milford play in the semi-final game, which didn't seem to be the best they're capable of playing by far, so my opinion isn't the most educated, But I will say this: I'm no longer surprised by anything this team does.

Over the course of the year, I waited, and waited, and waited for this team to have a game where they played like the young team that they are. it only happened once, when they laid an egg vs Coe-Brown. They easily beat Pelham, should've beat Pembroke, and beat a really good Souhegan team twice.

Now, does this Milford team just have too many weapons to stop? Possibly. They're amazingly talented. If Portsmouth can keep up their defensive intensity for 32 minutes, if Kyle DiCesare has a game similar to last years semi-final, if Kamahl Walker plays like Kamahl Walker, and if one of the un-sung but vital Clippers steps up (McCarthy, Tsogranis, Duprey just to name a few), they'll be in it at the end.

That's a lot of "if's", but I'm an unapologetically biased homer. I'll take PHS, 56-54

Souhegan has a good defense but i would take Milfords defense any day over them and Portsmouth barely squeaked out 35 on them so 56 on Milford may be a stretch.

I didn't get to see the Portsmouth Souhegan game but I heard they didn't play that well either. And if you want to look at it like that Pelham has a decent defense and Milford only put up 50, and Portsmouth is probably one of the best if not the best defense team in the state. It's a different game, different styles of teams, both will approach it a little differently, so 56 might not be out of the question, but again higher scoring it gets it's definately in Milfords favor.

I'm still just as big of a Milford supporter as everyone, but I think Jim Mulvey is one of the better coaches in the state and Portsmouth is great defensively, and although they're not the greatest offensive team they certainly have enough to win a 'ship. Portsmouth was really the only team this year in D2 that I thought had/has a chance not just saying that because they're in the ship either.

That was easily the worst Portsmouth shot all season. DiCesare alone missed (by my count) 4 wide open jumpers, which doesn't happen often. There was a lot (and this is by no means complaining about the officiating) of physical play allowed to go on, that might have affected the way both teams shot. Also, as someone else pointed out, UNH is a tough gym to shoot in, especially the basket by the entrances. Terrible background.

he's the best coach in the division, very good at adapting and he's unbelievably prepared. that being said i think milford wins but its within 10, but if dicesare has a performance repeat of that HUGE dagger 3 from the corner when he was a freshman(?) and the rest of portsmouth comes to play it wouldnt surprise me at all if they pull off the upset

Mike Mitchell has carried this squad the last 2 games, great shooting against Bedford,clutch free throw shooting against Pelham. Today is Holder's day, He is going off today. GOOD LUCK SPARTANS, 2 IN A ROW

Animal, thanks for putting in the editorial comment about (not complaining about the officiating). Much appreciated.

Now, if it was GNG, it would look like this: {not complaining about the officiating}

I am expecting a low scoring affair in this contest. I am going to go with 55-47. I will keep this short because many of you have stated the breakdowns. I agree that you will only occasionally see the Mike Mitchell and Walker match-up. Holder will probably take Walker. I also believe that Holder will win the Player of the Game award. Milford showed great maturity against Pelham. Not getting frustrated with the slow pace, a pace that was really set by Pelham. Pelham made it tough for Milford to get into their full court press because of missed shots. Let me make this clear Milford can be beat today. I have yet to see a coach use this tactic in two years.
You need to out rebound Milford, which can be done. You need to stop penetration and stop the outside 3's (play zone, switch it too 3-2.2-3, 1-3-1) that can have a lot to do with both sides. Portsmouth tough D, Milford bad shooting night. Portsmouth needs to use their bench. Slow this game way down. Use all their fouls and don't be shy about putting anyone on the free throw line other than Mitchell. If the score of this game is like the Souhegan Portsmouth game, Milford is in trouble. I think to be frustrated twice you might see some negativity coming from players. If Portsmouth can keep Milford under 50, they just may steal this thing.

Again Congrats to Milford for a great run throughout the years and back to back state titles, and the undefeated season this year!
Also Congrats to Portsmouth, great game today, great effort and took em' down to the wire, as well they were the only team to beat Milford during there run.

Milford- 12 12 10 14- 48
PHS- 8 6 16 12- 42

Stats are all unofficial I kept them myself, only have Portsmouth's scoring. (also I had Jamie with 16 and Mike with 16 but the announcers had Holder with 14, and Mike O with 18 again apologize if I'm incorrect)

Mike M-6pts, 5rebs, 1stl, 7assts, Mike O-16pts, 5rebs, 7stls, 2assts, Holder-16pts, 4rebs, 2blks, 1asst, Nelson-8pts,4rebs, 1stl, 2blks, Barlow 2pts 2rebs, Desmaris-2rebs, Philbrick-1reb, 1ast, Moore-1reb 3stl

Walker- 11, Tsougranis-10, Duprey-9, Dicearse- 7, Hegerty-3, Mccarthy-2

1 quarter
Starting the game I was interested to see who would guard Walker, because Holder really bothered him the first game, Coach decided to go with Mitchell who I thought did an outstanding job he started off in full deny essentially face guarding him no matter where he was. This took him/and his team out of rhythm early as he didn't touch the ball for the first minute or so. I also was suprised that Coach decided to go with Dan D rather than Logan as he's been playing well, but Dan also has the expierence and it didn't seem to hurt Barlow's confidence. Holder clearly had cleared his mind of his poor shooting preformance as he attacked early on his quest for the ship and 1000 pts. I was a little worried has he came up hobbling early after being fouled on a strong drive to the hoop, but after some limping he shook it off. Along with Holder's scoring, Mike O also was feeling it early attacking as well as shooting well. Absolutely great ball movement to start the game, Mikey really broke down Portsmouth's D well finding people for great looks and they played this quarter (and the whole game) very unselfish, who ever had the best look got the ball in position to score. Also along with Mitchells great D the team D was outstanding everyone really locked there man down and played great help D. I'm not going to just talk about Milford but in this first Portsmouth didn't give me much to talk about, a lot of there points came from the free-throwline, the points that didn't were loose ball put backs but there offense really struggled early. Though the boards were even this quarter Portsmouth maybe had a slight edge. I stressed the pace coming into the game for Milford it was a little better but not where I thought it needed to be.

2 Quarter
Again, Portsmouth really struggled from the field again, I think all 6pts came from the line this quarter. Milford picked up where they left off, but I think starting playing better. They picked up the pace, now with that and them still getting great ball movement I was feeling comfortable. Great team effort as far this quarter from Milford. Nelson hit a 3 as well as put back, a holder put back and the lead was stretched to 19-10 with 4:10 left to play in the half. Milford continued that great offensive play finishing the run at 11-2 and it was now 23-12 with only 1:40 to go. Nelson, had been outstanding all playoffs showing what everybody has wanted to see, but generally he's rather shy but he had great energy trying to get the crowd into it. Also it looked like him and Walker got into a battle of words, which I was kind of happy about generally Kyle will walk away but he stood up to him and said a few words back (i'm not saying I like arguing just a few words said) but before this could escalate into anything more O'loughlin came in and showed great leadership pulling Kyle away and talking to him. With :30 seconds left Holder hit a 1000pts on his career, cut it close but must feel great getting 1000 in a big effort, in a championship game, sometimes this could make someone a little nervous but I think he got his jitters out in the semi's. Again PHS really struggled this half they only shot 20% from the field (got that from the announcers) I think most of this has to go to the great defense again. Rebounding again was nuetral no clear cut winner on the boards. 24-14 at half, so despite some very good play from Milford still was only a 10 point game. Bench gave Milford some big Minutes from the bench with coach having Moore, Jovi and Barlow playing a decent amount of time out there and they contributed some solid d.

3rd Quarter
Portsmouth came out of the gates looking like a different team. Opened the half up with a great inbound play, and despite the lay-up being missed they got the putback cutting it to 8 within just a few seconds. Mitchell picked up 2 quick fouls early. This worried me a little as I thought he had a few in the first half but I was wrong. Coach then called a timeout as things were rather sloppy for Milford. Portsmouth put a great run together, really a solid team effort, a Walker 3 and some nice buckets from Tsougranis as well as Duprey and some put backs by the bigs and they cut the game to a 6pt game with only :30 seconds left to go. I really hadn't noticed the lead was dwindling maybe because the first half lead felt bigger than it was. Then right before the 3rd ended Dicearse hit a bucket and the 10pt half time lead had disappeared and was only 4. Again PHS did this with some solid d forcing some turnovers, and slowed Milford down a little. They also weren't allowing Milford to get great looks and Milford began settling and forcing a little.
Despite some solid play from Portsmouth, I felt that if they were going to come back they needed to have there run as they did, but complete the run and take over the lead. It was probably WAY to early for that thinking but that's what I thought.

4th Quarter
This quarter....it baffled me a bit. Milford opened this quarter up shaking off the lack luster preformance in the third and they forced a steal, as Mike O picked it up, he had a fast break but Walker was right behind him. Part of me wanted him to throw it and have the crowd explode but I'm glad he laid it in, as he got fouled hit the bucket as well as the freethrow for the and 1. This got the lead to about 7. This is were I was befuddled, and that's the only word to describe it. Holder received the ball from Mitchell about a step over half court and stands there, doesn't dribble. I know there was still about 7 (maybe a little less) mintues left in the game but you think you'd step out and apply some pressure to the ball, but Mulvey has the kids sit back. :30 seconds go by of Holder just standing there and he takes a dribble, still no pressure tries drawing them out but still nothing. He gives the ball to O'loughlin who also was a few steps inside of halfcourt....no ball pressure.Aprox 1 minute 30 seconds were ticked off in a 7 point game! I'm dumbfounded, can't believe it really still don't know what the thought was even when the came close to PHS no pressure. Milford looked bored, and Mike O drove and forced a lay-up and missed PHS gets the ball but now there's only like 5 minutes left. PHS goes down and I think they hit 1/2 freethrows, then again some stalling but not as as long this time but still valuable time coming off the clock. No score again for Milford and then Richie took a bad foul, but then a few seconds later Walker gives him a forearm and Moore made up for it in taking the offensive foul. It was about a 6 pt game at this point, after some freethrows by PHS and 2 missed from Mitchell, they broke a soft Milford press and Duprey drove through the middle to trim the lead to 2 so despite some questionable decisions they have it at a 2 pt game. This was answered by Mike O drive to get it back to 4. An Empty possesion by PHS they're forced to foul as it's under a minute. A missed front-end freethrow by Holder. Another forced shot by PHS O'louglin goes to the line and is 1/2, so PHS had all the chances to take this over but Walker just couldn't find the magic he had in the semi's, with only a few seconds left Holder caps the game off with a huge block. And that was essentially the game! Again very solid game.

Thought i'd see more zone from Mulvey, wish I could ask him what he was thinking about letting Milford kill clock. Generally I see a team win with only 48 points and I think it was probably horrific to watch but Milford played great offense when needed and buckled down on D to win the tight game. Mitchell was outstanding again if there was a MVP for the playoffs in my mind it'd be him did the intagibles throughout the playoffs as well as putting up the numbers throughout all the stat columns. He had a several long rebounds tonight, broke down the D and I thought was terrific on Walker. If I'm picking an MVP for the game I'd have to say Co-MVP of Holder and O'louglin absolutely outstanding today. Also huge play from Nelson today hit 2 3's today and just was the un-sung hero of the playoffs.

Congrats to Milford, an outstanding run and back to back state championships is an incredible feat.

I'm proud of the way PHS played in the 2nd half today, they could've packed it in at halftime, down 12 to a team that gave them no room to breath on defense, and was hitting some great contested shots on offense. They scraped and clawed their way back into it, but ultimately dug themselves too big of a hole in the first half.

That was without a doubt WORST half of ball PHS has played all year. A combo of Milford's D, and finally looking intimidated by the moment.

Interesting in the 4th, as with PHS getting all the momentum, Dan Murray decided he didn't want his kids to play basketball for 2 minutes or so. An unfortunate tactic that regrettably works against a zone. Jim Mulvey was visibly upset. I guess when you get to the title game, you have to do whatever it takes to win, though personally I think you should actually, you know, play the game. But that's just me.

BigMan, I do disagree a bit with you, as Holder didn't really impress me that much, taking wild shots and making poor decisions with the ball.

O'Loughlin, on the other hand, there's not enough good things to say about him. He was EVERYWHERE, and Milford doesn't win this game without him, especially on D. He played with poise, skill, and class. What a ballplayer.

An interesting game that took 24 minutes to become the game we thought it might. Great game, great win by Milford. Can't wait to see PHS in action next year only losing 2 seniors.

It takes two willing players to have a fight. In the later rounds of a fight the guy that is LOSING has to take chances... The guy WINNING can control the tempo. At least that is how the game works where I am from.
Now before all the SHOT Clock guys chime in I will add this. Eight states currently have a shot clock, so the large majority are playing the same game as we are here in NH.
I think the other argument is this, Milford won back to back titles and never played one minute of zone. Not one. They manned up, they came away from the hoop, they played the game the right way. They challenged their players,they prepared them to play at the next level. So if you really want to question the programs at this point... maybe you should look closer to home.

Why are you playing a sagging zone down 7? It's not like they extended, even when Mike O started to come close they didn't apply much pressure they wanted him to force it I just watched the game tape of that moment even when Mike O first starts to dribble towards the zone they stayed a step inside of the 3pt arc????? that's not defense, but you being from Portsmouth me being from Milford we won't agree on this and it's not worth an argument. As far as Holder goes again we'll have to agree to disagree, I don't think he played outstanding and yes he did force about 3 shots that I can think of I'll go watch the game tape again tomorrow but I don't think he played bad, but the rest of the shots are shot's he's hit throughout the season he's an outstanding finisher he takes some circus layups but he finishes very well with contact.

MILFORD has won 2 in a row. Unbelievable job, you guys should be very proud.

I wasn't even going to comment about the game, now I feel I have to. The big thing is the misunderstanding by the Portsmouth media, Coach Mulvey decided to let Milford run the clock down for about a 1:30. I watched Mulvey the entire time this was going on, he had his hands way up high, yelling; "stay back, stay back". You could clearly see the frustration on Khamal Walker's face, he had no idea what to do, but like a smart point guard he stayed back like his coach told him. I am guessing that Coach Mulvey told the Seacoast reporters that he didn't tell his players to stay in the packed zone. He most certainly did. The only reason I am questioning the Seacoast reporters, (Mike Zhe Seacoast Online) had the same opinion. I am kind of surprised because when Milford had the ball for about 15 seconds, I questioned what Mulvey was doing. He did this deliberately, he knew that if he sent his kids out in the situation to pick up Mitchell he was going to get by anyone who came out, and Milford was going to score an easy bucket.
Chi-Kid and BigMan are dead on, Portsmouth was down 7, not up 7. If you are down 7 you can't afford to let any time go off the clock. You need to dig in defensively and stop Milford from scoring. Mulvey did eventually get what he wanted, he just wanted it a minute earlier, a turnover. Thanks to some very sloppy Milford offense to end this game. This game really should have been over with 2 minutes left, but Milford kept turning the ball over.
Somebody raved about Coach Mulvey as the best in DII, I will throw Dan Murray out there now. Two championships and one of them undefeated is pretty impressive. What are they 43-1 in two years? I also think Alosa is a very good coach, and of course there are others Smith from Coe-Brown comes to mind. Heany at Souhegan.

- Deleted the speculation about suspensions/programs/coaches - The Assistant

Chi-Kid, BigMan congratulations to both of you and best of luck in the future. I will be looking at box scores from SUNY Platts, Trinity, and Gordon College all next season. I see Jasmine has transferred to Hagerstown Community College.

There are schools with components of the discipline code that would mandate a suspension for x calendar days which could end up working out to around 6 games .

I'm wording this carefully as I don't want this veer into speculations about students...

but coaches are usually held to certain suspensions by how their code of conduct is written and do not have the control some may think regarding this.

The NHIAA yields to districts on certain instances.

Tulliver I understand there are NHIAA codes, School codes, and believe it or not Coaches Code. Coaches can also suspend a player longer than the school recommends or requires. I am looking for examples of what would warrant six games. I understand about the x number of days on the calender, but 6 games would be about a month. Many DII schools went a week between end of regular season and playoffs. As a matter of fact, DI season ended after DII and they started their tournament before DII. Please Tully we may have gotten off on the wrong foot earlier in the season on this forum, I am not dismissing your opinion or anything, I like to pick others minds and find others opinions on matters.