Nashua South's Shane Lemire puts up a shot against Lodnonderry's Cory Kearney duirng the regular season. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

And so the tourney journey continues.

Tonight is the third straight of the Division I and II basketball tournaments featuring locals; the Division I boys get underway tonight as well as the Division II girls. Plus, there is one Division II prelim game rescheduled from Tuesday night.

In Division I boys, three of the four area teams are playing at home. Locally, fifth seed Bishop Guertin (14-4) will be at home at 6, hosting No. 12 Manchester Memorial (8-10), whom it beat 64-55 nearly a month ago.

The toughest draw for a higher seed belongs to 11-7 Nashua South, which went 7-1 down the stretch, but during its 4-6 start lost to Windham on the road 74-60 in mid-January. The Panthers host the No. 10, 10-8 Jaguars at the Belanger Gym tonight.

No. 6, 12-6 Alvirne is also home, as it was last year in the first round. The Broncos get No. 11 Keene (9-9), whom they’d love to get another shot at after losing to the Blackbirds at the Steckevicz Gym 68-38 way back on Dec. 19 – a surprising score to say the least.

Finally, No. 14 Merrimack (7-11) will be at No.2 Bedford. That was a 75-31 loss for the ‘Hawks just over a month ago.

Who’s the best team in the area? Right now signs point to the Connor McGowan-Eli Yousseff-led Bishop Guertin Cardinals. The Cards (14-4) had to find their way through the first three weeks of the season then it clicked in the form of a nine-game win streak, halted by South’s Daniel Karavanic’s buzzer beater just over a couple of weeks ago. McGowan is a scorer, and when he gets two others in doubles around him, BG is tough to beat.When BG presses and runs, it’s tough to beat. Good team, likely as of this writing to finish in the No. 5 spot. And the Cards own a quality win, beating Pinkerton on the road. They could have a rematch vs. Pinkerton in the quarters in Derry.

Then there’s Nashua South and Alvirne. South got Josh Tripp back at the end of January and are 7-2 since. Tripp allows Karavanic not to have to drive the bus, and also makes the Panthers a much better defensive team. That’s a big reason they’re 11-7 after a 4-6 start. Win tonight and it could be Bedford waiting next if the Tomahawks and Nate Johnson can’t pull off a major upset on the road.

What’s made the Clippers so good? Guard Isaiah Reis, a senior, and the rest are all in sync.

“Everybody’s playing to get out of that side of the bracket,” South coach Nate Mazerolle said before Portsmouth was upset at home by Pinkerton late in the regular season. “Portsmouth has had teams years ago; it’s not often, but they are that talented. Bedford’s very good, Trinity’s very good. Any night, high school basketball. But on paper, they may be untouchable. It really is true. Hate to say it.”

It turns out they weren’t, but in the tourney they could be. Meanwhile, Alvirne (12-6) is very athletic, the Broncos’ pace led by Garrett Hall and Angel Kangar. Fun team to watch, and they are the definition of a team that no one wants to play. Head coach and Alvirne alum Sam Bonney-Liles has got his players attention, for sure.

Merrimack got one of its biggest wins when it beat North in the final regular season to likely get in. Nathan Johnson can go off, but Bedford is certainly tough matchup.

DIVISION II GIRLS

It’s No. 12 Milford (7-11) at No. 5 Hollis Brookline (14-4) and No. 7 Souhegan (13-5) hosting No. 10 Oyster River (9-9). It will be the first home tourney game for the Sabers in 10 years, and they beat Oyster River at home 57-44 back on Jan. 30.

It was fun last year with Milford winning the title, wasn’t it? This year the Spartans are struggling even though they have perhaps the division’s best player in point guard Shea Hansen.

The story this year has been the resurgence of both Hollis Brookline, a near top four team, and Souhegan, which is right there at 13-5 as well.

The Cavs, who beat Milford 54-40 last week at Milford, usually go as Ana O’Donnell goes and they have been on a roll, the area’s hottest team with 11 straight wins. Mya Blackman has been immense in the middle as a rim protector/shot blocker.

“We wanted a home (tourney) game,” Moore said. “When I took over, I said to the girls, and I said it as a long term goal, we’re gonna get there Ana’s senior year. We’re slowly getting there.

“I don’t have basketball players, maybe one or two.I have athletes who know how to play basketball.”

Meanwhile, the Sabers are led by Julia Skelton, but they’ve got a host of young players that will get into the act and got this good season playing as many as six freshmen. As their coach, Greg Cotreau said, “We don’t rely on one person. We average close to 50 point a game and don’t rely on one person.”

Both teams have signature wins: Souhegan over top four contender Derryield, HB over Merrimack Valley.

Both are great stories this winter.

DIVISION II BOYS

One local Division II game tonight with No. 11 Souhegan (10-8) at No. 6 Kingswood (13-5), hoping avenge a recent buzzer-beating 52-51 loss.