Bishop Guertin will rely on its defense, like they Cards Molly Smith (4), Brooke Paquette (1), Hannah Lynch (12) and Hadara Ochieng (3) played in their season opener against Bedford guard Sydney Grogan in the upcoming tourney (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball coach Brad Krieck’s team have played a variety of opponents this winter in a short amount of time, from as far away as New York State, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

But when asked who the toughest teams he’s faced this season, Kreick didn’t flinch.

“I think the best teams we’ve faced might be Pinkerton Academy and Bedford this year,” Kreick said. “Those are two really, really darn good basketball teams.”

And they, along with Portsmouth whom the Cardinals were scheduled to face this past week, are considered the cream of the crop along with Guertin in Division I. And we’ll find out exactly who the best is as soon as the regular season ends.

That will be when Bishop Guertin hosts Cicero North Syracuse in the Cards’ regular-season finale Saturday night, a game rescheduled from this past weekend due to the snow storm. That will wrap things up and the state tournaments for the Division I and II begin this coming week, with the Division I prelims on Tuesday and quarterfinals on Friday at the home of the higher seeds, plus the semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at sites yet to be determined.

Division II has its prelims this Wednesday and the quarterfinals next Saturday, with the semis also on Feb. 16

The girls Division I final will be at the University of New Hampshire at 4 p.m. and the girls Division II final at 7 p.m.

The seedings and pairings won’t be announced until early this coming week, but they’ll be interesting for sure.

In both Division I and II – as it stands now if the 70 percent rule is used instead of going with 16 teams, as has been discussed – there will be 14 teams with two getting first-round byes.

The rest will play in six preliminary-round contests in each division. If 16 were to be used, no one would have byes.

Let’s take a look at both Divisions, especially at the locals:

DIVISION I

This could be an incredible tournament because it’s top heavy with teams that are all pretty evenly matched.

Take a look. BG beat Bedford in the season opener for both. Pinkerton, which had mowed through the competition, then beat BG after the Cards couldn’t hold a 13-point lead early in the third quarter. And just five days after that Bedford mowed down Pinkerton.

So who’s the best?

Guertin is an up-tempo team and has one of the state’s best in junior point guard Brooke Paquette and a scorer in Olivia Murray. They also can get help with the outside shooting of players like Catelyn Wheeler. The Cards love to attack the basket; when they are forced to try to hit from the outside, it’s a crapshoot. They follow the lead of Paquette, one of the best guards in the division if not the best. But they don’t have the same low-post game without Meghan Stack, out all year with a knee injury and not expected back.

“Not having Stack hurts,” said one coach. “They have others but need role players to contribute in the tourney.”

The out-of-state games, Kreick always feels, will help. They finish with one, and have gone 3-2 after losing to Dracut, Mass. by a point last Monday.

“These kids can come in to pretty much any game they play, and know they can win,” Kreick said. “Now that doesn’t guarantee they’ll win, but they believe they can win any game they play.”

Bedford has the toughest matchup in the state in 6-1 sophomore Lana McCarthy, plus freshman Katherine Allard. Pinkerton had immense trouble with McCarthy, but Guertin, after a slow start, made life difficult for her in the opener. But that was so long ago.

The Astros? They’re considered the deepest team in Division 1 but have a fearsome threesome in senior guard Avah Ingalls, 5-11 soph Elizabeth Lavoie and freshman point guard Sydney Gerossie.

“Lavoie is the best scorer in Division I in my eyes,” said a coach.

The fringe elite are Portsmouth and Concord. The Clippers have Avery Romps and Maddie MacCannell, the ladder who can rebound. The Tide are further back, with 30-plus point losses to Portsmouth, Pinkerton, and by 42 to Bedford. They did not play Guertin.

Locally, two of the scrappiest teams you’ll ever see have become fan favorites, Merrimack and Alvirne, They’re in the next tier, with Alvirne led by Paige McKinley and Merrimack by Emma Valluzzi. They’ll be tough outs because they’ll make you work.

With the pairings not out, we can’t tell you who the winner will be beat, but we can pick one:

THE PICK: Pinkerton. Depth does it.

DIVISION II

Bob Murphy’s Cavaliers have the Division’s best scorer is Elisabeth Stapelfeld, averaging over 20 points a game and somehow is able to be a rebounder as well despite her point guard size.

Stapelfeld isn’t the only standout the Cavaliers have, as they’ve been bolstered by junior forward Cheyenne Colbert and the energetic Maggie Crooks, among

others.

The only problem is Division II is dominated by one team – unbeaten Hanover. The Marauders have literally mauled the opposition by an average of 32 points. One of the “closer” ones, as a matter of fact, was a 54-34 win over the Cavaliers back on Jan. 13 on the road. As a matter of fact, it was Hanover’s second closest game, the other one being an eight point win over Bedford. This is one year when the best team in New Hampshire may actually be in Division II. They have a 6-1 senior – one of eight seniors – in Melissa Whitmore, who can play inside or out, and shooters in Stella Galanes and Sydney McLaughlin.

The question is, who would be second? The Cavs, Kennett, Laconia, and Pembroke and Bow could all be in that competitive mix. Of course, most have all lost to Hanover already.

If you’re looking for a fun team to watch, check out Mike Davidson’s Milford team. Davidson would hopefully get serious consideration for Coach of the Year as the Spartans went into the season with a 38-game losing streak, and had nine wins and were wrapping up their tourney-bound season late this past week vs. HB. They’re led by junior captain Bailey Johnson but have talented freshmen in Avery Fuller and Lulu Maguire. It would be a great story if they can secure a tourney win as well.

THE PICK: Hanover, best team in NH.