Looking at the Alvirne High School boys’ basketball team, the playoff possibilities appear to be very murky.
The Broncos currently are the first team on the outside looking in as the 13th seed at the moment, just above Merrimack (4-6), Salem (4-6), and Londonderry (4-6) while holding the tiebreaker against Merrimack following their 54-44 victory earlier in the season with a matchup with Londonderry on January 24 and Salem coming up on the schedule on Feb. 16 at home.
Like the Lady Broncos and Admirals, Alvirne’s other two major Winter sports teams, it’s possible that the Bronco boys can lock up a playoff spot by the end of the night on Feb. 9. The boys have the best numerical chances to clinch by that point in time. Alvirne can afford two games between their schedule and Merrimack’s schedule to make the playoffs regardless.
In that short timeframe, Alvirne has games at home against Timberlane (0-10) on January 26 and Keene (5-6) on January 30, at Bishop Guertin (4-7) on Feb. 2, back home against Spaulding (4-7) on Feb. 6, and at Londonderry (4-6) on Feb. 7, and Nashua North (7-4) on Feb. 9. With only one game against an opponent currently over .500, it wouldn’t be bizarre for Alvirne to go 5-1 in that stretch, bringing their magic number down to just three at that point.
As for Merrimack, the 4-6 Tomahawks play Londonderry (4-6), Manchester Central (2-7), at Bedford (11-0), and Concord (0-10) in that same span. Their schedule in the next few games is certainly favorable, but the idea of Manchester Central upsetting them wouldn’t be out of the question as their two wins were against Goffstown (5-5) and most recently in their last game against Manchester Memorial (6-5). Bedford is unbeaten and doesn’t look to be poised to lose a game for a while as they have had as many wins (3) decided by 30+ points as by single-digit differentials. The only potential loss that appears on the calendar is one-loss Pinkerton in a game that will take place on Feb. 9. Londonderry could easily defeat the Tomahawks, as well, which if that happens coupled with the aforementioned stretch by Alvirne, the Broncos would clinch a spot in the playoffs.
If things don’t go perfectly according to plan, the Broncos would still have plenty of time to lock up their spot so long as they don’t string together several losses in the next month and a half. They have 4 games after the Feb. 9 date ,which seems to be the clinching weekend for Alvirne. Beyond that, the Broncos travel to Dover (5-5) on Feb. 13, host Salem (4-6) on Feb. 16, travel to Bedford (11-0) on Feb. 20, and come back home for their season finale against Goffstown (5-5) on Feb. 23.
If all of that doesn’t pan out, Merrimack has 4 games from that point as well: at Goffstown (5-5) on Feb. 13, at home against Nashua South (8-3) on Feb. 16, Windham (7-3) on Feb. 20, and finishing off their season on the road at Pinkerton (10-1).
If all three teams can lock up spots in their respective NHIAA tourneys, it would be the first time in over a decade that both basketball teams and hockey made the playoffs in a year that didn’t include open playoffs the same year, and it is looking increasingly more possible that such a situation arises on the same weekend.
