Championship Sunday for Division II basketball has arrived.

Pembroke Academy (18-2), the No. 2 seed in the boys’ bracket, faces off against No. 5 Pelham (17-4) at 10 a.m. at the University of New Hampshire. Then at 1 p.m., No. 1 Bow High (20-0) faces No. 2 Kennett (20-1), seeking to cap off an unbeaten season with a championship on the same court in the girls’ title game.

Here are four things to watch for, two for each of the two area teams:

Can Pembroke avoid a slow start?

In the semifinal against Oyster River on Tuesday, the Spartans led by just five points at halftime, thanks in part to turnovers and sloppier play than usual. Though the Spartans cleaned things up in the second half, outscoring the Bobcats 43-27, they can’t afford a similarly slow start in Sunday’s championship game against Pelham.

The Pythons buried No. 1 Laconia early on in their semifinal on Tuesday and cruised to a 69-31 victory. Pembroke also lost to Pelham 64-54 in early January, so that hangs over the Spartans as well.

Pembroke’s generally taken care of business all season, working toward the opportunity that awaits on Sunday. A fast start could help keep the Spartans at ease and settle into a game that’s sure to feature nerves on both sides.

Beyond Josh Pilotte, Joe Fitzgerald and Mike Strazzeri, what will Pembroke get?

Pilotte, Fitzgerald and Strazzeri in some combination have led the Spartans offensively all season. On Tuesday, Pilotte carried the load with 25 points, while Fitzgerald had 14 and Strazzeri added 13. But it was contributions from players like Shondell Hadley, Adam Heldman and Jacob Boisvert that helped Pembroke build momentum.

Hadley knocked down consecutive corner 3-pointers in the third quarter that expanded the Spartans’ lead to a more comfortable margin. Heldman connected on a buzzer-beater to end the third, allowing Pembroke to maintain its momentum heading into the fourth. And Boisvert did a great job distributing the basketball to his teammates throughout his time on the floor.

With Pelham likely to key in on the big three scorers, it will be paramount for the Spartans to receive contributions up and down the roster.

Can Bow generate enough offense?

Defense comes first and foremost in what the Falcons love to do on the court, but they won’t be able to win a championship without some scoring, which eluded them in the first quarter of their semifinal against No. 5 Laconia. Bow trailed 7-0 early in the game and 12-9 at the end of the first period.

Though the Falcons rallied to take home a 42-35 win, the offense left much to be desired. Alex Larrabee, usually among the team’s leading scorers, had just five points on 1-of-14 shooting. Juliette Tarsa had 14 points, but it came on 4-of-15 shooting, and she scored just three points in the first half. As a team, the Falcons shot just over 24% from the field.

The good news is they still found a way to win. But against a Kennett team that Bow only beat by 10 in the regular season, the Falcons can’t afford a dry spell like what materialized on Wednesday.

Does Kennett use ball screens to disrupt Bow’s defense?

Laconia mitigated the chaos Bow’s full-court press often causes by using screens to bring the ball across half court. The strategy makes it harder for Lyndsey or Bella LaPerle – generally the head of the press – to stay as locked in on the ball handler and creates some separation for the opposing guard to either make a pass or dribble with space.

Bow head coach Phil Davis said after the win over Laconia that he knew the defense likely wasn’t going to force as many turnovers as usual, but they still wanted to make their opponent work to move the ball up the floor.

If Kennett can use ball screens to create space for players on the floor, it could pose the stiffest challenge Bow’s defense has faced all year.

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