Three nights after visiting Lebanon snapped the Pembroke boys basketball team’s four-game winning streak with a 55-40 thumping, the Spartans resumed their winning ways by taking their anger out on winless Merrimack Valley.

While the 65-33 victory on Monday, Feb. 18, was nice, coach Matt Alosa was the first to acknowledge that his 11-5 squad has spent the season beating up on teams it should dominate – while coming up short against the top teams in Class I.

The Spartans have four wins against projected playoff teams Bow, Kearsarge and Monadnock, but they’re 0-3 against teams ahead of them in the standings. Still, they are nearing their goal of hosting a first-round playoff game.

Alosa's hoopsters are currently eighth in the Class I standings, with 8-8 Kearsarge scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20, and 10- 6 Laconia slated for Thursday, Feb. 21, and he said he hopes to regain and maintain momentum headed into the postseason.

“Right now, we’re just getting ready for the playoffs and trying to get everyone healthy and playing the best they can for March,” said Alosa. “Except for the blip against Lebanon, we are right on track.”

On the subject of health, Pembroke received some unexpected – and good – news.

Junior guard Christian Davis, listed in Friday night’s program as out for the season with a fractured wrist, will likely return next week after finding his injury is nothing more than a severe sprain.

While Davis fills a reserve role for the guard-laden Spartans, Alosa said experience is a necessary component for winning in the playoffs.

In addition to Davis, sixth man Matt Lavoie and freshman standout Taylor Vazquez come off the bench to spell seniors Justin Muniz and Drou Goff, who each average double-figure points.

“With the way we run, (Muniz and Goff) need help. They can’t play it the whole game,” said Alosa. “We go four or five guards deep, which definitely helps when we get into some tough situations.”

Though the Spartans can keep pace with anyone in Class I, Alosa said it is their defense that keeps games tight against teams such as John Stark and Portsmouth, both 15-2 and likely the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the playoffs.

Pembroke lost to Portsmouth, 42-37, on Jan. 4 and suffered a 69- 67 setback to Stark on Jan. 11. But if they get too far behind, teams like 13-4 Lebanon take advantage by slowing the pace down, as was the case on Friday, Feb. 15.

After falling into a first-quarter, 18-8 hole against the Raiders, the Spartans drew to within six by halftime, 28-22.

But they came out of the locker room flat, failing to score in the first five minutes of the third quarter before absorbing the 15- point loss.

Lavoie led Pembroke in scoring with 10 points, Goff dropped in nine, Jon Grenier offered eight, and Vasquez contributed seven points in the losing effort.