Tuesday Night Spotlight: Playoff Positioning
With three weeks left in the prep boys regular season, teams across the state are beginning their second round of district games. After the first set of games, some teams have risen in the ranks and changed their playoff position while others need to regroup. Going into tonight, there are definitely some games that can either help or hinder teams from achieving that favorable playoff match up they so desire. Here are five games to watch as the last Tuesday in January closes high school action for the month.
#2 Zwolle vs. #6 Florien (Class B)- Zwolle looks to stay within striking distant of the number one spot in class B while Florien tries to move into a first place tie in this home game. Florien has had two close calls with Zwolle losing in their tournament and the Negreet tournament by a total of six points. In the rubber match, the Hawks plastered Florien by sixteen in their home gym. Florien is getting one more crack at the Hawks with a possible move into the top 5 in class B with a win. If they can pull off the victory, Florien can catch some much needed momentum headed into the end of their regular season.
#4 Wossman vs. #28 Sterlington (Class 3A) – Sterlington was having one of their best seasons in recent history……..and then district hit. For a team that was in the top 16 and looking forward to a home playoff game, they have faltered in district going without a win so far. Not the best time to be playing Darrell Comanche and the #4 Wossman Wildcats. However, if Sterlington wants to move up the playoff rankings, they will need to go on the road and win. A road win will definitely help the Panthers move into a better position. If the season ended today, they would play Carroll for a third time. The Bulldogs have already beaten Sterlington by double digits each game and a third time looks like it would have the same result. A Wossman win, keeps their 1st place district standing well intact going into the stretch run.
#27 BTW-Shreveport vs. #30 Benton (Class 4A) – If these two teams were in another district, they would probably be fighting for first place. However, they are in district 1-4A with #1 Woodlawn-Shreveport and #2 Bossier. So this game is ultra important to their district and their playoff hopes. Leon Chambers and Le’treveon Jones have to be big in tonight’s game to secure this home win and gain a leg up on a Benton team that is seeking a playoff seed that does not have them playing one of the two top teams in the first round. Jones might also have some extra motivation in that Jalen Harding, not him, was named to the Louisiana sportswriters all-star game as the class 1-4A representative. Whoever wins this game still has another crack at toppling the top two teams and Huntington as well. So, this game can make or break their playoff positioning.
Notable district games: Calvary vs Red River; Natchitoches Central vs Alexandria Senior High; Pineville vs West Monroe; Airline vs C.E. Byrd