6A Playoff Picture: One Game Left
There’s one night left in the regular season for 6A, and while many of the 32 post-season berths are locked up, there are still a few left up for grabs and other situations such as how many home playoff games…
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Continue ReadingThere’s one night left in the regular season for 6A, and while many of the 32 post-season berths are locked up, there are still a few left up for grabs and other situations such as how many home playoff games some schools will host will be determined as well. And while it may not matter in the playoff system, a league title may be decided too.
Here’s a look at the playoff 6A picture entering Friday night.
PIL (3-5 teams)
The PIL could have as many as five teams in the playoffs and as few as three. Jefferson (#2) and Grant (#6) are locks and neither school will have to leave their own gym for games until state. Franklin (#32) is a precarious position. Win and they’re in as they will have locked up sole possession of third place in the standings. Lose and it’s up to the OSAA rankings and they could very well drop out of the playoff picture. Benson (#29) is also in a shaky spot but a win at Lincoln should get the Techmen in. Cleveland (#31) and Roosevelt (#33) may very well be a winner-in, loser-out contest but there could be a possibility that both still get in, especially if Franklin were to lose.
Metro League (5 teams)
Jesuit (#4) is in and will host as many as two games before state. While their status as hosts won’t change in their game against Westview (#16), a Wildcat win would not only earn Westview a share of the Metro League title but could assure them of a first round home game. Southridge (#14) is a lock and Beaverton (#28) is most likely in, but both would benefit from a win in the last game of the season – the Skyhawks in earning a first round playoff game and the Beavers in ensuring their participation. Sunset (#13) is done with the regular season but is ensured of at least one home playoff game.
Pacific Conference (3-4 teams)
The Pacific Conference wrapped up play on Thursday and Sherwood (#11), Forest Grove (#20), and Newberg (#25) locked up the 1-2-3 spots for the post-season. The only other possibility is McMinnville (#34). The Grizzlies stayed alive with their regular season finale win over Newberg but they will have to see how the ratings shape out after Friday night’s results to see if they will still be playing games or not.
Mt. Hood Conference (4 teams)
The Mt Hood Conference finished the regular season on Wednesday. Central Catholic (#5) finished undefeated as the league champ and will host two playoff games before state. Barlow (#10) is in but whether they host one or two games will depend on if any upsets of the top eight teams happen on Friday night. Sandy (#18) is in as the third place team and has an outside shot at hosting a first round game depending on results. Gresham (#27) is probably safe as a playoff team, which says a lot considering they only won a few games a year ago.
Three Rivers League (5 teams)
A win and Lake Oswego (#1) will be the #1 seed in the post-season. A loss at West Linn (#15) and it’s possible they drop to #2 but in the grand scheme of things, it would still put them on the opposite side of the bracket from Jefferson which is what the Lakers are hopeful for. For the Lions, a win would secure them home court advantage in the first round. Oregon City (#7) and Tigard (#9) are both in the playoffs, but their game could very well determine how many games the schools host before state – the winner will likely finish in the top eight and host two games while the loser will be outside and only host one. Tualatin (#12) will be fifth team from the league in the post-season.
Mountain Valley (5-6 teams)
South Salem (#3) / McNary (#24) is the best matchup of the night but both teams are in the playoffs and a win/loss by either isn’t going to affect their post-season placement much. Bend (#30) however is on very shaky ground and really needs a win over West Salem (#17) to give them more security for a post-season berth. For West Salem, a win might give them a first round home game so that’s their incentive. Mountain View (#22) and Sprague (#19) are both in but there’s not a lot riding on their result.
Southwest (4 teams)
South Eugene (#8) has already locked up a post-season berth but a win may very well mean they would host one game instead of two before the state tournament. If they were to lose, it would most benefit North Medford (#21) or Sheldon (#23) as wins by those two schools could earn them a share of the league title – which according to OSAA rules would earn the one with the higher OSAA ranking an automatic home game for the first round, something neither team would currently do without a share of the league title (ahead of South Eugene) because of their ranking. In any case, both of those schools will be playing in the post-season as will Roseburg (#25).