A Final Look at the 5A Playoff Picture
Having reached the last breath of the regular season, many teams across 5A are locked into their playoff positions, while a few must remain scrambling for either an at-large bid or first-round home-court advantage. Only 16 teams qualify for the…
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Continue ReadingHaving reached the last breath of the regular season, many teams across 5A are locked into their playoff positions, while a few must remain scrambling for either an at-large bid or first-round home-court advantage. Only 16 teams qualify for the postseason in 5A: three from the Intermountain Conference, four from each of the other three leagues, and one at-large based on OSAA ranking.
All bids will be locked in on March 4th. Here’s a look at each league and their likely postseason contenders (number of projected bids per league in parentheses):
NOC (4)
Unlike some of the other conferences, the NOC’s postseason teams seem to be essentially locked in. Wilsonville (13-0) has clinched a league title and a top-four seed, while Milwaukie (9-4) seems to be in ideal position for second with an easy match-up against Hillsboro (2-11) next week. With a big win, the Mustangs could easily move into the top eight of the OSAA rankings, putting them in position to play a home game in the first round. The remaining two automatic bids will go to La Salle (8-5) and Parkrose (9-4). While the Broncos still have an outside chance to knock off top-dog Wilsonville, La Salle should easily cruise to their final victory over St. Helens (4-9) on Tuesday.
MWL (5)
Churchill (15-0) has wrapped up another league title while Crater (14-2) is locked into second. Both teams will be top-four seeds in the tournament. Meanwhile, both Willamette (9-6) and Springfield (9-6) are surefire playoff teams with a head-to-head matchup next week. If Willamette wins, they would all but secure a first-round home game. Sitting two games back, North Eugene (7-8) appears to be the favorite for 5A’s lone at-large bid. As of now, the Highlanders are ranked behind one other at-large contender in Crescent Valley, but their final match-up against North Bend is much more favorable than the Raiders’, who must travel to #2 Silverton.
MWC (4)
Once again, Silverton (15-0) has locked up the title while West Albany (14-2), South Albany (11-4), and Corvallis (9-6) round out the automatic qualifiers. Assuming Silverton takes care of business against Crescent Valley (8-6), the Raiders will likely drop below North Eugene in the OSAA rankings, making their chances of an at-large bid slim entering the final week. Nonetheless, the MWC still has a mathematical chance of sending five teams to the postseason.
IMC (3)
With only three automatic bids, the IMC will send co-champions Pendleton (8-2), Crook County (8-2), and third-place Redmond (6-4) to the playoffs. Hood River Valley’s (5-5) resumé leaves them too low in the rankings to contend for the at-large bid despite finishing 12-10 overall.