Say It Ain't Sooo !!!!! Friday the 13th...
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THE CHOPS
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Say It Ain't Sooo !!!!! Friday the 13th...
Sub-.500 playoff teams? Please ... say it isn't so ???????????
Friday, January 13, 2006
With the addition of the Mid-Penn Tournament and District #3 opening up the top two classes to everybody .500 or better, there's certainly less shine on the regular season these days.
There's still a certain amount of bragging rights that comes with winning a division title, but other than getting a nifty X by your name in the standings, basketball has become all about the postseason.
With that in mind, it's never too early to take a peek at how the field is shaping up at the midway point of the regular season.
There is no better indicator of the current girls' hoop landscape in Class (AAAA) than the number of teams currently .500 or better.
As of yesterday, District #3 chairman Wendell Hower would not be able to fill out a complete 16-team bracket in (AAAA) full of teams with .500 or better records.
Only "14" teams have winning marks. Exeter at 6-6 is the last team that would meet the qualification standards.
Not too long ago, plenty of teams had to worry about not only finishing .500 but winning enough games just to make the top "16" in terms of their power rating.
So, if you're a young team like CD East at 7-8 with nine games remaining, this should provide extra inspiration when the Panthers step on the floor. Hey, you still have a shot.
With an open bracket, what happens if you have only 14 or 15 teams that finish .500 or better? My thought is you take only those teams who make the standard.
On the flip side is what's going on in Class (AAA).
It's certainly a crowded house.
Currently, there are a whopping 24 teams that make the District 3 standard for earning a spot in the postseason.
Only two of those, East Pennsboro and Lampeter-Strasburg, have .500 records. The other 22 are at least one game above the number.
Boy, is that going to be a busy week in terms of play-in games if the majority of these teams hold serve.
ON THE MEND:
Several teams had to fight through some key injuries at the start of the season. It clearly affected a couple of squads, while one just picked up and kept cruising along.
Nobody was happier to get his full complement of starters back than Bishop McDevitt coach Kevin Dupes. This past week Nikki Mora, a three-year starter who brings a ton of intangibles to the table, and center Megan McGrady each found her way back to the floor.
And despite two recent losses, Halifax should eventually get more help from senior Sami Cox. Forget the limited points Cox is putting up since her return. She's a huge piece of the puzzle for the Wildcats. At full strength, this is still probably the best overall team in the Tri-Valley League. But her absence does nothing to take away what Midd-West went out and did in the first half.
The final major injury shelved Trinity shot blocker Gina Nazzaro. Oh, sure, the Shamrocks didn't lose during her nine-game hiatus. That should tell you a little bit about how deep this team really is. At the Class (AA) level, it's almost scary.
All Nazzaro did in her first game back against Harrisburg was score 10 points and block six shots.
Talk about immediate impact.
CLOSER TO A MILESTONE:
Lower Dauphin coach Bob Heusser needs only four more victories to record No. 400 in his career.
A former boys' coach at Middletown, Heusser has compiled a 95-27 mark in 41/2 seasons with the Falcons. That's an impressive .779 winning percentage.
DON'T-MISS GAME:
Remember last year when Westmont Hilltop visisted the midstate to play Delone Catholic in the SPORTSFever Challenge? It was a wonderful game and turned out to be a preview of the Class (AA) state championship game.
A week from Saturday, the Hilltoppers are making a return visit to Trinity to play in the Challenge again. Only this time, the host Shamrocks are the opponent.
The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. and promises to be well worth the price of admission. Even if you're a casual fan, mark this one down on the calendar.
"THE CHOPS".
Friday, January 13, 2006
With the addition of the Mid-Penn Tournament and District #3 opening up the top two classes to everybody .500 or better, there's certainly less shine on the regular season these days.
There's still a certain amount of bragging rights that comes with winning a division title, but other than getting a nifty X by your name in the standings, basketball has become all about the postseason.
With that in mind, it's never too early to take a peek at how the field is shaping up at the midway point of the regular season.
There is no better indicator of the current girls' hoop landscape in Class (AAAA) than the number of teams currently .500 or better.
As of yesterday, District #3 chairman Wendell Hower would not be able to fill out a complete 16-team bracket in (AAAA) full of teams with .500 or better records.
Only "14" teams have winning marks. Exeter at 6-6 is the last team that would meet the qualification standards.
Not too long ago, plenty of teams had to worry about not only finishing .500 but winning enough games just to make the top "16" in terms of their power rating.
So, if you're a young team like CD East at 7-8 with nine games remaining, this should provide extra inspiration when the Panthers step on the floor. Hey, you still have a shot.
With an open bracket, what happens if you have only 14 or 15 teams that finish .500 or better? My thought is you take only those teams who make the standard.
On the flip side is what's going on in Class (AAA).
It's certainly a crowded house.
Currently, there are a whopping 24 teams that make the District 3 standard for earning a spot in the postseason.
Only two of those, East Pennsboro and Lampeter-Strasburg, have .500 records. The other 22 are at least one game above the number.
Boy, is that going to be a busy week in terms of play-in games if the majority of these teams hold serve.
ON THE MEND:
Several teams had to fight through some key injuries at the start of the season. It clearly affected a couple of squads, while one just picked up and kept cruising along.
Nobody was happier to get his full complement of starters back than Bishop McDevitt coach Kevin Dupes. This past week Nikki Mora, a three-year starter who brings a ton of intangibles to the table, and center Megan McGrady each found her way back to the floor.
And despite two recent losses, Halifax should eventually get more help from senior Sami Cox. Forget the limited points Cox is putting up since her return. She's a huge piece of the puzzle for the Wildcats. At full strength, this is still probably the best overall team in the Tri-Valley League. But her absence does nothing to take away what Midd-West went out and did in the first half.
The final major injury shelved Trinity shot blocker Gina Nazzaro. Oh, sure, the Shamrocks didn't lose during her nine-game hiatus. That should tell you a little bit about how deep this team really is. At the Class (AA) level, it's almost scary.
All Nazzaro did in her first game back against Harrisburg was score 10 points and block six shots.
Talk about immediate impact.
CLOSER TO A MILESTONE:
Lower Dauphin coach Bob Heusser needs only four more victories to record No. 400 in his career.
A former boys' coach at Middletown, Heusser has compiled a 95-27 mark in 41/2 seasons with the Falcons. That's an impressive .779 winning percentage.
DON'T-MISS GAME:
Remember last year when Westmont Hilltop visisted the midstate to play Delone Catholic in the SPORTSFever Challenge? It was a wonderful game and turned out to be a preview of the Class (AA) state championship game.
A week from Saturday, the Hilltoppers are making a return visit to Trinity to play in the Challenge again. Only this time, the host Shamrocks are the opponent.
The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. and promises to be well worth the price of admission. Even if you're a casual fan, mark this one down on the calendar.
"THE CHOPS".