Well, the Girls basketball season is winding down in a flurry of action.
Is it surprising when a team doesn't win by the amount of points everyone thinks they should.
Case in point, Steele over Southwest by 6 earlier in the month. Or How bout Judson over New Braunfels by 4. Or how about OConnor over Marshall at halftime 18 to 12 before pulling away in the second half.
Maybe you can attribute it to a long season or just plain complacency, but teams better watch out cause here comes the playoffs and anything goes.
Sometimes it's not easy to turn on the "Switch".
In District 28-5A, playoff spots are virtually assured to Steele, CC Carroll, Southwest and East Central.
Southwest's running, trapping and uptempo style can pose a problem for a first round matchup. They shoot a lot of 3's and if they get hot, they can definitely pose a problem to a Top 10 team.
Not much is known about CC Carroll in SA, but they are the best team out of Corpus and have some real good athletes that are aggressive. No one should take them lightly.
East Central is coming on with Freshman Brittany Rodgers leading the way with 12 points a game after sitting the start of the season with injuries. She can create havoc with her power and finesse.
In District 26-5A, Wagner, Judson, New Braunfels and Smithson Valley have a lock on playoff spots.
Wagner has steadily been cruising beating #1 Steele along the way. They are healthy and look ready to make a big run. Judson played a tough non district schedule to get them ready. Time will tell how they do. They couldn't take advantage of playing against Wagner being without full strength. Now that Wagner is full strength, can Judson find a way to beat them? Smithson Valley is competing well. Injuries have hurt and they are still young.
In District 27-5A, OConnor, Stevens, Brandeis are virtual playoff locks. That leaves the last playoff spot to the winner of Jay vs Clark, Friday night. Can't get better than this, all the work before and during season. If Jay loses, they still have a chance to tie if they beat Brandeis. But if Clark loses, the writing will be on the wall that they are out of the playoffs. Anyway, whoever takes the 4th place spot, has as their reward the opportunity to more than likely play Steele in the first round.
OConnor beating Brandeis twice leaves them in a great position. If they win out, they are District Champs. Stevens can do the same, if they win out, they are District Champs. So that pretty much sums it up, next Saturday February 1st, Stevens vs OConnor for District Championship. What is somewhat of a surprise is that both teams are not very deep in their bench, but their starters more than make up for it. I said it before the season started, don't underestimate OConnor's guard play. At this point, it doesn't matter where Brandeis falls in seeding. I would not like to play them in the first round. On paper, they have tough and capable team, inside and out. It will not surprise me if they go 3 or 4 rounds.
Finally in District 26-5A, Reagan is in but you have Churchill, MacArthur, Madison, Johnson and Roosevelt all vying for the last 3 spots. That means 2 teams are going to be on the outside looking in. The best thing is most of them are going to play each other for the last 3 games of any significance. So anyone that goes 3-0 is probably in. Anyone that goes 2-1, is more than likely in. Anyone besides MacArthur and Churchill, that goes 1-2 is probably out.
MacArthur is on a good roll while preseason favorite Johnson is going the other way. There is still time for Johnson, but they will have to beat Reagan, Churchill and/or Roosevelt.
No one of the 5 teams vying for the last 3 spots has any advantage since they all play each other.
There is a strong possibility that 3 teams wind up in a tie for the last playoff spot. That would be interesting figuring that out. Coin Toss maybe.
So what does that mean for fans, great action ahead!
As of right now, Following are my top 10 teams for 5A in San Antonio. Teams have the power to change the outcome on the Court as the next two weeks come to a close.
1. Steele
2. Reagan
3. Wagner
4. OConnor
5. Stevens
6. Churchill
7. Brandeis
8. Judson
9. Jay
10. MacArthur
Honorable Mention: Roosevelt, Johnson, Madison, Clark, Smithson Valley, Southwest