The race for Peninsula Athletic League division basketball titles may be all but over — as Daily Journal sports reporter Terry Bernal broke down in Monday’s edition — but there is still a lot for which to play.
There are a number of teams in the PAL’s South and North divisions still working on Central Coast Section at-large bids and those will be decided this week. Other than earning an automatic bid (which goes to the top teams in each of the PAL North and South divisions), CCS bylaws state a team must have a .500 or better record in league or non-league play, which means six teams — four on the boys’ side and two girls’ squads — are still fighting for their playoff lives.
First, let’s look at who is out. On the girls’ side, only Oceana and San Mateo have been eliminated from postseason consideration, while the Capuchino, Mills, Oceana and South City boys are on the outside looking in.
And which teams have already qualified? On the girls’ side, Aragon has all but clinched one of the two automatic berths in the South, with Menlo-Atherton having the inside track at the second. But Sequoia, Mills, Hillsdale, Carlmont, Burlingame and Woodside all have winning non-league records, so they’re in.
In the PAL North, Half Moon Bay and Westmoor look as they’ll finish 1-2, grabbing the automatic bids. But Terra Nova, with a 6-4 league mark, is also in because even if the Tigers lose their final two games, they’ll still finish with a .500 record in league play. El Camino and Jefferson, which both have losing division records, are both in via winning non-league marks.
For the boys, Menlo-Atherton has already clinched one of the automatic berths out of the South Division, with Sequoia and Hillsdale battling for the second spot. Whichever of those two loses out, it will still qualify with a winning record in both league and non-league. Burlingame, San Mateo and Woodside will also qualify with winning non-league records, with only the Panthers, at 5-5, having a chance to finish above .500 in the division.
In the PAL North, Half Moon Bay has already wrapped up one of the automatic berths, with Jefferson and Westmoor both in the running for the second spot. Like in the South, the third-place finisher in the North will earn an at-large bid.
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Now, let’s see what those six other teams have to do to make the postseason.
On the girls’ side, Capuchino and South City just have to win one of their next two games to qualify. Capuchino (5-5 PAL South, 11-11 overall) needs a split in last two games to make the postseason. The Mustangs will face San Mateo (0-10, 3-17) Wednesday before wrapping up the regular season against rival Mills (6-4, 14-8) Friday.
South City (5-5 PAL North, 7-14 overall) also needs only a split of its final two games to finish league play with a .500 record, finishing the season against Jefferson (2-8, 10-11) and El Camino (4-6, 9-10).
On the boys’ side, Aragon, Carlmont, Westmoor, El Camino and Terra Nova are all still in the mix for a postseason spot. None of these teams had a winning record in non-league play, so the only way in is to finish at .500 in league play.
Right now, Aragon (5-5 PAL South, 9-13 overall), El Camino (5-5 PAL North, 10-12 overall) and Terra Nova (5-5, 9-13) fit that bill. All three need to win one of their final two games to make the playoffs. Aragon needs a win over either Carlmont or Hillsdale, El Camino needs to beat either Oceana or South City. Terra Nova has arguably the toughest road, facing two of the top three teams in the PAL North in the final week — third-place Westmoor (6-4, 9-13) and first-place and rival Half Moon Bay (11-0, 18-5) in the regular-season finale.
Carlmont (4-6, 9-13) also has its work cut out for it in an attempt at making the postseason. The Scots need to sweep their final two games of the regular season to finish at 6-6 in league play. It will not be an easy task as they face Aragon Wednesday and then take on second-place and rival Sequoia Friday night to end the regular season.
So while the start of CCS is still two weeks away, the playoffs have already started.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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