By JOE PALLADINO
We made it. We have arrived at the postseason for girls basketball. Sure, there are regular season games to play, but some of those games are elimination games, and that is postseason stuff.
For example: Tonight, the Cheshire girls play at Lauralton Hall. The Rams are 7-12. They need this win to get into the SCC tournament. All eight-win teams qualify. Also, Cheshire is currently sitting in the Class LL field, as the 31 seed, and could get in with seven victories, maybe.
The SCC girls tourney tips off on Thursday night.
The South-West Conference begins on Friday night, and Pomperaug will play at home, 7 p.m., against an opponent to be determined.
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The Berkshire and Naugatuck Valley tournaments tip Saturday. In the BL there is drama left. League champ Northwestern is the No. 1 seed, but the eight seed is an open question. Shepaug Valley has a one game edge on Litchfield and needs one victory, against Wamogo or Gilbert, to clinch that seed. Litchfield must beat Thomaston and Lewis Mills, and hope the Spartans lose twice.
The BL plays first-round games on Saturday in the gym of the higher seed.
The NVL has limited drama as well. Holy Cross will secure the top seed if it beats Wilby and Crosby. St. Paul Catholic could still tie Cross, and the Falcons earn No. 1 via a tiebreak, if they get there.
The only drama is in the chase for eighth place. Waterbury Career Academy is 7-9 (NVL games only) and currently the eight seed, but there are three teams at 6-10: Woodland, Oxford and Watertown.
WCA plays Kennedy and Wilby. Win both and the Spartans are in. Woodland plays Torrington and Seymour; Oxford has Wolcott, Ansonia; Watertown meets Naugatuck, Torrington.
And just for fun: Ansonia, Torrington, and Derby are 5-11 and could conceivably tie WCA. The Spartans hold the tiebreak on all three, I believe. This is why NVL tournament guru, Holy Cross athletic director Jerry Ciarleglio, is grumpy this time of the year. Actually, there are many contributing factors, but tournament stuff is one of them.
A note on NVL girls: All first-round games are at Holy Cross on Saturday, and first game tips at 11 a.m. Other game times: 12:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m. Tickets are $5.
Another note: The NVL does it right. Playing four games at one site ratchets up tournament excitement. Fans and teams flow in and out of the gym. Hoop junkies stay all day. Nothing wrong with a higher seed getting a home game, but, it feels like just another game. Put four games at one site and you have a true tournament event.
Let’s look at CIAC scenarios
Class LL: Cheshire is in with a win against winless Lauralton Hall.
Class L: Only 25 schools currently have the prerequisite eight wins. Seven-win teams have a shot to get in to the 32-team field. But, why make it close? Still needing one to qualify is Watertown. The Indians are likely in even with seven.
Class M: It looks as though teams will need that eighth win. Ansonia is on seven, and plays St. Paul and Oxford and, by the way, Oxford is also at seven, and the Wolverines play Wolcott. That Chargers-Wolverines game on Thursday could be a doozy. Woodland has seven wins, and plays Torrington and Seymour.
Class S: There are a load of teams on the brink, and a few might slip in with seven wins. The pressure is on Derby and Shepaug. The Red Raiders, with six wins, must beat Seymour and St. Paul for eight. Ouch. Shepaug must beat Wamogo and Gilbert. This is a challenge.
Yes, we have regular season games to play, but we have arrived at win-or-go-home games for girls. That means the tourney is upon us.