As the regular season winds down in boys basketball, teams are battling it out for district championships but more notably, many are battling for remaining playoff spots and seedings.
Here are just a few of the notable district races in the D-FW area and what makes each of them interesting to track through the final week of the regular season. The boys bi-district round begins Feb. 23.
Class 6ADistrict 6-6A
Even setting aside that Allen and Plano East are tied for first place with two games to go, the playoff race in District 6 is worth keeping an eye on
Currently, McKinney is in third place at 9-6 but they’re only a half-game ahead of Plano West and McKinney Boyd, who are tied for fourth. Princeton is also just a game behind the final playoff spot at 7-7, who are in a must-win situation this Friday against Plano East.
High School Sports
If West holds on and becomes one of the district’s representatives in the playoffs, that would knock Plano East down to the 6A Division II bracket with an enrollment just nine students below West.
District 9-6A
Who’s making the playoffs from this race? Sachse (9-5), Wylie East (9-6), Rowlett (9-5) and Naaman Forest (9-6) are all either tied or within a half-game of each other. Wylie’s one win from capturing the district, currently 11-3, but the rest of the playoff spots are still up for grabs. Naaman Forest faces Rowlett in the regular season finale which could be a win and get in scenario for either team pending Friday night’s results.
Class 5ADistrict 9-5A
Anna’s one win from capturing the district crown at 11-1 and Lovejoy’s win over Sherman Tuesday night puts them in a comfortable position heading into the final two games of the regular season at 18-3 in district play. But that leaves Melissa (8-4), Prosper Walnut Grove (7-5) and McKinney North (7-5) all within one game of each other for the final two playoff spots.
Walnut Grove’s two-game losing streak, including a 62-53 loss to Melissa on Tuesday night, opened the door for McKinney North, who won back-to-back games during that same span. If all teams win out, North would be the odd team left out with Walnut Grove winning both district games against them this season.
District 12-5A
Frisco Reedy’s huge win 58-54 over Highland Park on Tuesday puts Reedy in pole position for District 12 at 10-2. That leaves Highland Park (9-3), Frisco Wakeland (9-3), The Colony (8-4) and Lone Star (7-5) vying for two playoff spots.
Frisco Lone Star’s 47-42 win over The Colony is keeping their playoff hopes alive for now but they’d likely need to win out to secure a spot, and that includes beating Highland Park for a second time this season. Wakeland essentially controls their own playoff destiny with games against Reedy and The Colony on tap.
Class 4ADistrict 9-4A
Frisco Panther Creek’s already won the district led by one of the top scorers in the state, Rodney Wagner.
But the rest of the district standings are still up for grabs with Celina (8-4), Van Alstyne (8-4), Prosper Richland (8-4) and Gainesville (7-5) all angling for the final three spots. Friday will iron out a clearer picture with Gainesville playing Van Alstyne and Prosper Richland playing Panther Creek. Celina and Richland will then play in the regular season finale, which could end up being a play-in game.
District 11-4A
This is a district that could have major playoff bracket implications. Dallas Carter’s all but locked up the district title but their playoff path could be determined by how the rest of the District 11 standings play out.
If Pinkston wins Friday, they’ll capture a playoff spot and send Dallas Carter to the Class 4A Division II bracket with an enrollment of 1,235 compared to Carter’s 1,075. That could mean that the favorites in both 4A Divisions could come from District 11 with Kimball going DI.
Girls soccer leaders (2/4): See who has the best stats in D-FW
Standouts from Sachse and Lovejoy top the leaderboards.
Boys soccer leaders (2/11): See who has the best stats in D-FW
Standouts from Prosper Walnut Grove and Frisco Liberty lead the individual categories.
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.