Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

NOTE: Apparently, fate just didn't want me to post a Top 25 last week or the Week Guide this week as things just kept getting in the way both at home and in the office. I don't expect that to happen again for the rest of the season. ... To make amends, I offer the first Playoff Picture of the season, with breakdowns of who is in, who is out and just what the bubble teams are looking at. ... There are some teams listed as "Out" that may be mathematically still alive via a second-place finish. Unless the teams appear likely to be in that position, I kept them in the "Out" category for now. ... It appears there are some teams that have a habit of not reporting their score to the Replublican when they lose at home, so that's become a bit of a challenge here. Also, there is certainly the potential for mistakes, so if you see anything please email me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com. ... See you Thursday night for the updated Top 25.

DIVISION 1

Clinched
Amherst, East Longmeadow, Holyoke, Pittsfield, West Springfield

On the bubble:
Agawam (6-9) - They'd have to beat either Amherst or Longmeadow in order to get in. The good news is both games are in Agawam, but that's still a tough order.
Central (9-7) - No easy ones left, but they only need one from West Side, Ludlow, Minnechaug and Northampton. They beat Ludlow by four, Minnechaug by three and Northampton by two the last time around.
Longmeadow (8-7) - The Lancers are a virtual lock to get in after going 4-1 the first time through the league and with one more swing through all five teams remaining.
Ludlow (7-9) - Lions are a good team that could suffer from being a member of the power conference. Three wins isn't completely out of the question, but the squad is 3-1 against Central, Minnechaug, Northampton and East Longmeadow already this year.
Northampton (9-6) - The Blue Devils have gone 1-3 in their last four games and have officially put themselves into a tough position. After losses to Central and Minnechaug, they now face East Longmeadow, Holyoke and West Side and could potentially take a five-game losing streak into the last two games, which are at Ludlow and at Central.

Out
Chicopee, Chicopee Comp, Minnechaug, Sci-Tech, Westfield

DIVISION 2

Clinched
Athol, Drury, Easthampton, Hoosac Valley, Mahar, Palmer

On the bubble:
Belchertown (9-7) - Three of the four Orioles games are tough ones, but they should get in. Belchertown is 8-2 in its last 10 games.
Frontier (9-7) - Tough win against Mohawk tonight, but a win is a win at this point and the Red Hawks will get No. 10 at some point.
Hampshire (8-8) - The team having the strangest season of anyone in WMass has a good shot at second in the league, but must take care of at least one of its final three league games to have a chance to do so.
Mount Greylock (5-10) - Mounties have five games left and need to either win out or find a way to finish second in the Berkshire South.
South Hadley (8-7) - Tigers should have at least two more wins in them. They certainly don't want to be 9-10 heading into the game against Granby on Feb. 21.
Southwick (9-6) - The Rams will get in. Rematch at Holyoke Catholic on Valentine's Day should be interesting.
Wahconah (7-9) - It is crazy that a team as good as the Warriors is still deeply on the bubble to get into the tournament. It really shows the depth of Berkshire County. In its last three games, Wahconah has lost at Lenox by two, won at Lee by two and then lost at Drury by two. Now it has Pittsfield at home on Friday, then are at Monument, at Coaches vs. Cancer (for a third game against either Lee, Pittsfield or Drury) and then at Taconic. The Warriors, who could absolutely get to the Cage if they qualify, must win three of those games to get in. Crazy.

Out
Cathedral, Commerce, Mohawk, Monument, Taconic

DIVISION 3

Clinched
Gateway Regional, Granby, Hopkins Academy, Lee, Lenox, New Leadership, Sabis, Ware

On the bubble:
Franklin Tech (8-5) - A lot of Tri-County bubble teams will be playing one another in the next few weeks.
Holyoke Catholic (8-9) - Gaels are likely to get two more wins in their last three games, and could still win the Bi-County West once again.
McCann (4-9) - The Hornets have a lot of games left and are also still very much in the hunt for a top two spot in the Bi-County West.
Monson (7-9) - Kind of like Wahconah in D-2, Monson is definitely good enough to be considered a tournament team, but their tough league could keep them out. Need to go 3-1 against Sabis, South Hadley, Smith Academy and Ware. Tough, tough, tough.
Mount Everett (9-7) - The Eagles will get four chances at win No. 10, but it could come down to Coaches vs. Cancer on Feb. 18.
Pathfinder (8-7) - Remaining schedule looks like they'll get to 10.
St. Joseph's (9-5) - I'm a little confused on this one. I only have the Crusaders with 17 total games (at Hoosac on Feb. 10; Coaches vs. Cancer Feb. 18, vs. Greylock Feb. 21), which would mean they are already clinched. Can anyone confirm their remaining schedule?
Smith Academy (8-8) - They should get win No. 9 on Friday. Then they need one more either at Monson (2/15), at Mahar (2/17) or vs. Frontier (2/21).
Westfield Voke (7-7) - From what I can find, they need to go 2-2 in final four games and it's not going to be easy with Franklin Tech, Gateway and New Leadership among the remaining schedule. They did beat NLCS last time at home by six, however.

Out
Dean, Greenfield, Pioneer Regional, Pioneer Christian, Putnam, St. Mary, Smith Voke, Turners Falls

Boys & Girls Hoop Midseason Reports

NOTE: Records, etc., are through Tuesday’s games.

Boys basketball

In
Belchertown (10-3)
The Orioles have won two straight since their three-game slide. League title is not out of the equation. Team qualified Monday.
Frontier (10-2)
The Red Hawks have increased their offensive production to compliment their defense and the results have shown.
Smith Academy (10-3)
The Falcons streaked into the postseason Monday. They have the second-best offense (68.2 points per game) in Division 3.

Closing in
Easthampton (10-3)
The Eagles’ win against Nauset to open the season doesn’t not count toward their tournament record. Might be tough catching one-loss Mahar for the league title, but the team is streaking toward a high seed.
Granby (9-4)
The Rams have proven to be a deep and balanced team. Big back-to-back road wins over Hampshire and Belchertown gave the team confidence.
Smith Vocational (7-2)
The Vikings have won four straight since a two-game slip and are in a good position with nine games remaining.

Work to do
Amherst (6-5)
The Hurricanes are in a good position to qualify. They recently had 10 days off and come out of the break going 1-1. Six of remaining nine games are at home.
Northampton (6-6)
The Blue Devils have won four straight since their tough start. Five of remaining eight games are on the road so qualifying will be tough.
Gateway (3-9)
A five-game losing streak didn’t help the Gators. The team needs to bounce back with seven games remaining.
Hampshire Regional (5-7)
The inconsistent Raiders need to get hot down the stretch. The Bi-County has proven to be a challenge. Second place isn’t out of the question.
Holyoke Catholic (2-9)
The Gaels lost five games by single digits. Qualifying will be a difficult task.
Hopkins Academy (0-13)
The Golden Hawks are building for the future.
South Hadley (4-6)
The best chance for the Tigers to qualify is via the 70 percent rule. The team needs one more win out of its five remaining non-Division 1 opponents to reach that goal.

***

Girls basketball
In
Gateway Regional (9-1)
The Gators have continued their dominance of the Tri-County and appear poised to earn their third straight league title.

Closing in
Amherst Regional (9-2)
The Hurricanes have shown themselves to be a true contender to win a second straight western Mass. Division 1 title in what should be a terrific field.
Easthampton (10-3)
The Eagles are in the hunt for the Franklin South title and are one win shy of clinching a postseason berth for the first time since 2008. Easthampton’s season-opening win against Nauset doesn’t count toward the playoffs.
Frontier Regional (7-4)
The Red Hawks have won six of seven and could get themselves into the race with Easthampton and Hopkins for first place in the Franklin South with continued improvement.
Granby (8-3)
The Rams will certainly be battle tested against a terrific Bi-County Central that should see all five teams get into the tournament.
Hopkins Academy (9-4)
The Golden Hawks hold onto a slim lead in the Franklin South and the stretch run should be plenty entertaining as that league sorts itself out.
Northampton (8-4)
The Blue Devils were dealt a blow with Maya Kerstetter’s foot injury potentially knocking her out until the tournament, but have still won four of six since she went down.

Work to do
Belchertown (7-6)
The Orioles’ 1-5 start have made things interesting, but they have turned things around and are playing well enough that they should get into the tournament. Belchertown has reached three straight WMass D-2 semifinals.
Hampshire Regional (5-7)
The Raiders started out 0-5, then won four of their next five before a surprising loss at then-winless Monument Mountain on Saturday. Now Hampshire is lacking wiggle room down the stretch to either earn 10 wins or get to second place in the Bi-County East.
Holyoke Catholic (5-7)
The Gaels have owned the Bi-County West in recent years and are right in the middle of the battle for first again.
Smith Academy (5-6)
The Falcons are right on the playoff bubble and will have to earn some tough victories to get to No. 10 this season.
Smith Vocational (1-9)
The Vikings continue to work on building up their program.
South Hadley (5-5)
The Tigers need five wins to clinch a postseason berth and have shown the ability to beat virtually anyone, but the schedule is extremely difficult. There are very few easy wins remaining on their schedule.

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

NOTE: Here's the most recent look at the Playoff Picture. A handful of teams clinched playoff berths tonight. ... Walker will be posted late Friday night.

Updated after some outside help. Thanks to everyone who checked in.

Division 1
QUALIFIED: Amherst, Chicopee Comp, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Northampton, Pittsfield, West Springfield
ON THE BUBBLE:  East Longmeadow (9-8)
OUT: Agawam, Central, Chicopee, Ludlow, Minnechaug, Sci-Tech, Westfield
OUTLOOK: East Longmeadow needs one win out of its final three games, all at home. They are West Side (Friday), Minnechaug (2/21), Northampton (2/24).

Division 2
QUALIFIED: Athol, Belchertown, Cathedral, Drury, Frontier Regional, Hampshire Regional, Hoosac Valley, Mahar Regional, Monument Mountain, Palmer, Wahconah, South Hadley
ON THE BUBBLE: Mount Greylock (7-11),  Southwick (6-12)
OUT: Commerce, Easthampton, Mohawk Trail, Taconic
OUTLOOK: Mount Greylock has to pray for a massive upset Monday, needing St. Joseph to knock off Lenox to give the Mounties a tie for second with the Millionaires in the Berkshire South. Lenox beat St. Joe 52-18 last time. ... Southwick really needed to knock off Putnam tonight, but lost. Now it must come up with an upset over first-place Holyoke Catholic in Chicopee on Monday. Otherwise, it needs two other games to go exactly right to force a three-way tie for second in the Bi-County West.

Division 3
QUALIFIED: Franklin Tech, Gateway Regional, Holyoke Catholic, Hopkins Academy, Lee, Lenox, Monson, New Leadership, Pathfinder, Sabis, Smith Academy, Ware, Westfield Voke
ON THE BUBBLE: Granby (9-10), McCann Tech (6-13), Pioneer Regional (9-10), Putnam (4-14)
OUT: Dean Tech, Greenfield, Mount Everett, Pioneer Christian, St. Joseph's, St. Mary, Smith Voke, Turners Falls
OUTLOOK: Granby must beat a very good Ware team at home Monday to get into the tournament. ... McCann and Putnam play Monday. Winner moves into second place (either alone or with Southwick). If McCann wins, it's in. If Putnam wins, it may still need to beat winless Sci-Tech on Thursday to clinch. ... Pioneer Regional needs to win at Easthampton Monday to clinch a postseason berth.

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

NOTE: Here's the most recent look at the Playoff Picture. There may be a record or two that's off. If so, shoot me an email at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com. ... Walker will be posted late Sunday night.

Division 1
QUALIFIED: Amherst (15-1), Holyoke (13-2), Longmeadow (12-4), Pittsfield (11-7), West Springfield (14-1)
ON THE BUBBLE: Chicopee Comp (7-8), East Longmeadow (8-8), Northampton (9-7)
OUT: Agawam (5-11), Central (5-11), Chicopee (1-13), Ludlow (2-12), Minnechaug (4-12), Sci-Tech (0-15), Westfield (4-12)
OUTLOOK: I expect all three bubble teams to get in, as Comp and East Longmeadow each have enough winnable games left, although EL's remaining schedule is probably a little tougher. Northampton should win at least two of its last four. Things will get interesting down the stretch as far as seeding, as Amherst will have played two Division 2 teams this season and West Springfield will have played one. If they both win out (certainly not a given for either), my best guess is that West Side would get the No. 1 seed despite having lost to Amherst.

Division 2
QUALIFIED: Athol (13-4), Belchertown (12-4), Cathedral (10-6), Drury (12-5), Frontier Regional (15-1), Hampshire Regional (15-2), Hoosac Valley (12-7), Mahar Regional (12-5), Monument Mountain (10-5), Wahconah (13-4), South Hadley (11-6)
ON THE BUBBLE: Easthampton (6-12 actually, 6-10 officially), Mount Greylock (6-10), Palmer (8-7), Southwick (6-11)
OUT: Commerce (4-12), Mohawk Trail (1-15), Taconic (4-12)
OUTLOOK: Eagles must win out against four potential tournament teams (Hopkins, Athol, Pioneer, Monson). Greylock and Southwick aren't in as bad shape as their overall record would indicate, as both are very much in the hunt for a top-two spot in their respective divisions. Palmer, meanwhile, has one game against Commerce that I assume it will be win, but still must pick up at least one victory in four very tough games (Cathedral, Monson, Belchertown, Hampshire).

Division 3
QUALIFIED: Gateway Regional (15-2), Holyoke Catholic (8-10), Lee (14-0), Lenox (10-8), Monson (10-5), Sabis (17-1), Ware (11-5), Westfield Voke (10-5)
ON THE BUBBLE: Franklin Tech (6-7), Granby (9-9), Hopkins Academy (9-7), McCann Tech (5-12), New Leadership (8-7), Pathfinder (7-6), Pioneer Regional (8-9), Putnam (3-12),  St. Mary (4-8), Smith Academy (9-8)
OUT: Dean Tech (1-9), Greenfield (2-14), Mount Everett (3-10), Pioneer Christian (3-13), St. Joseph's (2-11), Smith Voke (3-11), Turners Falls (1-14),
OUTLOOK: It's a massive bubble at the the moment and a handful of teams will move off it one way or another over the next week. Granby has been playing really well, but a slow start and a tough schedule have the Rams in tough shape. They are at South Hadley on Monday and then host Ware on Feb. 21. Have to win one of them and lost to both teams in close games early this season. Hopkins moved close to qualifying by winning three of its last four, including a nice win over Pioneer in a key game between two bubble teams. They've got plenty of chances to get into the postseason in their final four games. Rival Smith, meanwhile, has as many wins, but a much tougher remaining schedule. The Falcons survived a massive score at Mohawk on Thursday that would have virtually been an elmination game. Now they need one win with Athol, Mahar and Hopkins. The good news: They did beat Hopkins the first time around. McCann and Putnam are both alive for a shot at an automatic qualifier in their league.

WMass Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

NOTE: Here's the first look at the Playoff Picture. There may be a record or two that's off. If so, shoot me an email at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com. ... I'm hoping to have the first Walker update some time next week as some more teams qualify.

A few links to past stories before we get started:
*Here's the story from Thursday's Belchertown-Cathedral game, during which Brianna Del Valle scored her 1,000th career point.
*Here's our high school notebook from Thursday's paper, which leads with Del Valle and has a bunch of other stuff in it.
*And here's last week's notebook that I mentioned before, which leads with my take on how/why the referee scheduling should change in the tournament.

The records below don't include East Longmeadow-Ludlow game that was scheduled for Friday night.

Division 1
QUALIFIED: Amherst (13-1), Holyoke (11-2), Pittsfield (10-5), West Springfield (12-1)
CLOSING IN: Longmeadow (9-4), Northampton (9-5)
WORK TO DO: Agawam (4-10), Central (3-10), Chicopee (1-10), Chicopee (1-10), Chicopee Comp (6-7), East Longmeadow (6-7), Ludlow (2-9), Minnechaug (3-10), Westfield (4-10)
OUT: Sci-Tech (0-13)
OUTLOOK: There's certainly a chance that we could be looking at another bye to the quarterfinals for the top seed for the second straight year, as the drop from three Division 1 leagues to two rears its ugly head once again. The teams with 10 losses are obivously unlikely to win out and second place isn't an option for any of them otherwise. Comp and East Longmeadow both need to qualify to get the tournament to eight teams. The Colts have three extremely tough games left (two vs. Amherst, one at Longmeadow) and need to either win their other four games (Westfield twice, Chicopee, Agawam) or steal one of the tougher ones. It's definitely doable, but they've got virtually no room for error. East Longmeadow, meanwhile, had won six straight before falling to Northampton Thursday. The Spartans need three wins in their final six games and still have Holyoke, West Side and Northampton on their schedule. Barring an upset in one of those games, they'll need to win out against Central, Ludlow and Minnechaug. Again, it's doable, but there's no room for error.

Division 2
QUALIFIED: Athol (10-4), Belchertown (12-3), Drury (10-5), Frontier Regional (13-1), Hampshire Regional (15-1), Hoosac Valley (10-7), Mahar Regional (10-3), Wahconah (12-4)
CLOSING IN: Cathedral (8-5), Monument Mountain (9-4), Southwick (4-10), South Hadley (9-5)
WORK TO DO: Commerce (4-9), Easthampton (5-11 actually, 5-9 officially), Mount Greylock (5-9), Palmer (5-6),  Taconic (4-9)
OUT: Mohawk Trail (1-13)
OUTLOOK: It would be shocking to have fewer than 12 teams in the field here, which means four first-round games. Greylock's hopes for either .500 or second in the south took a hit in Thursday's loss to Lenox. Palmer, meanwhile, has lost an astonishing six straight after a 5-0 start. It's got what I'd consider four very winnable games left (Sci-Tech, Chicopee , Commerce twice), but will then need to knock off one of South Hadley, Cathedral, Monson, Belchertown or Hampshire to get in. (Southwick is broken down in the D3 outlook)

Division 3
QUALIFIED: Gateway Regional (11-2), Lee (13-0), Sabis (14-1), Westfield Voke (9-4)
CLOSING IN: Granby (9-7), Holyoke Catholic (6-10), Hopkins Academy (8-6), Lenox (9-7), McCann Tech (4-9), Monson (8-4), Putnam (3-12), Ware (9-5), Westfield Voke (9-4)
WORK TO DO: Dean Tech (1-7), Franklin Tech (6-6), Mount Everett (3-8), New Leadership (6-6), Pathfinder (5-4), Pioneer Regional (8-6), St. Mary (3-8), Smith Academy (7-8), Smith Voke (3-9),
OUT: Greenfield (2-12), Pioneer Christian (3-11), St. Joseph's (1-10), Turners Falls (1-12),
OUTLOOK: The longest part of putting this entire thing together was trying to work out the Tri-County records, as they haven't been posted in places as regularly as eveyone else. So if you see one that's wrong, drop me a line. Entering Friday's games, McCann, Holyoke Catholic and Putnam were all tied for first place in the Bi-County West while Southwick (D2) was a half-game back. Two of those teams get in. Smith should get to 9-8 with wins over Turners Falls and Mohawk Trail but then must defeat one of Athol, Mahar or Hopkins to get to No. 10. Otherwise, it would need Hopkins to stumble badly the rest of the way to take second in the Franklin South.

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

Here's a quick breakdown of where we stand through this week's games. I'll be back late Sunday night with the Week Guide for all the key games and an updated Walker.

As always, shoot me an email at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

DIVISION 1
In: Amherst Regional (17-0), Central (13-5), East Longmeadow (14-4), Holyoke (16-2), Pittsfield (12-5*), Chicopee Comp (10-8),
On bubble: Ludlow (9-10), Longmeadow (6-12), West Springfield (8-10), Minnechaug (8-10)
Out: Westfield (0-17), Northampton (6-13), Chicopee (3-15), Sci-Tech (2-15), Agawam (5-13)
Outlook: Agawam officially eliminated with loss on Friday. ... Comp in with win on Friday. ... Ludlow-West Side loser on Tuesday is eliminated. Ludlow in with a win, West Side in with a win and a win over Central on Thursday. ... Longmeadow gets in with wins over Agawam and Chicopee and a Comp loss to one of Westfield and Amherst. ... Minnechaug needs to go 2-0 vs. East Longmeadow and Holyoke next week (yuck).

DIVISION 2
In: Athol (10-8), Belchertown (12-6), Cathedral (12-6), Drury (13-4), Frontier (17-2), Hampshire (12-8), Palmer (18-0*), Wahconah (12-6), Monument (14-4), Mahar (11-8)
On bubble: Mount Greylock (8-9), Hoosac Valley (8-10)
Out: Commerce (4-14*), Easthampton (7-12), Mohawk (4-15), South Hadley (8-12), Southwick (2-17), Taconic (4-13)
Outlook: Comes down to the two Berkshire South teams behind Drury. ... Hoosac (5-3 in the league) has Drury (2/15) and Lenox (2/17) left. Greylock (5-2 in the league) has Drury (2/14), St. Joe (2/15) and Mount Everett (2/17) left). Hoosac needs that Monday game against Drury, which will be coming off Sunday's game vs. Greylock.

DIVISION 3
In: Gateway Regional (14-2), Franklin Tech (12-6), Hopkins Academy (14-4), Lee (17-1), Monson (14-5), Sabis (16-2), Smith Academy (17-2), Ware (14-5), Holyoke Catholic (9-8), Franklin Tech (9-6), McCann Tech (9-7), Pathfinder (10-3),
On bubble: Dean Tech (7-7), New Leadership (8-9), Putnam (6-12), Lenox (4-12), Mount Everett (3-10)
Out: Granby (3-15), Greenfield (3-16), Pioneer Regional (7-11), St. Joseph's (0-15), St. Mary (1-14), Turners Falls (0-18), Smith Vocational (3-13), Westfield Vocational (5-11), Pioneer Christian (3-9)
Outlook: Pioneer Regional was eliminated with Friday's three-point loss to Frontier. ... Putnam is hanging on, needing to beat McCann and Sci-Tech next week and having McCann also lose to Holyoke Catholic. ... NLCS can get in with wins over PVCS and St. Mary.
*Doesn't include Friday night game.

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

Here's a quick breakdown of where we stand through this week's games. I'll be back Monday with the Week Guide and plan to have the first Walker Standings posted late Monday night or your money back.

As always, shoot me an email at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.

DIVISION 1
In: Amherst Regional (16-0), Central (11-5), East Longmeadow (13-3), Holyoke (14-2), Pittsfield (11-4)
Looking good: Chicopee Comp (8-7), Ludlow (9-8)
On bubble: Longmeadow (6-10), West Springfield (7-9)
In trouble: Agawam (4-11), Chicopee (2-13), Minnechaug (6-10), Sci-Tech (2-13),
Out: Westfield (0-16), Northampton (6-11)
Outlook: Minnechaug knocks off Ludlow Friday night to keep its hopes alive. ... Longmeadow currently in second in Suburban ahead of Comp. ... Chicopee is out on next league loss or next league win by either Longmeadow. ... West Side needs 3-of-4 against Holyoke, Agawam, Ludlow, Central. ... Comp needs two of Longmeadow, Minnechaug, Agawam, Westfield, Amherst. ... Ludlow needs one of East Longmeadow, Holyoke, West Springfield.

DIVISION 2
In: Cathedral (11-5), Drury (11-3), Frontier (15-2), Hampshire (12-5*), Palmer (17-0), Wahconah (12-5), Monument (10-4), Belchertown (10-5), Athol (9-7), Mahar (9-7)
On bubble: Mount Greylock (7-9), Hoosac Valley (7-9),
In trouble: Easthampton (7-10), South Hadley (7-10), Southwick (2-15), Taconic (4-12),
Out: Commerce (4-13), Mohawk (3-14)
Outlook: At least one of Greylock and Hoosac should get AQ in Berkshire South along with Drury. ... Athol and Mahar have clinched at least a tie for second in the Franklin North. ... Easthampton must win out against Hopkins, Athol, Pioneer. ... South Hadley must win out against Granby, Sabis Monson. ... Next in-league McCann win knocks out Southwick. ...

DIVISION 3
In: Gateway Regional (13-1), Lee (15-1), Monson (11-5), Sabis (15-2), Smith Academy (15-2), Ware (13-4), Hopkins Academy (12-4), Holyoke Catholic (8-8)
Looking good: Franklin Tech (9-6), McCann Tech (9-7), Pathfinder (8-3),
On bubble: Dean Tech (6-6), New Leadership (7-6), Putnam (4-12),
In trouble: Lenox (4-11), Mount Everett (3-8), Pioneer Regional (6-10), Pioneer Christian (3-7),
Out: Granby (3-14), Greenfield (3-14), St. Joseph's (0-13), St. Mary (1-13), Turners Falls (0-16), Smith Vocational (3-10), Westfield Vocational (3-10)
Outlook: Putnam will need to turn it on to take second place in the Bi-County West away from McCann. ... Pioneer can win out and tie Mahar for second if the Senators lose the rest of their games.

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

Here's a quick breakdown of where we stand through this week's games. I'll be back Monday night with the Week Guide.

DIVISION 1
In: Amherst Regional (14-0), Central (10-5), East Longmeadow (13-2), Holyoke (12-2), Cathedral (10-4),
Looking good: Pittsfield (9-4), Chicopee Comp (7-6)
On bubble: Ludlow (8-6), West Springfield (5-9)
In trouble: Agawam (3-10), Chicopee (2-11), Longmeadow (3-10), Minnechaug (5-9), Northampton (6-9), Sci-Tech (1-11), Westfield (0-12)
Out: None
Outlook: Obviously, the sub-.500 teams can only get in by turning things around quickly and finishing second in the respective leagues. Ludlow needs two wins out of Central, Quabbin, Minnechaug, East Longmeadow, Holyoke and West Side. That could go down to the wire. West Side, meanwhile, needs five wins out of Minnechaug, Northampton, Holyoke, Agawam, Ludlow and Central. Difficult, but not impossible. Minnechaug and Northampton remaining schedules are brutal as both have East Longmeadow and Holyoke remaining among other tough games. They also still play each other. Someone has to take second in the Suburban and despite a loss to Longmeadow, Comp looks like the top candidate.

DIVISION 2
In: Drury (10-2), Frontier (13-2), Hampshire (11-4), Palmer (15-0), Wahconah (10-4)
Looking good: Athol (9-6), Belchertown (9-4), Mahar (8-6), Monument (9-2), Hoosac Valley (6-8)
On bubble: Easthampton (6-8), Mount Greylock (5-8)
In trouble: Commerce (4-12), South Hadley (7-8), Mohawk (2-13), Southwick (2-13), Taconic (3-10),
Out: None
Outlook: Eagles need four wins out of Greenfield, Hampshire, Frontier, Hopkins, Athol and Pioneer. Hoosac, Lenox and Greylock could all finish second in the Berkshire South. Otherwise, Greylock needs to go 5-2 against of Drury, Mt. Anthony, Pittsfield, Taconic, Lenox, St. Joseph's, Mt. Everett. South Hadley is "in trouble" because of remaining schedule. Needs to go 3-2 against Sabis, Palmer, Ware, Granby, Monson. Ouch.

DIVISION 3
In: Gateway Regional (11-1), Lee (13-1), Monson (11-5), Sabis (13-2), Smith Academy (13-2), Ware (11-4), Hopkins Academy (10-4),
Looking good: Franklin Tech (8-5), Holyoke Catholic (6-8), McCann Tech (8-7), Pathfinder (7-2)
On bubble: Dean Tech (5-5), New Leadership (4-5), Pioneer Regional (6-9), Pioneer Christian (3-6), Putnam (4-11),
In trouble: Granby (3-12), Lenox (4-9), Mount Everett (2-7), Smith Vocational (2-7), Westfield Voke (2-9)
Out: Greenfield (3-12), St. Joseph's (0-11*), St. Mary (1-11), Turners Falls (0-14)
Outlook: Not as confident in some of these records, especially the Tri-County, which haven't all been reported in the places I know to look. Putnam has a shot at top two in its league, but must beat out either Holyoke Catholic (in great shape to get 1 or 2) or McCann. Pioneer needs to go 4-1 against Mohawk, Athol, Greenfield, Frontier, Easthampton.
*Doesn't include Friday's game

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

Here's a quick breakdown of where we stand through this week's games. I'll be back Sunday night with the Week Guide.

DIVISION 1
In: Amherst Regional (12-0), Central (10-3), East Longmeadow (11-2), Holyoke (10-2),
Looking good: Cathedral (9-3), Ludlow (8-5), Pittsfield (8-3),
Needs work: Agawam (3-8), Chicopee (2-10), Chicopee Comp (5-6), Longmeadow (2-9), Minnechaug (4-8), Northampton (6-7); Sci-Tech (0-9), West Springfield (4-8), Westfield (0-11)
Outlook: Interesting group after the top four as Cathedral and Pittsfield both have heavy D-2 schedules. Chicopee Comp started 4-1 and has been struggling since. Hamp and West Side have tough roads to get in playing a Valley Wheel schedule.

DIVISION 2
In: Drury (10-1), Frontier Regional (12-1), Palmer (12-0),
Looking good: Hampshire (9-4), Monument Mountain (8-2), Wahconah (9-3)
Needs work: Athol (6-6)*, Belchertown (7-4), Commerce (4-10), Easthampton (5-7), Hoosac Valley (5-7), Mahar Regional (7-5), Mohawk Trail (2-10)*, Mount Greylock (5-7), South Hadley (7-7), Southwick (2-10), Taconic (2-8)
Outlook: Records for Athol/Mohawk don't include Friday's game between the two. Belchertown doesn' t have a whole lot of gimmees remaining. Hoosac has lost six straight. Expecting Mahar to get in via the Franklin North schedule down the stretch. South Hadley's three-game losing streak puts their spot in jeopardy, especially with needing three wins out of Belchertown, Sabis, Palmer, Ware, Granby and Monson.

DIVISION 3
In: Gateway Regional (10-1), Lee (11-1), Monson (10-3), Sabis (13-1), Smith Academy (11-2),
Looking good: Franklin Tech (7-4), Holyoke Catholic (6-8), Hopkins Academy (8-4), McCann Tech (7-7), Pathfinder (7-2), Ware (9-4)
Needs work or Out: Dean Tech (5-4), Greenfield (3-10), Granby (2-11), Lenox (3-8), Mount Everett (2-6),  New Leadership (3-5), Pioneer Regional (5-8), Pioneer Christian (3-5), Putnam (2-11), St. Joseph (0-10), St. Mary (1-11), Smith Vocational (1-7), Turners (0-12), Westfield Vocational (2-8)
Outlook: Catholic gets "Looking good" because of strong league start. They'll almost certainly finish top two there. Hopkins win over Mahar was big to get to within two wins with plenty of winnable games. Lenox has a few ways to get in still. McCann has winnable games remaining, especially if it gets Nhi Nguyen back healthy.

Boys Hoop Playoff Picture

For the first playoff picture I breakdown who’s in, who’s looking good, who has work to do and who is out. I won’t have an outlook every time but for this edition I give my predictions as to who will make it.
Records do not include Friday’s results.

DIVISION 1
In: East Longmeadow (11-0), Northampton (11-3)
Looking good: Westfield (9-4), Central (8-5), West Springfield (7-3), Chicopee (7-4)
Needs work: Holyoke (5-6), Sci-Tech (4-6), Cathedral (3-9), Commerce (4-9), Chicopee (7-4), Comp (5-5), Minnechaug (4-6), Putnam (5-7), Longmeadow (4-9), Amherst (4-6), Agawam (4-8), Ludlow (1-12), Pittsfield (2-9)
Outlook: No one is out just yet as league play just got underway. However, it is almost clear as to which teams will do well.
The Valley League is tough. Central is the best team in the league and should finish first. After that it’s anybody’s guess. I predict Sci-Tech finishes second. Holyoke, Cathedral and Commerce watch the postseason from the stands.
West Side and Chicopee should finish 1-2 in the Wheel. No one else gets in. East Longmeadow, Hamp and Westfield make it from the Suburban League. Longmeadow and Amherst don’t.
Agawam, Ludlow and Pittsfield also don’t make it.

DIVISION 2
In: Sabis (11-2), Easthampton (11-1), Hampshire (11-1), Hoosac (11-2), Drury (10-3)
Looking good: Taconic (8-4), Mahar (9-3), Palmer (9-4), Belchertown (8-5)
Needs work: Greenfield (5-7), Athol (4-9), Southwick (5-8), South Hadley (2-9), Wahconah (6-6), Monument (4-8)
Outlook: The only teams with a shot to make the D2 field in my opinion are Wahconah and Monument. Of those two, Wahconah has the better odds. It should win its final two against Greylock and Pittsfield, making its next two (tonight against Mount Anthony and Monument next week) important. In between are Hoosac, Lenox, Drury and Taconic.

Division 3
In: New Leadership (12-1), St. Joseph (10-2) Dean Tech (10-2), Lenox (10-2)
Looking good: Holyoke Catholic (9-3), Pioneer Regional (7-4), Turners Falls (7-6), Renaissance (7-4)
Needs work: Franklin (6-4), Frontier (6-5), Gateway (4-8), Granby (3-8), Hopkins Academy (5-7), Lee (6-7), McCann Tech (6-6), Monson (6-8), Mt. Greylock (5-8), Pathfinder (2-7), St. Mary (3-9), Smith Academy (4-7), Smith Vocational (0-9), Ware (4-8), Westfield Voke (4-6),
Out: Mohawk (1-11), Mt. Everett (3-11), Pioneer Christian (1-13)
Outlook: Catholic, Pioneer Regional, Turners and Renaissance should all get in. Frontier has a two-game lead on second place and should hold on but don’t discount Hopkins and Smith Academy. They have enough to make a run. My prediction is Smith Academy gets in while Frontier falls one game short. Hopkins also doesn’t make it.
Monson should hold on for second in the Bi-County South while Ware and Gateway fall short.
St. Joe’s and Lenox are the only two teams from the Berkshire South to make it.
As for the Tri-County League, there are just way too many possibilities to consider. My prediction is that Dean turns it around and wins the league while Renaissance, McCann and Franklin finish in the three-way tie for second.

Girls Hoop Walkertology/Playoff Picture

If the tournament started today, this is how the seeds would break down. This is not official. Official seeds are announced Feb. 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Note that as more teams qualify for the postseason, the rankings can vary greatly.

Before breaking out the results, let me run down what you're looking at below. There are three numbers after each team. These numbers reflect how that teams ranks within its division in the three categories used by the Walker.

First number: Winning percentage
Second number: Strength of schedule. You get four points for a D1 win, three for a D2 win and two for a D3 win. Take the total and divide it by the total number of games played.
Third number: Performance vs. tournament teams. This is the same mathematical equation as the second number, but its only for games against teams in the postseason.

Then each team is ranked in each category and the rankings themselves are added up, so a team that is first, third, first has a total of 5. The teams are then ranked based on that total number and there are your Walker rankings. And yes, this reminds each year of why I decided against going into a career involving mathematics when I was in high school.

Playoff picture is at the bottom. Here we go:

Division 1
Note: Amazing how perfectly the numbers are in D1 right now.
1. Minnechaug (1-1-1)
2. East Longmeadow (2-2-2)
3. Northampton (3-3-3)
4. Ludlow (4-4-4)
5. Central (5-5-5)
6. Holyoke (6-6-6)
7. Agawam (7-7-7)
8. West Side (8-8-8)
Best potential matchup: Central-Ludlow at Ludlow could be very interesting, but I think Holyoke at Northampton could be a very dangerous game for Hamp, which has beaten the Purple Knights twice already this season.

Division 2
Note: I'm doing what the tourney committee did last year and automatically placing Gateway (Tri-County team) and Hampshire (got in via Sullivan 70% Rule) at the bottom. Gateway was placed ahead of Hampshire last year, which I disagree with, but I'm going for accuracy here.
1. Palmer (1-1-1)
2. Monument (4-2-2)
3. Mohawk (2-4-3)
4. Commerce (3-3-5)
5. Mahar (5-5-4)
6. Athol (7-8-6)
7. Drury (8-7-7) - Takes tiebreaker over Wahconah by winning two categories
8. Wahconah (6-8-8)
9. Hoosac Valley (9-9-11) - Takes tiebreaker with Belchertown by winning two categories
10. Belchertown (10-10-9)
11. Frontier (11-11-10)
12. Gateway Regional (Tri-County)
13. Hampshire (Sullivan Rule)
Best potential matchup: Interesting that Hampshire would play Commerce in this situation, as it seems like maybe the Springfield school is the one that should be in the D-1 Suburban League instead of Desi Vega's crew. Also love the potential of a Drury-Monument quarterfinal as the teams split during the regular season and the atmosphere could be fantastic.

Division 3
Note: I'm taking out the Tri-County teams for the reasons listed above. League champ sometimes gets No. 8 seed for first-round home game, which I'm expecting this year with Putnam.
1. Lee (4-1-1)
2. Sabis (3-2-2) - Takes tiebreaker with Ware by winning two categories
3. Ware (1-3-3)
4. Monson (1-4-4)
5. Smith Academy (5-5-5)
6. New Leadership (5-6-6)
7. McCann Tech (7-7-7)
8. Putnam (TCL winner)
9. Franklin Tech (TCL)
Best potential matchup: Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir vs. Justine King could be fun and Smith at Monson would be excellent.

Bubble Watch
Division 1
Amherst (8-9) - at East Longmeadow (tonight), Hampshire (2/16), Chicopee Comp (2/18)
Chicopee Comp (9-9) - Chicopee (2/17), at Amherst (2/18)
Pittsfield (7-10) - Taconic (tonight), at Monument (2/16), Drury (2/18)

Division 2
Easthampton (9-9) - at Monson (tonight), Athol (2/16)
Mount Greylock (8-8) - St. Joe (2/16), at Hoosac (2/18)

Division 3
Lenox (4-13) - Needs win at St. Joe on 2/18 to get in via Sullivan Rule
Pathfinder (8-9) - at Franklin Tech (2/16), Gateway (2/17), Gateway (2/19)

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Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

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Here's the third installment of the playoff picture, with records updated through Tuesday night's games. I'll have the first Walkertology up in a bit. Should be interesting (and probably inaccurate!).

DIVISION 1
Clinched: Agawam (10-7), Central (12-5), East Longmeadow (14-2), Holyoke (13-5), Ludlow (14-3), Minnechaug (15-2), Northampton (14-2), West Springfield (10-8)

On the bubble
Amherst (8-9) - The Hurricanes need two wins out of East Longmeadow (Feb. 13), Hampshire (Feb. 16) and Chicopee Comp (Feb. 18)
Chicopee Comp (8-9) - The Colts need two wins out of Hampshire (Feb. 12), Chicopee (Feb. 17) and Amherst (Feb. 18)
Pittsfield (6-10) - Must win out with Taconic (Feb. 13), Monument (Feb. 16) and Drury (Feb. 18) and St. Joe (???) left on the schedule.

DIVISION 2
Clinched: Athol (13-3), Belchertown (12-7), Commerce (16-2), Drury (11-5), Gateway (9-4), Hampshire (5-13), Hoosac Valley (11-6), Mahar (14-3), Mohawk (17-0), Monument (14-2), Palmer (18-0), Wahconah (11-6)

On the bubble
Easthampton (8-9, 8-8 Franklin South) - More likely to get in with 10 wins than by finishing in second place in the league, as the Red Hawks have two easier Franklin games remaining. Have Hopkins (Feb. 12), Monson (Feb. 13) and Athol (Feb. 16) remaining. Monson is non-league.
Frontier (9-9, 8-8 Franklin South) - Will almost certainly wrap up the postseason berth with a win over Turners on senior night Thursday.
Mount Greylock (7-8) - Needs two wins out of Lenox (Feb. 12), St. Joe (Feb. 16) and Hoosac (Feb. 18). Have gone 2-1 against those three earlier this year.

DIVISION 3
Clinched: Franklin Tech (12-5), Lee (13-4), McCann (10-9), Monson (14-3), New Leadership (12-6), Putnam (16-1), Sabis (14-4), Smith Academy (11-6), Ware (13-3)

On the bubble
Hopkins Academy (8-10) - Golden Hawks need two big-time wins over Easthampton (Feb. 12) and Monson (Feb. 18) to get in.
Lenox (4-12) - Will get in via the 70 percent rule with a win over Lee (Feb. 16) or St. Joseph (Feb. 18).
Pathfinder (7-7) - Could come down to the wire with two games remaining against Gateway.

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Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

Work on a big project for down the line has knocked me off schedule a little. Let's jump right into the second playoff picture.

DIVISION 1
Clinched
Central (10-5)
East Longmeadow (12-1)
Holyoke (12-3)
Ludlow (10-3)
Minnechaug (11-3)
Northampton (11-2)

In Good Shape
Agawam (8-6) - The Brownies have lost two in a row, but should still get two wins out of Westfield (2/4) and Cathedral (2/9). Best guess: 10-10
West Springfield (8-7) - Similar to Agawam, West Side has lost two straight, but things get easier after Wednesday's game vs. Northampton with Pittsfield (2/6), Westfield (2/9) and at Chicopee (2/12). Best guess: 11-9

On the Bubble
Amherst (6-8) - The Hurricanes need four wins out of Belchertown (2/4), Holyoke (2/6), Ludlow (2/9), East Longmeadow (2/13), Hampshire (2/16) and Chicopee Comp (2/18). Best guess: 10-10
Chicopee Comp (8-7) - Have won three of four to get to this point and now need two more wins. Have Ludlow (2/5) and East Longmeadow (2/9) next, so Colts could go right up against the wall. Best guess: 10-10
Pittsfield (6-7) - Having a hard time seeing how this is going to work out well for the Generals. Best guess: 9-11

In Rough Shape
Longmeadow (5-10) - If they aren't eliminated at Central on Thursday, it'll almost certainly happen against Minnechaug on 2/9. Best guess: 6-14.

Eliminated
Cathedral (1-15)
Chicopee (3-12)
Sci-Tech (0-14)
Taconic (4-11)
Westfield (3-11)

DIVISION 2
Clinched
Athol (10-3)
Belchertown (10-5)
Commerce (13-2)
Hampshire Regional (4-12)
Mahar (12-3)
Mohawk (15-0)
Monument Mountain (12-2)
Palmer (15-0)

In Good Shape
Drury (9-5) - Will almost certainly get it Thursday against Lenox. Best guess: 14-6.
Gateway Regional (9-3) - Should clinch with a win over Westfield Voke on Wednesday. Best guess: 12-7
Hoosac Valley (9-6) - Should get in at winless Sci-Tech on Wednesday. Best guess: 12-8
Wahconah (9-5) - No worries here. Best guess: 12-8

On the Bubble
Easthampton (7-8) - Could get in with 10 wins or second place in the Franklin South. Best guess: 10-10
Frontier Regional (8-8) - Same as Easthampton, but more likely to get to 10 wins. Best guess: 10-10
Mount Greylock (6-7) - I have them with 18 games and needing three wins against Taconic (2/5), Drury (2/9), Lenox (2/12), St. Joseph (2/16) and Hoosac (2/18). Best guess: 9-9

In Rough Shape
Holyoke Catholic (7-10) - Must win out against Belchertown, Commerce and Granby. Best guess: 8-12.

Eliminated
Greenfield (2-12)
South Hadley (3-13)
Southwick (1-13)

DIVISION 3
Clinched
Franklin Tech (11-4)
Lee (12-3)
Monson (13-1)
New Leadership (10-6)
Putnam (12-1)
Sabis (13-3)
Smith Academy (10-5)
Ware (11-2)

In Good Shape
Lenox (4-10) - Still haven't heard about their 70 percent rule situation, although I believe they qualify for it. Therefore, they basically need to beat St. Joe twice to get in. Best guess: In via 70 percent rule
McCann Tech (8-7) - Have very winnable games remaining. Best guess: 11-9

On the Bubble
Pathfinder (6-7) - Best guess: 10-10

In Rough Shape
Hopkins Academy (6-9) - Tough to see how the math would work out to get them to .500 or second place in the Franklin South. Best guess: 8-12
Pioneer Christian (3-9) - Best guess: 4-16
Westfield Vocational (4-10) - Best guess: 6-14

Eliminated
Dean (1-12)
Granby (4-11)
Mount Everett (8-7)
Pioneer Regional (3-12)
St. Joe (0-12)
St. Mary (0-16)
Smith Vocational (1-11)
Turners Falls (1-15)

I'll be back Thursday with the top 10s.

Boys Hoop Playoff Picture

I expect all the teams in the “Very Close” category to qualify. As for the teams on the bubble, I did not factor in second place in the league because that is way too complicated at this point. I also gave my prediction on which bubble teams will qualify. We will absolutely revisit this later.

DIVISION 1
QUALIFIED
Sci-Tech (10-3), Chicopee (10-3), East Longmeadow (10-3), Northampton (11-2)
VERY CLOSE
Central (9-5), Commerce (8-6), Minnechaug (8-4)
ON THE BUBBLE
Cathedral (4-9) - Best chance comes at second place in the league but mostly likely will be on the outside looking in with Central, Sci-Tech and Commerce the three likely Valley League reps. Best bet: 6-14
Westfield (5-7) - Off to a good start in league at 2-1. With Chicopee the likely favorite to win the league with Minnechaug in second, it comes down to the Bombers, Lancers and Colts fighting for wins. Best bet: 7-13
Chicopee Comp (6-7) - See Westfield. Best bet: 9-11
Longmeadow (5-7) - See Westfield. Best bet: 10-10
Putnam (4-9) - Chances are small. Best bet: 5-15
Ludlow (4-9) - Chances are small. Best bet: 4-16
West Springfield (7-6) - Terriers need three and should get them among Agawam twice, South Hadley and Ludlow. Bet bet: 11-9
Holyoke (3-9) – Purple Knights have a tough road ahead. Best bet: 4-16
ELIMINATED
Amherst (2-11), Agawam (2-11), Pittsfield (2-11)

DIVISION 2
QUALIFIED
Palmer (10-4), Hoosac (12-2), Drury (10-3),
VERY CLOSE
South Hadley (5-6, needs to beat either Southwick or Holyoke Catholic), Mohawk (9-4), Belchertown (9-6), Hampshire (8-6), Taconic (9-4), Wahconah (8-6)
ON THE BUBBLE
Mahar (6-6) - Senators looking at Athol, Pioneer Christian, Smith Academy and Greenfield as key games to win. Other four games are Easthampton, Frontier, Turners and Mohawk. Best bet: 10-10
Holyoke Catholic (4-8) - Needs six more wins and should beat Gateway, Southwick, St. Mary’s and Renaissance for four of them. That leaves two with South Hadley, Sabis, NLCS and Hampshire. It’s unlikely the Gaels beat Sabis and NLCS leaving big games next Monday against South Hadley (which can qualify with a win over Catholic), and the season finale against Hampshire. Best bet: 8-12
Greenfield (4-9) - The Wave need six wins and should get three against Smith Academy, Hopkins and Athol. Remained games include Easthampton, Mohawk, Pioneer Regional and Mahar. Not looking good. Best bet: 7-13
Monument (4-9) - Spartans need to upset either Taconic or Drury to give themselves a chance. Best bet: 7-13
Mount Greylock (4-8) - Mounties needs nine wins with a 18-game slate. Has St. Joseph, Drury, Monument, Lenox, Wahconah and Lee. Went 3-3 against these foes already. Best bet: 6-12
Southwick (5-8) - Rams need five wins and it will be very tough with Sabis twice, NLCS, Hampshire and South Hadley among their final seven games. Best bet: 6-14
ELIMINATED
Athol (1-13), Gateway (2-10)

DIVISION 3
QUALIFIED
Easthampton (10-3), Frontier (10-3), Lee (11-3), New Leadership (12-1), Sabis (13-1)
VERY CLOSE
Pioneer Regional (8-4), St. Joseph (9-4), Turners Falls (9-3)
ON THE BUBBLE
Granby (6-6) - Rams need four wins and should get them against Smith Vocational, Pathfinder, St. Mary’s and Pioneer Christian. Any slip up means they need to beat either Ware, Palmer, Belchertown or Monson. Best bet: 11-9
Hopkins (6-8) - Golden Hawks need four wins and has a brutal closing stretch against Pioneer Regional, Mohawk, Athol, Greenfield, Easthampton and Turners. They should beat Athol and Greenfield to give themselves a chance. Best best: 8-12
Monson (5-8) - Mustangs should take it to the wire. Needs four five wins among Belchertown, PVCS, Ware, McCann Tech, Pathfinder, Palmer and Granby. Best bet: 9-11
Ware (6-8) - Indians need four wins with Pittsfield, Granby, Palmer, Monson, Belchertown and PVCS. Best bet: 8-12
McCann Tech (7-6) - McCann is 6-1 and in first place in the Tri-County League. The Hornets should get in with at least 10 wins. Best bet: 12-8
Dean Tech (6-6) – Dean is 5-2 in the TCL and should get in with at least 10 wins. Best bet: 10-10
Franklin (7-5) – Franklin is 4-3 in the TCL and should get in with at least 10 wins. Best bet: 11-9
St. Mary (4-9) - Saints have a lot of work to do. Best bet: 6-14
Smith Vocational (4-8) - Vikings are in the Saints boat except need a little more help. Best bet: 6-12
Lenox (6-7) - Lenox qualified last year via the 70 percent rule and they can do it again this year. They may have qualified already but I haven’t been able to confirm it yet. The Millionaires have Taconic, Wahconah, Mt. Everett, St. Joe’s, Mt. Greylock, Lee and Monument left. They went 2-4 already this year.
Pioneer Christian (3-9) - PVCS needs to win out. Best bet: 4-15
Westfield Voke (3-8) - WVT needs to win out. Best bet: 5-13.
ELIMINATED
Mt. Everett (3-13), Pathfinder (2-10), Renaissance School (2-10), Smith Academy (2-11)

Girls Hoop Playoff Picture

NOTE: All Gazette high school sports coverage is now completely free online.

Updated top 10s will be up by Thursday morning.

I'm mostly going to ignore the league races for now as there are just way too many variables this far out. Once things get a little more cleared up, I'll start breaking down those automatic qualifiers as well.

DIVISION 1
Clinched
East Longmeadow (10-1)
Holyoke (10-3)
Minnechaug (10-2)
Northampton (10-2)
In Good Shape
Agawam (8-4) - Not a given, as the Brownies have two remaining games against both Central and Minnechaug along with another against Ludlow. But they should be able to come up with two wins out of Westfield, Cathedral and Longmeadow.
Central (8-5) - Have lost three of five, but knocked off Minnechaug on Monday. Should get to at least 12 or 13 wins, minimum.
Ludlow (7-2) - Amazing that they still have so many games left.
West Springfield (8-4) - Enough winnable games remaining to be confident that they'll get in, but there are challenges too with two each against Holyoke and Northampton.
On the Bubble
Chicopee Comp (6-6) - Could be in trouble. Have eight games left, including seven rematches. In the first matchups, the Colts went 4-3, including a somewhat shocking upset of Ludlow. Three other wins were Sci-Tech, Hampshire Chicopee. Losses were to Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Amherst.
Pittsfield (6-6) - If I had to pick one of these two .500 teams to make the tourney, I'd go with Comp. The Generals need four wins out of West Side, St. Joseph, Hoosac Valley, Wahconah, Lee, Taconic, Monument and Drury. Could come down to that Drury game.
Amherst (5-8) - As submarined by injuries as any team, this is a longshot at this point. Must go 5-2 against a schedule of Hampshire (twice), Belchertown, Holyoke, Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Chicopee Comp. Doable, but they need Alyssa Leonard back to have any chance of posting that kind of run against that schedule.
In Rough Shape
Longmeadow (4-9) - Lancers were 4-5 not that long ago, but have suffered four straight losses to Holyoke, Central, Minnechaug and Agawam. Now they need to go 6-1 against a schedule that includes Central, Minnechaug, Agawam and East Longmeadow. Yuck.
Taconic (3-9) - Not with that remaining Berkshire North schedule.
Chicopee (3-10) - Would be a turnaround for the ages.
Westfield (3-10) - Remaining schedule is even harder than Chicopee's.
Eliminated
Cathedral (1-13)
Sci-Tech (0-12)

DIVISION 2
Clinched
Commerce (11-2)
Hampshire (4-10)
Mahar (11-2)
Mohawk (13-0)
Monument Mountain (10-2)
Palmer (13-0)
In Good Shape
Athol (9-2) - No worries here.
Belchertown (8-4) - Should get to at least 11 wins
Drury (8-4) - A few tough games coming up, but the Blue Devils will return to the postseason after a one-year absence.
Gateway (7-3) - Two wins away from reaching the tourney for the second-straight year.
Wahconah (8-4) - Have won five of six to get to this position. Will get to at least 11 wins.
On the Bubble
Easthampton (5-8) - Even trying to figure out second place in the Franlin South makes my head hurt.
Frontier (6-7) - Ditto.
Hoosac Valley (7-6) - Were once 6-1, but have lost five of their last six and onto the bubble. Still, the Hurricanes should get to their 10 wins.
Mount Greylock (6-5) - The Mounties could be in some trouble with a daunting final seven games.
In Rough Shape
Greenfield (2-10) - 8-0 isn't happening with that schedule.
Holyoke Catholic (6-9) - Eight-game losing streak did them in. Now they need to upset two of Belchertown, New Leadership or Commerce.
Eliminated
South Hadley (3-11)
Southwick (1-12)

DIVISION 3
Clinched
Lee (10-3)
Monson (11-1)
Putnam (11-1)
Sabis (12-2)
Ware (10-2)
In Good Shape
Franklin (9-4) - Will cruise into the tournament.
McCann Tech (8-6) - Very winnable games ahead.
New Leadership (7-6) - Wildcats will get there.
Smith Academy (9-4) - Should win the Franklin South.
On the Bubble
Lenox (4-8) - Trying to find out if they qualify for the 70 percent rule this year.
Pathfinder (6-6) - Could come right down to the last game or two.
In Rough Shape
Granby (4-9) - Had to come up with a win against Hopkins last week to have a decent chance. Now they must win one of Belchertown and Palmer.
Hopkins (5-8) - Schedule makes it look very difficult, but not impossible.
Pioneer Christian (3-9) - Very unlikely.
Westfield Vocational (4-8) - Too many tough league games remaining.
Eliminated
Dean Tech (1-11)
Mount Everett (5-11)
Pioneer Regional (2-11)
St. Joseph (0-10)
St. Mary (0-14)
Smith Vocational (1-10)
Turners Falls (1-13)

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Field hockey/Volleyball playoff picture

We ran our boys soccer and girls soccer playoff pictures in Thursday's paper. Here's a quick look at the playoff situation for our field hockey and volleyball teams:

Field hockey
IN
South Hadley (12-3, 7-0 D Division)
BUBBLE
Smith Academy (8-6-1, 2-4 A Division) - The Falcons need one point in their final three games to clinch a berth in the postseason. The defending Division 2 champs have Athol (10/17), Mohawk (10/22) and Minnechaug (10/23) left on their schedule.
Amherst (6-4-3, 2-1-2 B Division) - The Hurricanes are also one point shy of clinching a postseason berth. They have Northampton (see below, 10/17), Longmeadow (10/21) and West Side (10/23) left on their schedule.
Northampton (5-7-2, 1-2-2 B Division) - Hamp, which is D-1, needs six points in its final four games to reach the postseason for the first time since 2004. The Blue Devils have Amherst (10/17), Cathedral (10/20), Southwick (10/21) and Longmeadow (10/23) left on their schedule.
OUT
Frontier (4-10-2, 1-5-1 A Division)

Girls volleyball
IN
Amherst (11-2, 9-2 Eastern)
Frontier Regional (14-0, 12-0 Northern)
Belchertown (10-6, 9-3 Northern)
South Hadley (12-3, 5-2 Southern B)
Easthampton (9-6, 7-1 Southern A) - The Eagles clinched a postseason berth with their 3-0 win over Central Thursday.