(Note this was written on Monday, January 27t, by the time you read this story all of the playoff seeds will be filled)
As we start the final week of the YMSSA Fall Basketball season, many of the playoff spots are solidified but in the two 8th grade divisions (both boys and girls basketball), there is a lot riding on this week’s games.
7th Grade Boys Basketball
In the only division where the playoff matchups were set before anyone touched the court this last week of January. All of the remaining games will give the eight teams that are playoff bound the opportunity to tune up for the post season. Hillel sits atop of the division with a 9-1 record and will host the 2-8 Yavneh Redhawks. The RYNJ Jaguars are currently 8-1 with a game still to play, should they win their final game they will have an identical 9-1 record as Hillel. Hillel and RYNJ have split their two meetings, but via a tie breaker the Jaguars will face the 3-6 Moriah team. The Noam Knights and He’Atid Hurricanes play each other for their only head to head matchup on Wednesday night. If the Hurricanes win Wednesday night both teams will finish with identical 7-3 records, and He’Atid would have the head to head advantage. The league has already assigned the 5-5 SAR Sting to play at Noam and 6-4 Ramaz Rams to visit the new home of the Hurricanes, rounding out the round one matchups.
7th and 8th Grade Girls Basketball
In this division ten teams make the playoffs as opposed to the eight teams from 7th grade basketball. With three wins or more the WDS Wild, Kushner Cobras, Noam Knights, He’Atid Hurricanes, SAR 8th grade Sting, Ramaz Rams, Ashar Asharks, Yavneh Redhawks, Hillel and Moriah have all locked in post season spots. However the seeding is very much up in the air. At 9-1 Moriah has not yet locked in the top spot, their only loss coming to Hillel, if Hillel defeats Kushner on Wednesday January 29th, they take the top spot as the only team to defeat Moriah this season. If Noam defeats Ramaz on Thursday January 30th they will secure the number three spot over He’Atid since they hold the head to head advantage. Spots five through eight are a jumble, that is too hard to sort since the Ramaz Rams and SAR Sting are both 4-4 with two games still to play. Depending on how the games shake out this week Kushner and WDS can finish no worse than the seven spot.
8th Grade Boys Basketball
Similar to the 7th and 8th grade girls division, ten teams will make the playoffs here. The top eight teams with five or more wins (in no particular order); Hillel, the BPY Bolts, the Kushner Cobras, the Ashar Asharks, the Yavneh Redhawks, the RYNJ Jaguars, the SAR Sting and RPRY. The question still to be resolved is who are the final two teams? It is very likely that the WDS Wild will beat the GOA Roadrunners giving them a fourth win and the ninth playoff spot. MDS still has two games to play while all others still have one remaining, the question is who gets the last spot? JEC, MDS, Noam, Moriah and Ramaz can and likely will finish with identical 3-7 records. Being in the B division, JEC has not faced any of the other teams but also does not have as many wins over common opponents. As far as the other four teams their head to head records is a bit of a jumble, not giving anyone a clear advantage. Assuming MDS loses their two remaining games to Yavneh and Hillel they will not have any victories over playoff teams (if they win either game they make the playoffs, and this analysis is for naught). Noam and Moriah both have a victory over RPRY and would finish in a dead tie with each other, needing a play-in game for the number ten spot. Also note if GOA beats WDS, and MDS loses its two final games, Moriah and Noam make it as the final two teams. To sum it up there is still a lot of meaningful basketball to be played this week.
