The playoffs have finally arrived. With the last of the regular seasons wrapping up last night, records are set and playoff seeds all but announced.
As a basketball fanatic who had been waiting for this season since the last one ended, I’m honestly a little dumbfounded on how quickly it all went. With that being said, however, there have been tons of interesting and exciting moments and storylines to reflect on. Just a few that come to mind are Otto-Eldred’s Brax Caldwell’s development and impact on the ever-rising Terrors, the Lady Hubbers’ Elizabeth Hungiville’s impressive MVP-quality season and the Port Allegany girls team’s North Tier League title run.
Another interesting element to this year, which has been circulating through my thoughts of late, is the introduction and establishment of the North Tier League Championship, a four-team bracket that will start this week. This new tournament-style postseason bracket aims to add a little competitive spirit in the time between the regular season and the District 9 playoffs, which are slated to begin next week.
While the boys’ seeding was set last Friday night, when Port Allegany beat Galeton to secure the final spot, the girls’ side was locked up on Monday. Here’s the field:
Early throughout the season, the Port Allegany girls were favored to sit on top of the NTL. However, Coudersport became a challenger mid-way through the season and even finished off their schedule with a 10-game win streak. Although they both had the same league record, 14-2, Port had won the head-to-head matchups, earning the No. 1 seed and the NTL title.
Otto-Eldred claimed the third seed, finishing 11-5 and showing notable resiliency and success despite losing four starters from their D9 title run a year ago. Last but not least, Oswayo Valley, 10-6, narrowly secured the fourth slot in the championship, beating out Austin, 9-7, with a win on Monday.
On the boys’ side of the bracket, the Terrors were far-and-away the best team in the league, earning their third consecutive league banner with yet another undefeated NTL season. Cameron County was just a step behind, finishing 14-2 with their only two defeats coming at the hands of O-E.
Coudersport and the Gators both had ups and downs throughout the season, with the Falcons’ earning an almost surprising amount of success despite missing their best player, Reilly Streich, for half of the season. Port, on the other hand, had to deal with an influx of fresh faces while fusing into a cohesive unit. Nevertheless, both squads ended with a 10-5 record and the Gators got the third seed nod due to their sweep of the Falcons throughout the regular season.
The NTL Championship begins on Wednesday, when the girls semifinals will kick off. OV will head to Port Allegany and O-E will travel to Coudy. The following day, the Falcons will take a trip to the Terror Dome while Port goes back to Emporium to face off against the Red Raiders. Each game will start at 7 p.m. Then, on Saturday, the winners will play in the first ever finals at Bradford Area High School. The girls championship game will start at 5 p.m. and the boys will tip off at 7 p.m.
Talking with a handful of coaches over the past few weeks, there has been some enthusiasm, skepticism and questions surrounding the new event. While some, like Otto-Eldred girls’ head coach Shawn Gray, think of it as a great way to get ready for the District playoffs instead of just waiting around for the seedings to be announced, others worry about injury and or the point of competing.
For me, I see both sides of the argument. Of course, sports are always adapting and adding new things in order to generate more competitive games, especially towards the postseason and I appreciate the approach to do so in a less-than-competitive NTL. But I also see that there isn’t really a point without some reward at the end, something to really crown the champions. In my mind, this should decide who earns the league banner.
As of now, the team who has the best record at the end of the season earns the NTL title. However, while there should be some way to recognize that feat, I think if you’re going to have a league championship, you have to let the winner hang a banner. Doing so would really add some motivation behind every game, rather than using it as more or less of a scrimmage or exhibition game before the ‘real’ playoffs. It would also give an underdog team a chance to make some noise and possibly upset a heavy favorite. What’s more exciting than that?
All in all, I’m in favor of having the championships. I see it as a fun way to conclude the regular season while also giving teams one last chance at revenge.
