Ten local teams have already qualified for the postseason – Aliquippa, Carlynton, Cornell, Ellwood City, Fort Cherry, Lincoln Park, Moon, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverside and Rochester.
Seven others remain alive – Burgettstown and Montour both face elimination in their next games, but the other five don't face such easy answers. In Class 4A Section 2, Ambridge, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Blackhawk and Central Valley are all fighting for two guaranteed spots, with the possibility of more depending on ties. Tuesday, Beaver Falls can clinch with a win, while Ambridge faces elimination when it hosts Central Valley. Elsewhere, Beaver visits New Castle and Quaker Valley visits Blackhawk.
Friday, there will be at least one playoff spot on the line with Blackhawk at Beaver having the most significance. Beaver fans will be especially nervous – their football team and last year's boys' basketball teams were eliminated on the final night of competition by tiebreakers.
Meanwhile, Lincoln Park has clinched a playoff spot for some time now but is looking to extend its section winning streak and secure a top seed in Class 3A. An interesting dilemma faces the basketball committee in Aliquippa – the Quips are the defending champion but will have no better than a .500 record because of an aggressive schedule.