The holidays are over, and it’s back to work today.
And the same holds true for area high school basketball teams. Well, at least for two area high school basketball teams. Except for the Evergreen and Skyview boys — who meet tonight at Skyview — the rest of the area hoops teams will resume league play on Tuesday.
With three teams from the 4A and 2A Greater St. Helens Leagues and four teams from the 3A GSHL and Trico League advancing to the postseason, the next five weeks will be pivotal.
So let’s take a look at what we’ve learned in the first month of basketball and which are the big games on the schedule this week.
4A Greater St. Helens League
BOYS: Battle Ground (7-1), Evergreen (7-3) and Union (5-3) are the prime contenders. Battle Ground suffered its first loss of the season last week at the Energy Classic in Gillette, Wyo. But the Tigers rebounded to win their last two games and place fourth in the tournament. The Tigers play at Union on Tuesday as Battle Ground tries to seize early advantage in league play.
GIRLS: Battle Ground (8-0) has a record that looks more impressive than Evergreen (7-3) and Skyview (6-3). But the Plainsmen and Storm spent last week at the Nike Interstate Shootout in Lake Oswego, Ore., with both going 2-2. Meanwhile, Battle Ground took last week off after sweeping past Camas and Columbia River in its own tournament the previous week.
But we’ll soon find out where all three of these contenders stand. On Tuesday, Evergreen plays at Skyview. On Thursday, Skyview plays at Battle Ground. Then to complete the trifecta, Evergreen plays at Battle Ground the following Tuesday.
3A Greater St. Helens League
BOYS: For four league teams who weren’t lucky enough to get a bye this week, it will be a busy week, with games set for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
It’s a big week for the Camas Papermakers (6-2, 2-0) who face Columbia River (5-5, 0-2), Hudson’s Bay (8-1, 1-0) and Prairie (6-3, 2-0). Bay also has a big week against Prairie, Camas and Mountain View (3-5, 0-1).
GIRLS: It’s shaping up to be a really good season for the Prairie girls, who capped the holiday break with 64-49 win over Campbell County (Wyo.) in the final of the Energy Classic in Gillette, Wyo. That game was the closest of the season for the Falcons (8-0, 2-0).
After playing a compelling non-league game against Evergreen on Thursday, the Falcons will look for a little revenge when they host Camas on Saturday. The Papermakers (6-2, 2-0) snapped Prairie’s long league winning streak in the district title game last season.
2A Greater St. Helens League
BOYS: The league schedule resumes with a key matchup of two teams with losing records. That’s because Hockinson (3-5) and Mark Morris (3-4) have played tough non-league schedules up to this point. In fact, after the Hawks play at Mark Morris on Tuesday, they’ll continue their tough non-league slate when they play at Evergreen on Thursday.
GIRLS: Woodland (7-2) faces a surprising Washougal (6-3) team on Friday. However, one of the Panthers’ three losses was to La Center, a team that Woodland has posted a pair of lopsided wins against.
1A Trico League
BOYS: The Ridgefield Spudders are feeling better about their season having won five of their last six after an 0-4 start. Ridgefield hosts Toledo on Tuesday. Meanwhile, La Center faces a big week with games against Ilwaco, Castle Rock and Toledo this week.
GIRLS: La Center has won five in a row after a 0-3 start. Now, the Wildcats (5-3, 2-0) face a big test when they play at Ilwaco (7-2, 3-0) on Tuesday.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached by phone at (360) 735-4538 or e-mail at tim.martinez@columbian.com
