Have you ever been so worried about what’s behind you that you almost run head on into something just in front of you?
Well, I sort of caught Ridgefield boys basketball coach Jason Buffum in a situation like that on Saturday night.
Buffum was calling in his team’s win over Hockinson when I mentioned that R.A. Long had beaten Mark Morris.
“Yeah, I heard that,” Buffum said. “That’s not good news for the Spudders.”
I was confused when I heard that. How could a loss by Mark Morris, which moved the Spudders within a half-game of first place in the 2A Greater St. Helens League, be a bad thing?
“We were hoping to basically clinch a playoff spot tonight if R.A. Long lost,” Buffum said. “Now, it looks like we still have work to do.”
He’s right. The Spudders are 6-3 and in third place in the 2A GSHL. R.A. Long is 5-5 and finishes with Ridgefield and last-place Hockinson. So 7-5 is within reach for the Lumberjacks.
Columbia River is 4-5 and in fifth place. The Chieftains finish with two games against sixth-place Washougal and one against Hockinson. So 7-5 is also within reach for River.
With the top four teams advancing to district, that means the Spudders could be left out of the playoffs at 6-6.
Buffum was also right when he said Ridgefield has the most difficult final schedule in the league with games against Mark Morris, Woodland and R.A. Long.
But here’s the thing: the Spudders are still very much in the mix for the league title.
If Ridgefield wins all three remaining games, the Spudders will be league champions. At worst, they would be tied at 9-3 with Mark Morris.
It’s easy to understand why Buffum wasn’t focused on this chance. At the start of the week, Mark Morris was unbeaten in league and looking like it would capture the league title.
But now two losses by the Monarchs this week have changed things, and suddenly the Spudders are in the mix.
And if the 2A GSHL has taught us this season, anything can happen.
“I like the way you think,” Buffum said. “I need you to come give my team a pep talk.”
Nah, Coach, we’ll leave that to you. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the show.
And if you want to get out and enjoy the show, here are nine games this week you might want to check out.
Prairie at Kelso boys, 7 p.m. Monday: This game should decide the 3A GSHL title. It will decide it if Prairie wins. And the Falcons are hot, winning their last three league games by 23 or more, including an 86-59 rout of Kelso on Wednesday. But playing in Kelso is often a challenge for visiting teams.
Mark Morris at Washougal girls, 7 p.m. Monday: This game will likely decide the 2A GSHL title. Washougal won the first meeting in Longview 57-54.
Ridgefield at Woodland boys, 7 p.m. Tuesday: Woodland has already clinched a district berth, but the Beavers have their sights on a league title. Ridgefield still needs a win to secure a district berth, plus a win puts the Spudders right into the the league title mix.
Hockinson at Columbia River girls, 7 p.m. Monday: A win over the Hawks should put River in solid position to secure the No. 4 seed district. But a loss would put the Chieftains on wobbly ground, given they finish league play with back-to-back games against first-place Washougal and a loss would give Hockinson a head-to-head sweep of River.
Skyview at Camas girls, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday: Skyview is still regrouping after learning that their star Ashlee Comastro is done for the season with a broken foot. But a win over Camas on Wednesday would give the Storm a share of the 4A GSHL title. Camas could clinch the title outright with a win.
Skyview at Camas boys, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday: If Union wraps up the 4A GSHL title with a win over Battle Ground on Monday, this game will determine the No. 2 and 3 seeds into the playoffs. Skyview won the first meeting. This game will also be part of Jake Hansel’s project to raise awareness of hypertonic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that ended Hansel’s prep basketball career. It was featured in the story by The Columbian’s Meg Wochnick two weeks ago.
Hudson’s Bay at Evergreen boys, 7 p.m. Wednesday: The Plainsmen’s loss to Bay on Friday threw a monkey wrench into their plans to lock up the No. 4 seed to bi-district. But a win over Bay at home Wednesday should seal it for Evergreen. A loss could lead to a very interesting finish.
Mountain View at Kelso girls, 7 p.m. Wednesday: Mountain View holds the inside track to secure the No. 2 seed from the 3A GSHL. But that would require a win over Kelso on Wednesday. If the Hilanders win, there could be a three-way tie for second between Mountain View, Kelso and Evergreen.
Ridgefield at R.A. Long boys, 7 p.m. Friday: If Ridgefield falls to Woodland on Tuesday, this game becomes a huge one for the Spudders — basically a playoff game.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached at (360) 735-4538, tim.martinez@columbian.com or follow his Twitter handle @360TMart.
