There's really only one way of describing most conference title races for girls basketball teams in East Idaho:
A dogfight to the finish.
For most conferences, it's anyone's guess who will finish on top and who will snag berths to the Girls Real Dairy Shootout in Boise.
Because of space, I have separated this article into two parts. To read Part II, please click here:
http://www.idahosports.com/blogs/blog.aspx?contentid=356
Here's a rundown of the conference races heading into district tournament time (as of Tuesday, January 22nd):
5A High Country Conference
Out of the five teams in the combined District 5-6 conference, four teams sport a .632 winning percentage or better. Highland currently leads the pack with a 15-2 overall record, including 8-0 in conference play. Madison is in second at 15-4 overall, 4-3 in the conference. Hillcrest, in their first year at the 5A level, is 12-7 with a 3-4 mark in conference play. Skyline is 14-5 overall, but only 2-5 in the conference, while Idaho Falls sits at 7-12 with a 1-6 mark against conference foes.
This conference receives two berths to the state tournament this year. The conference champion will face the fourth place team out of District III, while the runner-up will face the champion of the same district.
Highland is trying to redeem themselves for last year's performance in the state tournament. The Rams went 1-2, losing to Coeur d'Alene in the third place game. Madison, meanwhile, looks to advance to their second straight state tournament (albeit this time in a different classification). Hillcrest is new to the 5A ranks and would like to start off with their first visit to the Real Dairy Shootout since 2008. Skyline hasn't been to "The Dance" since 2007 and Idaho Falls looks to return for the first time since the 1990's.
4A High Country Conference
This District 5-6 combined conference has two front-runners and two teams that could possibly make some noise. Century currently sits atop the standings with a 12-6 record and 8-0 in conference play. Right underneath them are the Pocatello Indians at 11-7, including a 6-2 record against conference opponents. Then there are the teams that could serve as the"upset special" of the district: Bonneville sports a 6-11 record, but 4-3 in the conference while last season's State Runner-Up, Rigby, holds a 6-13 record, including 4-5 in the conference. The Bees and the Trojans meet up on Thursday in what could be a deciding factor in seeding for the district tournament.
Blackfoot and Preston, meanwhile, have been in rebuilding mode this season and have struggled to gain traction in the conference. That being said, ANYTHING is possible come tournament time. For example, on Tuesday night Blackfoot, which is currently in 5th out of 6th place in the conference, knocked off the 2nd place team Pocatello.
Tournament time is all about hot streaks. Can the front-runners keep going strong? Or will a team currently in the middle of the pack get hot and upset the higher-ranked teams to earn one of the two state tournament berths?
3A Mountain Rivers Conference
Sugar-Salem and Shelley have been the essential staples of representation for the conference at the state tournament in recent seasons. Last season was the exception though: Salmon, now in class 2A, represented the conference at the state tournament, Shelley was just finishing up their stint in the 4A ranks, while Sugar-Salem was in transitioning into a new era of girls basketball after Todd Jensen decided to step away from coaching for a season.
It seems now that the teams are re-positioning themselves now as the alpha-dog of the conference, trying to prove that "they still got it". Shelley and Sugar-Salem are, once again, leading that charge. Shelley thus far has posted a 9-9 overall record, including 4-0 in the MRC. Sugar-Salem trails closely behind, a 7-11 record including 2-2 in conference play. Unfortunately for Teton and South Fremont, they have struggled this season as they have combined for a 4-30 record overall, 2-6 in the conference.
There is plenty of motivation to wrap up that district championship: the winner of the district gets a berth at the state tournament, while the second place team gets the privilege of playing the second place team from the 3A South East Idaho Conference out of the 5th District in the State Play-In game.
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