Jesse Disbrow
It was a quiet week, all things considered. I was on vacation the past week, so it turned out to coincide well. Though I’ve still kept my ear to the sports pulse.
For example, I’ve been watching all our local basketball teams to see who has a shot at the Interscholastic Athletic Conference divisional titles or at least could earn a sectional playoff spot.
For the boys the crème de la crème is Lansing. They stumbled a bit in the last month, but otherwise are still state ranked and still are atop the IAC North Large School Division. The catch is they are tied with Whitney Point both in division standings, 3-1, and IAC standings, 9-2. What’s more Dryden isn’t far behind with a 2-2 division record and an 8-3 overall record. Lansing has control of the division and has the all-important final game of the season against Whitney Point on February 8.
For the first time in recent memory, John Filzen has a squad in Groton he can’t salvage. The depth that marked each of his last few teams just isn’t there and the rest of the competition in the north divisions is just as fierce as always. There is a real chance Filzen and the Indians can’t recover from their 4-8 start to take a spot in the sectional tournament.
In the South Division, however, Spencer-Van Etten and Newfield are still very much in the hunt for playoff spots. The boys would need league leading Odessa-Montour to seriously stumble in order to have a chance at Division titles, but both teams are at or above the .500 mark and should find enough wins down the stretch to earn postseason berths.
Lansing is also the class of girls basketball in the IAC. They’ve only lost to STAC opponent Johnson City, and only by two points at that. Coach Stu Dean always demands the best from his girls and their best is usually more than enough to put away teams in the IAC. They have routinely won by 30 or more points in their IAC matches. The Johnson City match should tell them that they are ready to compete with the top teams in Class C, but need to work harder to ensure that.
A conflux of talent has led to Groton leading the IAC Small north. The girls have been getting better and better each year, and this year they’re hoping to represent their division in the IAC playoffs. The South Small Division leading Newfield girls are looking to earn a division title this year, and it’s still within grasp, however, they need to make sure they stay on the winning path. If they can top Elmira Notre Dame on February 5, among other games, they should win it.
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