High School basketball is on the downhill side of the season now with less than three weeks left in the regular season before conference tournaments start in mid-February. For local teams there are still a lot on the line in the coming weeks.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its second round of Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings, which will be used for seeding purposes in the state playoffs, on Tuesday and will released updated rankings every two weeks the rest of the season. The rankings shined a light on what all 10 county hoops teams need to do going forward, and I saw now as an opportunity to give my analysis of each team and where they stand going forward.
Fairmont boys (9-8) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 28
The Golden Tornadoes are still working on piecing together a whole game against top teams in the Three Rivers Conference, but the second half against West Columbus on Tuesday shows what this team is capable of. Still, with St. Pauls and Whiteville on the remaining schedule, Fairmont has an opportunity to better its playoff outlook with a win or two against the pair. And as we saw last year in the conference tournament, they have the capability to run off wins when needed.
Fairmont girls (6-11) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 90
This young squad is still working on ways to continue to grow away from the culture and mindset that plagued the program over the previous two seasons. Six wins to this point is a major step forward and a learning lesson for the team made up mostly of underclassmen that are major pieces. It’s best for teams to get what they can against Fairmont now, because the next few years look bright for this program.
Lumberton boys (13-2) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 7
Outside of the games against Marion and Pinecrest early in the season, there hasn’t been much slowing down the Pirates, and another strong pass through the Sandhills Athletic Conference could set this team up well for a high seed in the state playoffs. However, any loss the rest of the way could slow down the Pirates. One thing that is working for Lumberton is six of the final nine games are at home after a road-heavy first half of the conference slate that the Pirates worked though with one loss. Now they prepare for everyone’s best shot coming to the end of the season.
Lumberton girls (8-7) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 60
In what has been a down year for the program, the Pirates are on the brink of finishing the season below .500 for the first time since the 2006-07 season. There is still time for the Pirates to right the ship, but the lack of senior leadership taking control of the team has hampered them in conference play this season. Lumberton has lost four games in a row and hasn’t won a conference game in over a month.
Purnell Swett boys (6-9) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 59
A bit of a surprise so far this season, the Rams have rallied around Xavier Jones in the paint, with some other scoring options opening up to help get the team to this point. Outside of last season, six wins had been the a high mark for the program in recent years and there are other wins potentially out there for the group to close out the season. If the team were to sneak a few more wins over the last seven games, playoffs could possibly be in the equation for the Rams.
Purnell Swett girls (9-6) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 47
Experiencing the most success the program has seen since the 1990s, the Rams are on the right side of the bubble now with their ranking and their position in the conference standings. Now that they are no longer a surprise, the Rams have to come ready for everyone’s best shot and continue to stay balanced on offense with their defense leading the way. After a close call with Seventy-First the first time around, that game in Pembroke between the teams on Feb. 7 carries a lot of weight as far as playoff seeding and a bump in the MaxPreps rankings.
Red Springs boys (7-10) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 55
Objective No. 1 for the Red Devils the rest of the season is closing out close games as losses to Fairmont, Whiteville and West Columbus were big hits to Red Springs’ chances at moving up the conference standings and getting a better MaxPreps ranking. Right now, Red Springs is in a good position for the playoffs, but any loss to teams ranked lower in the league could be costly.
Red Springs girls (2-14) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 116
This year has been rough for the Red Devils because a majority of inexperienced players having to pay in major spots this season as well as a coaching change. These moves will lead to success in the future, but right now the team is going through a learning process.
St. Pauls (13-4) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 23
Balance and experience has led the Bulldogs to this points of the season, and those same features should drive this team to the rest of the way through the regular season and into a good playoff seed. With Fairmont and West Columbus approaching on the schedule for a rematch, those early losses for the Bulldogs need to be rectified if they want to have a home playoff game as a top two seed out of the conference.
St. Pauls girls (16-0) Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings: 13
The Bulldogs sit where they want to be right now — undefeated and on top of the Three Rivers Conference. When looking at the rankings and seeing an undefeated St. Pauls team behind several teams that have losses, the strength of schedule has hurt the Bulldogs this season playing in a weak conference, despite earning blowout wins night in an night out. The only thing St. Pauls can do going forward is keep winning and see what happens elsewhere to possibly bump up a few spots in the MaxPreps rankings and get a higher playoff seed.
