Sherman clinches Big Sky East, South Wasco and Dufur fight for the West

Sherman is scheduled to play two non-league games this week — Feb. 13 against Union in Boardman, and Feb. 15 against Crosspoint Christian in Bend. Teams often schedule non-league games late in the season to boost their power rankings and subsequent seeding strength prior to the state playoffs. Union is battling for first place in the 1A Old Oregon League and Crosspoint is leading the 1A Mountain Valley Conference.

Sherman had already clinched the No. 1 seed from the East Division of the 10-team Big Sky into the district playoffs, which begin the week of Feb. 17. Sherman’s playoff schedule begins Friday, Feb. 21 when it plays the winner of a first-round playoff game on Feb. 19.

Dufur and South Wasco County continue to battle for the West Division’s top seed (and a first-round bye) into the district playoffs. They will play for the second time this season, Feb. 14 in Maupin. Dufur won the first meeting between the two schools, 50-39, on Jan. 3 in Dufur.

Dufur, with its one league loss to Sherman, holds a one-game edge over the Redsides, who also lost to the Huskies. The Rangers beat Horizon Christian on Feb . 7, despite the 38-point performance by Hawks’ sophomore Tyler Abbott. Dufur built a large first-half lead and then held off a second-half Hawks’ charge led by Abbott.

The top three teams from the West Division — currently Dufur, South Wasco and Horizon Christian —will qualify for the league playoffs which begin the week of Feb. 17. They will match up against the top three teams from the East Division - currently Sherman County, Condon, and Ione/Arlington.

Should South Wasco and Dufur tie for the top seed from the West into the district playoffs, the tiebreaker goes to the team ranked higher in the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) rankings (which was Dufur as of this past weekend). The No. 3 seed from the West will either be Horizon or Klickitat/Glenwood. Those teams were scheduled to play Feb. 11 in Klickitat. Should those teams finish tied for the No. 3 seed, the league format calls for a playoff game to break the tie; that game will either be Feb. 17 or 18 — tentatively scheduled to be played in Lyle.

The Big Sky boys playoff format calls for the No. 3-seeded teams from each division playing at the No. 2 seeds on Feb. 19. Winners advance to play at the No. 1 seeds on Feb. 21. The Feb. 19 winners also qualify — along with the No. 1 seeds — for the four-team district tourney Feb. 22 at The Dalles High School. The Big Sky has three automatic berths into the 1A state playoffs.