MONTVALE, NJ: The Playoff Field Is Set - Is This Thing Up For Grabs?

Regular season play wrapped up Thursday night, and we now know our first round match-ups. Who plays who, and who will advance?

Here’s what the playoff picture looks like.

Byes: #1 Ferrall Ballerz, #2 Just Ball

Wednesday’s Games:

7:30 - #3 Lane Train vs. #6 USDA Prime
8:30 - #4 Old School vs. #5 RUNt


We will have two games on Wednesday and two on Thursday. The Ferrall Ballerz and Just Ball will play on Thursday in the Semifinals against the winners of Wednesday’s games above. The Ballerz get the lowest-remaining seed.

So what will happen next week? First, let’s examine Lane Train vs. USDA Prime. The Lane Train couldn’t have had a better finish to their regular season. They smacked around Old School for the second time, making us wonder how they “only” managed a 6-2 record.

The high school heroes haven’t given up more than 45 in a game yet. That includes a 20-point win over USDA Prime earlier this season. Will this one be any closer? USDA was not at full strength in their previous meeting (no Hayden Duffy, Chris Betti or Tucker Diestel). However, the three-point happy group has struggled against better defenses. Thomas Harris, Jusin Lane and company like the 3-ball as well, but they have better balance and, most importantly, a better defense. Lane Train will advance.

The Old School-RUNt match-up should look very familiar. This time, however, it’s not a title fight. The two are simply battling to get to the semis. This should be pretty close, like it was when the two met in Week 1. That game, won by Old School, was in the 40s.

After three straight losses, RUNt just survived against a Just Ball team with half its roster missing. Needless to say, they are trending downward. Old School just got blown out, but they didn’t have their full squad. They may struggle to score at times, but their defense should make RUNt struggle that much more. Vinnie Graff is going to have to hit some outside shots to get his team over the top. What did he do back in Week 1? 0-10, 0 points. Old School advances.

If those predictions hold true, we will see the Ferrall Ballerz vs. Old School and Just Ball vs. Lane Train.

Of late, the Ballerz have seemed to play down to their competition. With a potential match-up vs. an established champ, that shouldn’t be an issue. Before the Ballerz final regular season game, it was Ferrall talking to teammate Mike McClendon. While Mike noted his team’s (well, Scott’s) weaknesses, he’s confident they won’t be beaten.



The Lane Train might be making their final stop if they draw Just Ball. They had a season-low 31 vs. them just a week ago. On the other hand, they only had 34 against the Ballerz, also a double-digit defeat. They might be in trouble either way. They have to find ways to get easy buckets. Enter Nick Bigos. He had only 11 combined points in those two games.

The most compelling title game would in fact be Ferrall Ballerz-Just Ball. The two teams did not meet during the regular season, so we have no prior data to go by. If both are at full strength, there will be a lot of talented players going at it. Let’s hope it happens.