The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.
The final showdown in the Coast North women’s basketball race takes place at 5 p.m. Wednesday when current leader City College of San Francisco (5-1 Coast North, 20-5 overall) plays at co-second place College of San Mateo (5-2, 13-13).
This will be CSM’s regular-season finale. CCSF has one additional league contest, Friday, hosting last place Foothill (0-6, 4-22).
The Bulldogs share second place with Skyline (5-2, 17-9) after last week’s impressive 62-55 win over their San Bruno rivals. Skyline closes with visiting fourth place Chabot (1-5, 4-22) on Friday, while CSM hosts a Coast South crossover contest with Gavilan, both at 5 p.m.
San Mateo has won six of its last seven games, including an impressive 67-59 win over Coast South pacesetter Hartnell. The lone loss was at CCSF, 74-54, in the first half CN finale.
This week’s Northern California TSRPI, which is used for playoff seeding, has CCSF No. 8, Skyline No. 15, and CSM No. 23. The top 24 expect to be in the state regional playoffs next week.
Final week of men’s basketball to determine playoff qualifiers
It comes down to the last two regular season games for local postseason men’s basketball hopefuls.
The final Winning Percentage Index (WPI) will determine participants in the state playoffs, which begin next week with 24 teams in the North regionals. Defending 3C2A state champion City College of San Francisco leads the Coast North Conference at 12-0 and is 25-1 overall, holding the top NorCal WPI.
Second place Las Positas-Livermore (11-1, 24-2) is No. 3 in WPI and finishes by hosting fourth place College of San Mateo (5-7, 17-9) Wednesday at 5 p.m. and then visiting CCSF in Friday’s likely title showdown at 7 p.m.
CSM is currently in a solid No. 16 playoff position, entering the final week. The Bulldogs close by hosting co-fourth Cañada (5-7, 11-15) at 7 p.m. Friday at 7 p.m. Cañada, with a No. 27 WPI, hosts sixth-place Ohlone-Fremont first, on Wednesday, at 5 p.m. A pair of Colts wins this week could put them in the top-24 playoff range.
Eighth-place Skyline (2-10, 10-16) had a solid 8-6 non-league season and a high WPI before injuries contributed to a slump in the tough Coast North. The Trojans dropped from last week’s No. 24 WPI to their current No. 29 spot after a pair of setbacks — at Las Positas and to visiting Cañada, 61-52.
Cañada also defeated third-place Chabot, 70-66 last week, and brings a 2-game win streak into the final week.
Chabot (6-6, 17-9) is just one game ahead of CSM and Cañada.
Skyline finishes by entertaining CCSF on Wednesday and visiting sixth place De Anza on Friday, both with 6 p.m. tips.
