Western Highlands wrestling, basketball playoff pictures beginning to come into focus

As the Western Highlands Conference wraps up its wrestling regular season and heads into the final two weeks of the basketball season, playoffs are on the minds of all coaches across the conference.

Here’s a look at how the postseason picture is shaping up for both sports.

WRESTLING
Only two matches remain before the league brings its postseason tournament to Polk County on Friday, but little will be at stake for those.

Mitchell has wrapped up the conference’s overall title, will be the top 1A seed from the league and could well once again win the 1A state duals title. Avery is going to finish second, marking a rare 1-2 sweep for the conference’s two 1A schools. Only one 1A school gets an automatic berth, so Avery will be hoping for a wildcard entry into the 1A duals.

The race for the two automatic berths to the 2A state dual playoffs is also over. Madison will be the top 2A seed, with Polk County set as the No. 2 2A seed from the league. The Wolverines are currently matched with the top seed from the Big South Conference, expected to be Hunter Huss, in the preliminary 2A brackets.

The WHC tourney will begin Friday afternoon – look for more details later this week on PolkSports.com.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Avery, once again, is poised to win the WHC regular-season title, effectively three games ahead of the league with five games remaining. The Vikings have rolled through the conference to date after a slow non-conference start.

Beyond that, the playoff race is wide open.

Among the 2A schools, Polk County currently leads the pack with a 5-3 league record and controls its fate. The Wolverines have already completed a sweep of Mountain Heritage and have beaten all of the other 2A schools in the conference once.

Winning three of its four remaining conference games would almost certainly insure the Wolverines the top 2A seed and a first-round home playoff game. But with Heritage a half-game back and Hendersonville and Madison lurking two games behind, Polk also cannot afford a late-season swoon.

Tuesday night’s trip to Mitchell could be key for the Wolverines. The Mountaineers have had a week off and dominated Polk in a 52-37 win earlier this season in Columbus. But the Wolverines are playing far better than in that meeting, and a victory in Bakersville could be huge for the team’s postseason hopes.

At 4-4 and with the league’s top scorer in Avery Austin, Mountain Heritage has three of its final four league games at home and will definitely be in the mix for the two playoff spots. Madison and Hendersonville sit at 3-5, with the Patriots already owning a sweep of the Bearcats. Either of those teams probably need to win at least three of their final four league games to have a playoff shot.

At 1-6, Owen will be looking to play the role of spoiler down the stretch as the Warhorses will face all four of the league’s other 2A schools in the next two weeks.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
There isn’t a lot of mystery about which teams will earn the automatic playoff berths in the WHC girls face.

Mountain Heritage begins play Tuesday night ranked No. 1 in the state in this week’s MaxPreps computer rankings. The Cougars are 16-0 and look poised for a deep postseason run.

Madison is also in the top 10 in the state rankings with a 16-2 record, its only league loss to Mountain Heritage. The teams close their regular seasons on Feb. 10 with their second meeting.

With a 10-8 overall record, Polk County will be looking to close its season with a flourish and position itself for a wildcard spot. At 13-10 last season, the Wolverines earned the 23rd seed in the 2A West bracket. This year’s squad has a good shot at topping those 13 wins and could finish fourth in the WHC, though Owen could have much to say about that. The Wolverines go to Owen on Feb. 6 for their regular-season finale, and that game could be key to deciding conference finish and seeding for the WHC postseason tourney.

Avery will be the league’s 1A playoff qualifier, and the Vikings are likely to finish third overall in the WHC race.