This is the time of the season when Lane County boys basketball teams on the playoff bubble are looking for another win or two to bolster their postseason resumes. Here are three key games to watch this week:

Sheldon at South Eugene, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m: The Axe, ranked 30th in the Oregon School Activities Association rankings, could use a win to potentially lock in a spot in the 32-team 6A field. The Irish, ranked 20th, presumably are in better shape for the postseason — but only three teams from the Southwest Conference automatically qualify, and Grants Pass is in the hunt as well. 

North Eugene at Churchill, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m: Churchill’s Lancers, in second place in the Midwestern League, could take a big step toward the playoffs with a win over North Eugene. A win would also likely boost the Lancers’ OSAA ranking — the team is No. 14, and only 16 teams make the 5A field. North Eugene, currently in third, and carrying a No. 6 OSAA ranking, could leapfrog the Lancers with a win and just about lock up a playoff slot.

Marist Catholic at Marshfield, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m: The top two teams in the 4A Sky Em League face off in a battle for first place. The Spartans, ranked No. 6, are a half-game behind Marshfield in the standings. And Junction City — where Marist is due to visit Friday night — is sitting in third place. One of those three teams will have to snag an at-large slot, because only two teams in the league earn automatic slots in the 16-team tournament.

Schedule

Tuesday, Feb. 17

  • Mohawk at Alsea, 5:30 p.m.
  • Sheldon at South Eugene, 7 p.m.
  • Thurston at Springfield, 7 p.m.
  • Siuslaw at Glide, 7 p.m.
  • Marist Catholic at Marshfield, 7:15 p.m.
  • Junction City at Cottage Grove, 7:15 p.m.
  • North Eugene at Churchill, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

  • Elmira at Creswell, 6 p.m. 
  • Triangle Lake at Mapleton, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19

  • Douglas at Siuslaw, 7 p.m.
  • North Bend at Cottage Grove, 7:15 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20

  • Roseburg at Sheldon, 5:15 p.m.
  • Willamette at North Medford, 6 p.m. (Oakdale Middle School)
  • Churchill at Crater, 7 p.m.
  • Eagle Point at North Eugene, 7 p.m.
  • Springfield at Ashland, 7 p.m.
  • Marist Catholic at Junction City, 7:15 p.m.
  • South Medford at South Eugene, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21

  • TBD at Pleasant Hall (Bushnell University), 6:30 p.m., league playoff game

Tuesday, Feb. 24

  • North Medford at Sheldon, 5:30 p.m.
  • North Bend at Marist Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
  • South Eugene at Roseburg, 6:45 p.m.
  • North Eugene at Springfield, 7 p.m.
  • Marshfield at Junction City, 7:15 p.m.
  • Grants Pass at Willamette, 7:30 p.m.
  • Thurston at Churchill, 7:30 p.m.
  • 3A playoff games, first round, TBA
  • 1A playoff games, first round, TBA

This week’s scores

Saturday, Feb. 14

  • St. Mary’s (Medford) at Pleasant Hill, canceled

Friday, Feb. 13

  • Grants Pass 58, Sheldon 52
  • South Eugene 76, North Medford 71
  • South Medford 69, Willamette 61
  • Thurston 69, Crater 45
  • North Eugene 55, Ashland 30
  • Marshfield 74, Cottage Grove 40
  • Junction City 63, North Bend 54
  • Marist Catholic 56, Seaside 42
  • Pleasant Hill 69, Creswell 56
  • Elmira 53, Harrisburg 38
  • Siuslaw 56, South Umpqua 44
  • Lowell 79, Oakridge 28

Thursday, Feb. 12

  • Eagle Point 76, Springfield 58
  • Crow-Northwest Christian 53, Triangle Lake 48
  • Mohawk 57, Siletz Valley 15

Wednesday, Feb. 11

  • Mapleton at Toledo, canceled

Tuesday, Feb. 10

  • South Eugene 68, Willamette 40
  • Lake Oswego 71, Churchill 48
  • Marist Catholic 58, Cottage Grove 23
  • Pleasant Hill 65, Sisters 61
  • Elmira 63, Creswell 58
  • Siuslaw 64, Coquille 41
  • Bonanza 63, Lowell 52
  • Trinity Lutheran 85, Oakridge 34
  • Alsea 58, Mohawk 39
  • McKenzie 2, Siletz Valley 0 (forfeit)
  • Crow-Northwest Christian 77, Chemawa 73 (2OT)

Monday, Feb. 9

  • Mapleton 57, Siletz Valley 22

Saturday, Feb. 7

  • McKenzie 53, Oakridge 49

Standings

6A-7 Southwest Conference

TeamLeagueOverall
South Medford9-117-6
Sheldon7-215-7
South Eugene 6-312-10
Grants Pass 6-49-11
North Medford3-65-16
Willamette2-86-16
Roseburg0-90-21

5A-2 Midwestern Conference

TeamLeagueOverall
Thurston8-116-5
Churchill6-211-8
North Eugene6-318-4
Crater5-416-5
Ashland3-612-9
Eagle Point1-73-17
Springfield1-72-18

4A-4 Sky Em League

TeamLeagueOverall
Marshfield 7-213-7
Marist Catholic6-214-5
Junction City6-315-7
Cottage Grove3-65-16
North Bend0-95-17

3A-4 Mountain Valley Conference

TeamLeagueOverall
Pleasant Hill10-020-4
Creswell7-315-8
Elmira6-415-9
Sisters5-510-12
Harrisburg2-811-14
La Pine 0-105-19

3A-5 Far West League

TeamLeague Overall
Douglas8-018-4
South Umpqua6-213-8
Siuslaw5-314-9
Sutherlin3-59-13
Coquille2-63-17
Glide0-83-17

2A-6 East Cascades Conference

TeamLeagueOverall
Trinity Lutheran10-023-1
Lowell7-320-4
Bonanza7-313-10
Lost River4-610-14
Culver 1-96-14
Oakridge 1-94-16

1A-3 Mountain West League

TeamLeagueOverall
Eddyville Charter 7-020-5
Mapleton5-27-13
Alsea4-313-12
Triangle Lake 4-39-14
Mohawk3-411-13
Crow-Northwest Christian3-49-13
McKenzie2-57-14
Siletz Valley0-70-17

Mike McInally is a Pacific Northwest journalist with four decades of experience in Oregon and Montana, including stints as editor of the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Albany Democrat-Herald.