Tues. 3/2/10
What If
The new playoff rankings system introduced this season may have seemed a bit much for those who aren't hardcore mathematicians, but, in this case, necessity was the mother of invention. Given the infux of the former Div. II teams and the huge disparity in the schedules different teams played, a drastic change was needed.
The good news is, it worked.
In the final USHR poll of the year, released one week before the playoff teams were determined, seven of the teams appearing in Wednesday's 'elite eight' quarterfinals made our poll, which only has ten slots. The three that were in our poll that did not make the top 10 are the top three seeds in the large school tournament. This means, basically, that the top 12 JSPR teams were the teams that we felt, from watching a huge number of prep games, were the true top 12. This also supports our wish for a 12-team or 16-team top-level postseason tournament. We believe the former can be accomplished by giving the top four finishers a bye into the semifinals. (We'd prefer a 16-team field, but the headmasters have long opposed that, and appear unlikely to change their position.)
This season, 709 NEPSIHA games were played that counted toward the final standings, and each game had an impact on those standings. However, some games had a much larger impact on the system than others. Here are the ones that turned out to be particularly significant:
February 13, 2010: Tabor 3, Dexter 2 - This was the single most important game played in the season in terms of its impact on the JSPR rankings. This was the only game that Dexter played against a fellow team under consideration. Since Dexter lost, it meant that they had the worst record against fellow top 16 finishers (Dexter finished at 16th in the JSPR Ranking.) If Dexter had won this game they would have been 6th in RPI instead of 10th and would have posted a 1-0-0 record against teams under consideration, which would have been the best record of all 16 teams under consideration! It was this loss against Tabor that knocked Dexter out of the running for the elite eight, and also had the biggest ripple effect on the prep standings. Had they beaten Tabor, Dexter would have won a minimum of six JSPR considerations and would have been in serious contention for a spot in the big tournament.
December 19, 2009: Andover 2, Westminster 1 -- This game cost Westminster the opportunity to host Belmont Hill on Wednesday instead of having to travel. Here's why. The only comparison that Dexter won was against Westminster, and that was solely due to the Marlet's loss in the Flood-Marr to Andover. In the mutual opponents category for the JSPR comparison between Dexter and Westminster, Dexter was 2-0-1 and Westminster was 2-1-0 (The loss to Andover). This loss cost Westminster the comparison. If they had beaten Andover they would have finished with 11 JSPR points and would have been the #4 seed in the elite eight. As you can see, Dexter's gaudy won-lost record combined with a weak schedule made them the king of wild cards this season.
January 1 and January 27, 2010. NMH 6, Cushing 0 and NMH 6 - Cushing 5 -- If Cushing had won just one of these two games they would have made the elite eight -- and NMH would have been on the outside looking in. NMH, with these wins, earned two points in their JSPR comparison against Cushing. Cushing earned a point from having the 4th highest RPI (compared to NMH at 8th), and Cushing got a point from having a better record against mutual opponents. However, both teams had .500 records against teams under consideration, and NMH with their two head-to-head wins took the tie-breaker and won the comparison. Also, with a win in one of these games, Cushing would have held the better record against teams under consideration, and NMH would have had one less point in the head-to-head matchup points. This would have been enough to give Cushing the comparison (and nine JSPR points) and the 6th seed in the elite eight. They also would have held the tiebreaker over Milton, and dropped the Mustangs to 7th.
There are countless other games that we could analyze for their individual impacts on the fortunes of teams vying for playoff spots, but no single ones compare to those. Under the new system, every game matters, and some games matter a lot, even if it might not be apparent until well after the fat lady has sung.
Sun. 3/7/10
Girls Championship Sunday
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II:
Governor's 5, Southfield 4 (OT) --
Kate Leary, from Alex Carpenter, nets game-winner.
Carpenter named tournament MVP
Div. I:
Westminster 3, Lawrence 1 (final)
Paige Decker named tournament MVP.
Sat. 3/6/10
Girls Prep Semifinals
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II:
Governor's 10, Brooks 1 (final -- 6 g,3a for Alex Carpenter)
Southfield 5, Rivers 3 (final)
Div. I:
Westminster 2, Choate 1
Lawrence 2, Nobles 1
Sunday Championship Games:
Div. II -- 11:00 am -- Governor's vs. Southfield
Div. I -- 1:00 pm -- Westminster vs. Lawrence
Fri. 3/5/10
Championship Weekend is Here
Semifinals: Sat. March 6th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II - Governor's vs. Brooks, 11:00 am
Div. II - Southfield vs. Rivers, 1:00 pm
Div. I - Choate vs. Westminster, 3:00 pm
Div. I - Nobles vs. Lawrence, 5:00 pm
Finals: Sun. March 7th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II - Championship Game, 11:00 am
Div. I - Championship Game, 1:00 pm
We are hoping to receive some quality photos from today's quarterfinals and this weekend's semis and finals.. If you have something you like, please send, along with a caption, to information@ushr.com. Thanks! -- USHR
Wed. 3/3/10
Quarterfinals ScoreboardDiv. I
#8 Pomfret @ #1 Choate -- Choate 3, Pomfret 2
#7 Lawrence @ #2 Brewster - Lawrence 5, Brewster 2
#6 Berkshire @ #3 Nobles -- Nobles 2, Berkshire 0
#5 Williston @ #4 Westminster -- Westminster 3, Williston 0
Div. II
#8 NYA @ #1 Governor's -- Governor's 6, NYA 0
#7 Gunnery @ #2 Rivers -- Rivers 5, Gunnery 0
#6 Millbrook @ #3 Southfield (@ Williston) -- Southfield 9, Millbrook 2
#5 Canterbury @ #4 Brooks -- Brooks 4, Canterbury 3
Semifinals: Sat. March 6th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II -- Governor's vs. Brooks, 11:00 am
Div. II -- Southfield vs. Rivers, 1:00 pm
Div. I -- Choate vs. Westminster, 3:00 pm
Div. I -- Nobles vs. Lawrence, 5:00 pm
Finals: Sun. March 7th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II -- Championship Game, 11:00 am
Div. I -- Championship Game, 1:00 pm
Wed. 3/3/10
2009-10 Girls All-Star Teams
Div. I
G -- Meghann Treacy, Jr., Williston/Lake Peekskill, NY
D -- Kiana Nauheim, Sr., Brewster/Fairbanks, Alaska
D -- Amanda Boulier, Jr., Westminster/Watertown, Conn.
D -- Delia McNally, Jr., Berkshire, Glen Head, NY
F -- Sam Zeiss, Jr, Choate/Stamford, Conn.
F -- Sarah MacDonnell, Jr., Brewster/Quisprimsis, NB, Canada
F -- Ali Vakos, Sr., Berkshire/Hamden, Conn.
F -- Haley Frade, Jr., Tabor, Marion, Mass.
Div. I Player of the Year:
Louise Warren, Senior Forward
Brewster Academy/Pembroke, Ont., Canada
Div. II:
G - Brianne Wheeler, Sr., KUA/Brussels, Ont., Canada
D - Ashley Salerno, Sr., NYA/Brunswick, Maine
D - Natasha Klinoff, Jr., Southfield/Concord, Mass.
F - Eliza Hompe, Sr., Greenwich/New Canaan, Conn.
F - Jen Hand, Sr., KUA/Westford, Mass.
F - Nicole Haskins, Sr., Southfield/Quincy, Mass.
Div. II Player of the Year:
Courtney Dumont, Senior Forward
North Yarmouth Academy/Augusta, Maine
-- The above teams were selected by the girls prep coaches.
-- The above teams do not include the Founders' League or ISL, which select their own all-star teams.
Mon. 3/1/10
Girls Prep Tournament Schedule
Wed. March 3 -- quarterfinals
Div. I
#8 Pomfret @ #1 Choate, 2:45 pm
#7 Lawrence @ #2 Brewster, 3:30 pm
#6 Berkshire @ #3 Nobles, 3:15 pm
#5 Williston @ #4 Westminster, 3:30 pm
Div. II
#8 NYA @ #1 Governor's, 4:00 pm
#7 Gunnery @ #2 Rivers, 4:30 pm
#6 Millbrook @ #3 Southfield, 3:30 pm (@ Williston)
#5 Canterbury @ #4 Brooks, 4:00 pm
Sat. March 6 -- semifinals
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 11:00 am
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner, 1:00 pm
Div. I
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 3:00 pm
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner, 5:00 pm
Sun. March 7 -- finals
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II Championship Game, 11:00 am
Div. I Championship Game, 1:00 pm
Mon. 3/1/10
Girls Final Standings
Div. I:
1. Choate
2. Brewster
3. Nobles
4. Westminster
5. Williston-Northampton
6. Berkshire
7. Lawrence
8. Pomfret
9. Hotchkiss
10. Tabor
11. Loomis-Chaffee
Div. II:
1. Governor's
2. Rivers
3. Southfield
4. Brooks
5. Canterbury
6. Millbrook
7. Gunnery
8. NYA
9. Proctor
10. KUA
11. Tilton
12. Thayer
13. Kingswood-Oxford
14. Hebron
15. Middlesex
Detailed Girls Div. I and II Final Standings
