Since there were no UCBAC boys basketball games played Wednesday night, which is when I usually write these things, I don't have to end my intro paragraph with the normal caveat, that the power poll takes into account only those games played through Tuesday. But, I just did that in the opening sentence instead, so either way you know. There isn't much movement on the rankings from last week, but here's how I see things stacking up:
1. Edgewood: After losing two games at last week's talent-packed Basketball Academy in Baltimore, one of which was a tight loss, 64-60, to Randallstown, and the other a not-so-tight, 66-37, drubbing by Edmonson-Westside, the Rams got back on track with an eight-point victory over North Harford Tuesday. They square off with host Aberdeen tonight (Friday), and a win on the Eagles' home court would all but seal up a Chesapeake Division crown for the Rams.
2. Aberdeen: Things got easier for Edgewood on Tuesday night, when the Eagles suffered their second Chesapeake Division defeat, losing in Elkton, 60-55. To have a shot at regaining the upper division title, they must beat the Rams tonight in a rematch of the Jan. 6 contest, which they lost, 61-46, then hope Edgewood loses one of its remaining Chesapeake matchups. Basically, it all comes down to this evening's game. I'll be there, you should go, too.
3. Patterson Mill: The Huskies' unbeaten run ended at 13 games (including holiday tournament contests) on Jan. 26 with a loss to Digital Harbor at the Basketball Academy. Much like Edgewood, Patterson Mill, the front runner in its respective division, lost both games at the Baltimore City event (the second defeat came to Owings Mills on Saturday), then stormed back into divisional play with a victory, which in the Huskies' case was a 72-41 pounding of Susquehanna opponent Perryville. My guess is, Patterson Mill will be playing Edgewood or Aberdeen at the UCBAC title game in a few weeks.
4. Joppatowne: The Mariners' last regular-season loss came at the hands of Patterson Mill on Jan. 10. The rubber match takes place on Tuesday, in Joppatowne. The first game was tight, with the Huskies winning, 52-48. Let's hope the upcoming game is as good as the previous one. I am trying to write like Hemingway, with short, declarative sentences. The game was good, both teams played bravely.
5. C. Milton Wright: As I've stated ad nauseum in my power polls, the Mustangs are tough to rate, because their results swing back and forth, for instance, losing by two points to Elkton, then getting beat by nearly 30 points a week later when playing Edgewood, then beating North Harford by seven, then losing to Aberdeen by 27. Whatever the case, they beat North Harford, and that's why they're up in the fifth spot.
6. North Harford: The defeats keep coming for the Hawks, who have dropped seven of their last eight games. I'm keeping them in the sixth spot because their last two matchups, a 49-47 loss to Elkton and a 62-54 loss to Edgewood, were close and came at the hands of the conference's best teams. I'm curious to see how they fare in their Tuesday road game with Aberdeen.
7. Harford Tech: Since returning from the holiday break, the Cobras have gone 6-3 and three losses have been to teams above them on this list (Patterson Mill, Edgewood and Joppatowne). After playing Rising Sun and Bo Manor next week, they close out the season with a three-game stretch in which they'll square off with Patterson Mill, Bel Air and Perryville. I would not bet on it, but an upset in the first of those games would make things mighty spicy in the Susquehanna.
8. Bel Air: The Bobcats are starting to get some momentum, recording double-digit wins over Rising Sun and Bo Manor in their last two games, which came after single-digit losses to Harford Tech and Joppatowne. In a rematch of the latter, the Bobcats and Cobras play on Feb. 13.
9. Fallston: The Cougars squared off with Havre de Grace last Friday and came out on top, beating the Warriors, 65-59, in overtime.
10. Havre de Grace: Some publications out there like to write snarky things about bottom-ranked teams, and though it's very easy to do, I try to keep away from that stuff, because I remember how bad it stung when a certain newspaper said in a pre-season power poll that my high school soccer team should "look for a rock to hide under" (we wound up winning the county title, so that shows you how dumb sportswriters, myself included, can be). Anyway, it bums me out that a back-to-back Chesapeake Division champ has fallen down the rungs in such short order.