The playoff picture for FCIAC girls basketball is beginning to come into focus, with five teams having punched tournament tickets and five more still in the hunt.
Still up in the air are the final seedings and, for the top two seeds, a chance to host quarterfinal doubleheaders on their home courts.
Norwalk, Trumbull, Warde, Wilton and Stamford are in, each with three or fewer losses. Two more — Staples and Ridgefield — are knocking on the door, with the eighth and final spot a three-team battle between Ludlowe, Darien and Danbury.
Norwalk and Trumbull are tied for the top spot with 12-1 record, and they’ll square off in a possible FCIAC final preview on Monday at Norwalk High School. That game tips off at 7 p.m., and will be carried live by the HAN Network.
Just behind the top two are the Warde Mustangs at 11-2 in league play. Warde already owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over Norwalk and will host Trumbull on Friday, so the Mustangs are very much in play for the No. 1 seed.
The Wilton Warriors and Stamford Black Knights are both 10-3, one game behind Warde, with Wilton in fourth place based on its win over Stamford back in December.
Staples is 10-4 and on the verge of clinching a playoff bid, as are the Ridgefield Tigers, who are 9-4. Those teams will square off on Friday in Westport.
The final spot comes down to the Ludlowe Falcons (7-6), Darien Blue Wave (7-7) and Danbury Hatters (6-7).
Ludlowe has a six-game win streak, which includes a victory over Darien last Saturday, but the Falcons have two big games in their final three as they’ll face Staples and Warde next week.
Darien, which owns the tiebreaker over Danbury, finishes with two sub-.500 teams, while Danbury, which owns the tiebreaker over Ludlowe, has a tough game against Wilton and two games against teams with losing records remaining.
Click here for the full standings
Below is the FCIAC girls basketball playoff schedule:
Saturday, Feb. 17
Quarterfinal doubleheaders at top two seeds, times TBA
Tuesday, Feb. 20
Semifinals at Fairfield Ludlowe, 6 and 7:45 p.m.
Note: Highest remaining seed has choice of game time
Thursday, Feb. 22
Championship at Fairfield Ludlowe, 7 p.m.
