Cottey hosts first-round playoff game; home finale for Greyhounds today

All three of the Herald-Tribune area's junior college basketball teams will be in action this afternoon as post-season play gears up.

Cottey College's women will host a first-round Region XVI Division II playoff game this afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Hinkhouse Center in Nevada against St. Louis-Forest Park. Cottey, the No. 3 seed, goes into the game at 18-3, the most victories in the history of the program. But the Comets (7-3 in Region XVI games) will go into this game with two losses in their last three games of the regular season, both of those coming to North Central Missouri.

Forest Park comes into the contest with a record of 4-22 (0-10 vs. Region XVI) They have allowed 80 or more points in 11 games this season. Cottey defeated Forest Park 78-34 in St. Louis on January 5 and 61-39 at Nevada on February 5.

The top two seeds received byes and will await the winner's of today's games in the semifinals at Penn Valley next Friday.

Today's other semifinal has No. 4 seed Penn Valley (4-6, 13-12) hosting No. 5 Florissant Valley (4-6, 16-13). The winner of that game will play No. 1 Meramec (8-2, 23-4) next Friday while today's Forest Park-Cottey winner will face No. 2 North Central Missouri (7-3, 21-8)

Fort Scott Community College's men and women will host their final home doubleheader of the season when Kansas City Kansas comes to Arnold Arena. The women's game tips off at 2 p.m. with the men to follow at 4 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on KSEK-FM, 99.1 or at www.991espn.com.

Fort Scott's women are looking to beat the Blue Devils while also hoping for a Labette loss to Coffeyville. Currently, the Greyhounds and Cardinals are tied for the fifth seed out of the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division for the Region VI Division I post-season tournament.

Both Fort Scott and Labette are 3-8 against the division's Division I teams. They split the season series with each other and going into today have no tie-breakers. A Fort Scott win over Kansas City paired with a Coffeyville victory over Labette would give the Greyhounds the No. 5 seed. They will visit the Western Division's No. 4 seed in the first round Tuesday night.

If Labette wins and Fort Scott loses, Labette will be the No. 5 seed and Fort Scott No. 6. This will also be the case if Fort Scott and Labette both win because the tie-breaker will then go to the Cardinals for beating a team that finished with a higher seed. Coffeyville is set as the No. 3 seed from the East.

If both Fort Scott and Labette lose, there will still be no tie-breakers and the fifth and sixth seeds will have to be determined with a coin toss.

Seward County and Butler are tied for the West's fourth seed going into today. The winner of tonight's game between them will be the No. 4 seed and host either Fort Scott or Labette in the first round. The loser will be the No. 5 seed and must go to Kansas City to take on the Blue Devils in the first round.

Should Fort Scott end up with the No. 6 seed, they will have to face the West's No. 3 seed, which will be either Cloud County or Barton County. Cloud is currently No. 2 but is only one game ahead of Barton. Cloud faces Western Division leader Hutchinson tonight while Barton County hosts Pratt. If Cloud and Barton finish in a tie, Barton County holds the tie-breaker.

Fort Scott's men will be the No. 7 seed for the men's tournament regardless of the outcome of today's game with KCK. Though it's possible for Fort Scott to tie for sixth with Allen County, the Red Devils hold the tie-breaker because they have beaten division-leading Coffeyville.

The Greyhounds will visit the West's No. 2 seed Tuesday. The winner of tonight's Cloud County-Hutchinson game will take that seed.