BOYS BASKETBALL

DIRTY DOZEN: Bradford boys join rankings for first time

Michael Odom
michodom@jacksonsun.com

One more week and the postseason will begin.

District races are starting to shake out across West Tennessee with the best teams rising to the top seeds.

There are an extra couple of games coming up this week with postponed games being rescheduled for the last couple days of the season. That could mean some big shakeups.

One team is coming off its biggest week of the season is Bradford. The Red Devils won three games this past week to enter the rankings for the first time.

Now remember that results are through Friday night’s action, so none of Saturday’s games counted for this week.

But here is the new boys basketball Dirty Dozen:

1South Side (14-AA) (20-0) – The Hawks have won the first 20 games of the season, but the competition gets tougher here on out with postseason approaching. Results: Beat JCM, Chester County. Last week: No. 1.

2Westview (13-AA) (19-3) – The Chargers haven’t won convincingly, but they have stayed unbeaten in 13-AA play. Results: Beat South Gibson, Dyersburg. Last week: No. 2.

3USJ (D2-A) (20-5) – The Bruins are unbeaten in district play, but they play St. George’s twice this coming week with the No. 1 seed on the line. Results: Beat Rossville Christian. Last week: No. 3.

4McKenzie (13-A) (21-3) – The Rebels are one win away from finishing the 13-A schedule without a loss. They play Big Sandy on Tuesday. Results: Beat Greenfield, Dresden. Last week: No. 4.

5Haywood (15-AA) (16-9) – The Tomcats picked up an eighth win in 15-AA play, and they are now tied for first place in the standings. Results: Beat North Side. Last week: No. 6.

6Middleton (15-A) (16-5) – The Tigers hold a two-game lead in the 15-A standings with three games remaining. Results: Beat West Carroll, Adamsville. Last week: No. 7.

7Humboldt (14-A) (16-7) – The Vikings are two games ahead of Gibson County for third place in the 14-A standings. Results: Beat Gibson County. Last week: No. 9.

8Gibson County (14-A) (17-8) – The Pioneers did pick up two wins, but they lost a key 14-A battle to Humboldt. Results: Beat Chester County, South Fulton; Lost to Humboldt. Last week: No. 8.

9Jackson Christian (15-A) (16-8) – The Eagles entered Saturday with a half-game lead over TCA for second place in 15-A. Results: Beat Madison, Riverside. Last week: No. 10.

10Liberty (15-AA) (11-10) – The Crusaders are starting to peak at the right time, and that showed on Friday as they beat district leader Ripley. Results: Beat Ripley, Last week: No. 11.

11Hardin County (13-AAA) (16-8) – The Tigers suffered two losses in 13-AAA play to fall to 1-4 in district play. Results: Lost to Brighton, Dyer County. Last week: No. 5.

12Bradford (14-A) (13-12) – The Red Devils won three straight to rise above .500 and sit in fifth place in the 14-A standings. Results: Beat Gleason, Trenton Peabody, Lake County. Last week: Not ranked.

Dropped out: North Side (12-9)

Teams eligible for the Dirty Dozen rankings are those who represent schools from The Jackson Sun’s 13-county circulation area: Madison, Gibson, Henderson, Chester, Hardeman, Haywood, Crockett, Weakley, Carroll, Benton, Decatur, McNairy and Hardin.

Michael Odom, 425-9754