UPDATED 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10

Tied for fifth place is not good enough for Port Townsend to make the 1A district girls' basketball playoffs – PTHS needed to be alone in fifth place.

PTHS administrators, coaches, players and fans learned that fact Feb. 9 when the team's hopes of a playoff opportunity were dashed.

"It is just painful, and the way that it went down makes it difficult on the kids," said PTHS varsity girls' coach Randy Maag. "It would have been less painful to lose a loser-out game on a last second shot."

Wednesday morning Patrick Kane, PTHS assistant principal and athletic director, and Maag thought Townsend would be playing at Nisqually League team Vashon Island Thursday with the winner advancing to a Feb. 11 loser-out game.

Wednesday afternoon, news of an eligibility question arose and a Thursday meeting at Bellarmine Prep High sealed the deal - but not in PT's favor.

PTHS is a 1A school playing in the 2A/3A Olympic League. The West Central District 3's other 1A teams are in the Nisqually League. How a PT team (volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball and softball) finishes against the Olympic's 2A schools decides a 1A playoff spot.

"In the past we had to finish above one 2A team to get in the playoffs and then it was changed to two 2A teams," Maag said. "It's now three 2A teams just to get a pig-tail game." (Prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, Kane had insisted on having the eligibility scenarios in writing based on questions from last season).

This season the PTHS girls finished 5-9 against 2A Olympic League teams, and 0-2 against the Olympic's sole 3A team (Bremerton). PT happened to be 4-0 against 1A Nisqually League teams, in non-league play.

PT's success against Olympic League 2A schools was 2-0 vs. North Mason, 2-0 vs. Sequim, 1-1 vs. Olympic High but 0-2 against Klahowya. Ultimately, the two losses against Klahowya (46-37 in the season-opener last Dec. 2 and 39-31 on Jan. 6) doomed PT.

Not actually tied

Although the teams finished with the same overall league record (5-11), the Nisqually rules have Klahowya in fifth and Townsend in sixth because Klahowya won both head-to-head meetings.

The [Nisqually League] president stated that since we didn't split our games with Klahowya, win/loss, we didn't get the right to the pig-tail game," Kane told the Leader. "The clause about a tie is vague and that is why I made the appeal."

An appeal committee reviewed the matter following a Feb. 9 meeting of West Central District 3 athletic directors, and confirmed the ruling. Kane than contacted the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, who declined to become involved as it is a District 3 issue.

Coach Maag said it is a classic example of how PTHS teams do not get a fair shake when it comes to postseason because of league affiliation.

"I guess for all those that thought this Olympic League vs. Nisqually League was just about getting beat up by bigger schools, maybe now they will understand what the coaches here are really talking about, which is an equal opportunity for the post season in a way that is fair to our kids," said PTHS girls' basketball coach Randy Maag.

"We're the odd duck, so to speak," Maag added. "The Nisqually League is all about protecting its teams."

Tie breaker scenario

Kane said the sheet "Port Townsend Entry to Post-Season" does not specify how being tied for fifth place matters.

"We had looked at the tie scenario and we didn't read it the way the Nisqually League read it," Maag said. "You can say that typically you break ties by head to head and that is standard practice but it is also standard practice to have your playoff tiebreaker scenario in writing. The Olympic League has one for their 2A schools."

The head of the Olympic League athletic directors backed PT: tied for fifth was as good as alone in fifth place from their view, and that gave Kane hope for a successful appeal.

By Nisqually League standards, PTHS received a fair ruling.

"The Nisqually League guidelines for PTHS in case of a tie in league standings state that if they had a split outcome with their tied opponent they would get the higher league standing," said Mike Cornachione, Chimacum High School athletic director. He was not at the Feb. 9 meeting in which PT's case was discussed, but has seen the rules. "In this case [Port Townsend] lost twice to the other fifth-place team so in terms of post-season play they finished sixth. The same guidelines are used in the Nisqually League. For example, if [Chimacum boys] would have finished fifth and tied with Vashon they [Vashon] would have gotten the fifth seed outright with no coin flip because they beat us twice."

The Nisqually League athletic directors prior to this season had also decided that a coin flip would be used to break a tie, if needed, with a playoff berth at stake. "The only case where an extra game would be played is when a playoff bye was at stake," Cornachione noted.

Mid-week change

Early in the week, PT's playoff opportunity was seemingly set: Vashon Island was on track to finish as the Nisqually League's fourth-place team and would host PT on Thursday, with the winner advancing to a loser-out game Saturday. Maag was optimistic his team could win both those loser-out games and advance into the tri-district tourney's double elimination round.

But Life Christian Academy lost Feb. 7 to Charles Wright Academy (not expected), and lost (as expected) Feb. 8 in a game against Cascade Christian that on the league schedule was set for Feb. 10, and had to be moved to Feb. 8. Those two Life Christian losses put Vashon in third place and Life Christian in fourth.

Wednesday, a Nisqually League official contacted PTHS athletic director Kane about how Life Christian's upset loss to Charles Wright and likely loss that night to Cascade Christian changed PT's playoff scenario.

The Nisqually League questioned whether Port Townsend was indeed eligible for playoff entry.

Maag learned just before practice on Wednesday that a problem had arisen with PT's playoff status and Kane was working on it. Later that afternoon, Kane came to practice and talked with Maag about having to appeal at a meeting Thursday, and PT could be playing Friday instead of Thursday.

"We planned on playing Friday," Maag said. "We thought we would win the appeal based on the rules and the fact we had the Olympic League [representative] on our side. We were fairly confident we were going to win that appeal.

"I was hoping to go to practice and tell the girls that Friday we were going to play and instead I had to tell the girls our season was over," Maag said.

No relief next season

There is no relief in sight. PT Superintendent Gene Laes has signed PTHS up for another two-year stint in the Olympic League.

Next year, reclassification make's PT's chance for a 1A playoff spot even tougher because Bremerton drops from 3A to 2A. This season, if Bremerton had been 2A, PTHS would have finished tied for sixth and out of the 1A playoff opportunity, according to the existing Nisqually League rules.

Maag said he does plan on returning as PTHS varsity coach next season, and hopes the school's play-in qualifications can be adjusted to account for Bremerton (which becomes one of the state's largest 2A by enrollment).

"It's the perfect ending to that complete Nisqually League-Olympic League mess."

UPDATE 5 p.m. Feb. 8

PTHS girls are in the 1A basketball playoffs, a loser-out game 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at Vashon Island.

Port Townsend advances by finishing fifth place (5-11, 9-11 overall) against the Olympic League's seven 2A teams. Klahowya (5-11, 7-13) lost league tilts Monday and Tuesday, keeping the 2A Eagles in a tie with Port Townsend, and that is good enough. (Klahowya also advances into the 2A playoffs).

The 1A District 3 (Nisqually League, plus PT) fourth-place team plays at District 2 third-seed (Seattle Academy 9-4) in a loser-out game Feb. 11.

Saturday's winner advances into the tri-district double elimination round, starting Feb. 14 at the District 3 champion. Tri-district games are also set Feb. 16 and Feb. 18.

ORIGINAL STORY Feb. 8

The Port Townsend basketball girls, coaches and fans won't know until Tuesday evening if the Lady Redskins have a 1A playoff future.

If 2A Klahowya lost its final Olympic League game Tuesday, that qualifies Townsend for a 1A playoff shot.

"All we want really is an opportunity," said coach Randy Maag, "to get a chance to play against schools our own size to see where we match up."

PTHS teams (basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball) earn a 1A playoff opportunity by finishing fifth or higher against 2A schools in the 2A/3A Olympic League (Bremerton is only 3A school). PT and 2A Klahowya are tied with five wins; PT's regular season is done while the Eagles lost to 2A North Kitsap on Monday and played 2A Olympic on Tuesday.

PT needs Klahowya to lose so the teams remain tied, and that gives Townsend a 1A playoff opportunity.

Townsend would play 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at the 1A Nisqually League's fourth-place team. Vashon Island is that likely team, but Vashon must beat Chimacum, and see what Life Christian (now third at 6-4) does with remaining games against Charles Wright (4-6) and Cascade Christian (10-1).

The District 3 (Nisqually League, plus PT) fourth-place team meets District 2 third seed (Seattle Academy 9-4) in a loser-out game Feb. 11. That game’s winner advances into the tri-district double elimination round, starting Feb. 14 at the District 3 champion.

The PT girls (5-11, 9-11) led the entire game Jan. 31against North Mason, and blew it open with a 16-8 third-quarter scoring edge. But coach Maag said his team started the must-win game too flat-footed.

"We had a pretty serious discussion at halftime, probably as animated as I got this year," Maag said.

The second half was a different story, sparked off the bench by junior Enani Rubio who finished with 8 rebounds, 5 points and 4 steals. For the game, senior Kiley Maag had 13 rebounds and 9 points and fellow guard Jewell Johnson talli ed 15 rebounds, 7 points and 5 assists. Irina Lyons hit a game-high 11 points.

Last Friday against 3A Bremerton, PT fell behind 18-4 but the 59-44 final was a lot better than PT’s showing in an 81-27 loss on Jan. 3. Maag finished with 12 points and Hossack scored 10.

Honored on Senior Night were three-year starter Kiley Maag, Chelsea Whipple and Kaile Phillips, Megan Gambill, first-year player Christine Unrue and exchange student Marie Karlsen.

“One to 22, it is a great group of kids,” coach Maag noted.