Section XI, the governing body for public school sports in Suffolk County, reversed direction on Wednesday and decided to hold a postseason in boys and girls basketball to determine county champions.
When the guidance for playing high-risk sports in Suffolk high schools was unveiled on Monday, officials said there would be no postseason and that instead all teams would play the season from start to finish, maximizing participation. However, Section XI executive director Tom Combs said that goal still will be accomplished because non-playoff teams will be permitted to keep playing non-league games during the postseason.
“There was a way to have a postseason and still keep student-athletes playing throughout the county, so that’s what we did,” Combs said.
“We’re grateful just to be having a season, but having a postseason really adds something,” Ward Melville boys basketball coach Alex Piccirillo said. “With a pot of gold at the end, things will be more competitive. You have to finish in the top two in your league, so that’s what we’ll be gunning for.”
The Section XI playoffs will run just two days — Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 — and will involve 16 teams in four tournaments based on enrollment. The first- and second-place finishers in Leagues 1 and 2 qualify for one tournament, the first-and second-place finishers in Leagues 3 and 4 qualify for another and so forth.
A total of four county champions will be crowned. Unlike in previous years, there will not be a tournament to name a single overall Suffolk champion.
Piccirillo said numerous coaches spent Wednesday scheduling non-league games that they could play if they don’t qualify for the playoffs.
