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First-round playoff match-ups
Read below for PhDispatch.com picks

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By Kevin Spradlin
The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
COLUMBIA, Feb. 20 -- The MPSSAA conducted the draw for positions in all sixteen region tournament brackets for Girls' Basketball on Sunday at Long Reach High School in Howard County.

The top four teams in each region were seeded and the remaining competitors were put into the open draw to create the pairings.

First Round region games are slated for Saturday, Feb. 26 unless noted otherwise on the brackets.

The Quarterfinal Round is scheduled to follow on Tuesday, March 1 with the Semifinals on Thursday, March 3 and the Finals on Saturday, March 5.

Game times are customarily 7 p.m. on weeknights and anytime after 12 noon on Saturdays. Please verify game sites and times with the designated home school as other school activities or inclement weather may impact this schedule.

No. 1 Allegany
The Campers swept just about everybody this season - except No. 2 Northern Garrett. On paper, Allegany could face a third match-up with the Huskies. But it's not a given.

No. 2 Northern Garrett (17-4) vs. No. 7 Clear Spring (4-17)
The Huskies swept Southern Garrett in the regular season last year but the Rams dropped them like a bad habit in the playoffs. There's little doubt coach Steve Fratz and the team's three seniors - Kaitlyn Fratz, Terra McKenzie and Morgan Brosnihan - will remember that loss.

In fact, this entire season has been themed "unfinished business."

The Blazers, meanwhile, are 4-17 on the season with one regular season game to play on Tuesday against Hancock. Clear Spring began the season 3-4 but then lost 12 straight and 13 of 14.

They don't seem to be playing well, but then again, neither did Southern at this time last year. And we all know what happened at the Igloo then.

PhDispatch.com pick: Huskies, 62-30

No. 5 Fort Hill at No. 4 Mountain Ridge
With Molly Mandel in the lineup, this game might have been the best in the first round. But the edge seems to sway to the Miners given their recent string of victories and well-played games.

That's not to mean Mountain Ridge should take Fort Hill lightly. It might have seemed all was lost when the Sentinels lost Mandel and Fort Hill suffered an 82-39 defeat to Hampshire. But Fort Hill rebounded - literally - and beat the Trojans four days later.

With or without Mandel, this game will be interesting and still might be the best of the early rounds.

PhDispatch.com pick: Miners, 51-42

No. 6 Southern Garrett (11-10) at No. 3 Hancock (7-13)
How this game was paired we'll never know, because on paper it appears to be an easy win - we said it, not coach Daniel Bosley - for the Rams.

Southern Garrett is clicking at just the right time. Though young, their players know the meaning of the word "upset" - on the favorable end, that is (see last year's playoffs). And the Rams have played some tough games lately to get them ready. They trailed by as many as 19 points in the third quarter on Feb. 17 against Northern Garrett but pulled within four points with 1:19 left in the fourth quarter.

Fratz and McKenzie led their team to a win that night. But it was close. And on Feb. 19, Southern accepted a challenge from Tucker County and won, 50-42, after being tied 21-21 at halftime and 36-36 with 4:23 left in the fourth quarter. Mariah Stem's a solid 3-point shooter and Alli Shaffer and Hannah Horne took care of playing an aggressive post play.

No offense to the Panthers - they played tough and relentless against West Virginia School for the Deaf last week in an 82-33 win. There, the Panthers had size and speed advantage in their favor and simply overwhelmed the Lions. That won't necessarily be the case against the Rams.

PhDispatch.com pick: Rams, 54-36