Due to changes made at LaxPower.com, the Girls Section Five Committee needed to identify a way to seed their Sectional Tournament.  Chairman Al DeCarlo reached out to his counterpart in the Boys Section Five Committee and discussed how the Boys seed their tournament.  After further discussions with additional leadership in Section Five, it was determined that the Girls would switch their seeding in 2017 to the system used by the Boys.  The system is historically a good predictor for the Boys and has over 15 years of data.  Below is a brief synopsis of how seeding is done.  A complete step-by-step walkthrough is available on the Boys site (BLaxFive.net) and is linked at the end of this article.

Seeding points are earned based on the final Win/Loss record of each opponent.  Each team’s Win/Loss record is expressed as a percentage and given a point value.  Teams with over 75% wins are given a 10 point value for a win (4 points for a loss), teams over 50% and under 75% are given an 8/3 value, teams over 25% and under 50% are given a 6/2 value, and teams under 25% are given a 4/1 value.  After totaling the points from your games the sum is divided by the total number of games played to give an average point value.  These averages are ranked against all other opponents in your Class to determine your seed.

The largest issue related to this seeding method is until the end of the season it is difficult to determine how many points you receive for each game.  A team that is 7-8 going into their final game can quickly change from giving their opponents 6 (or 2 points) to winning their final game and giving ALL of their opponents 8 (or 3 points).  The points received are based on the FINAL record, not the record at the time that the game was played.  In the same vein, a team that is 3-12 going into their final game can move from giving 4 (or 1 points) to giving 6 (or 2 points) if they win their final game.  Teams that are not locked into a specific scoring tier are referred to as “bubble teams” and it is important as Sectionals approach for everyone to realize that one “bubble team” can change the ranking system significantly in the final weeks of play.

Chairman DeCarlo has asked GLaxFive.net to publish the rankings as they exist each week.  On Sunday’s we will post the seeding as if it happened that day.  Included in those rankings will be lists of each team and their status as a “bubble team” or a “locked team” so that everyone can see which teams are still fluctuating in their seeding points.  In the early part of the season, the seeding will be less useful.  When a small number of games have been played, many teams are 100% (1-0) or 0% (0-1) and give 4 points to their opponents (a 100% team give 4 points to the team they beat and a 0% team gives 4 points to the team they lost to).  However, we wanted people to get used to how to read the summaries and get an understanding for how they worked.

For additional information on the seeding protocol with specific team examples look (HERE).  If there are any questions, you can contact either your teams Head Coach or us here at GLaxFive.net with the “contact” option at the top of the page.  Good Luck to all teams this season.

LOCKED Example (5/7/2017): Newark is the first team to become "LOCKED" in their seeding points.  The Reds have played 14 of their 16 games.  They currently have 4 wins and 10 losses with 2 remaining games.  

If Newark wins both contests they will finish 6-10 and be over 25% and under 50% (6 points for a win, 3 points for a loss).  On the other hand, if they lose both games they will finish 4-12 and be over 25% and under 50% (6 points for a win, 3 points for a loss).  So regardless of outcomes, the final two games will not change the points that they will give their opponents.  Therefore, they are considered LOCKED.  

This does not lock Newark's seed in the tournament, just the amount of points that they will give their opponents.  Newark is still able to move up or down in seeding because none of their opponents are locked.