Taking a look at the girls' basketball playoff picture

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As we get into the playoffs, several regions and playoff spots are still up in the air - a lot of teams' postseason hopes hang in the balance.

Let's take a look at some of the local girls' basketball regions and try to make sense of some of the race for spots and seeding. There will be some surprises, but here are the most likely scenarios:

Region 1: This is mostly worked out, unless Layton is able to upset Syracuse next week. The Titans will be No. 1, Layton will likely be No. 2, and Weber will be third. The only big question mark is between Fremont and Davis for the last playoff spot. The edge goes to the Silverwolves, who have last-place Northridge on the schedule before heading to Davis, whom they've beaten before.

Region 2: Another mostly common-sense race — Taylorsville has all but sealed up the top seed, with Hunter trailing. Kearns has an edge on the No. 3 seed as long as it doesn't lose out, although its last game is to the first-place Warriors. The battle for the last spot is between Granger and Viewmont. Give the Vikings the edge - they'll play last-place West in the season finale.

Region 3: Alta will likely win the region, with Brighton at No. 2. West Jordan is currently sitting at No. 3, but it gets the top two teams as its last two games with Cottonwood only one match behind. The Colts get a game against last-place Jordan, so if they can win at least one, they're likely in. Copper Hills could still muscle its way into the playoffs if it can win out, but it has one game against Brighton, which will make it difficult. If Cottonwood and West Jordan tie, a coin flip should decide who gets the third seed.

Region 4: After first-place Riverton, this region gets extraordinarily murky. Bingham, American Fork and Lone Peak are all going to the postseason, but all are tied with 5-3 records. The Miners have the toughest path, visiting the Silverwolves before hosting Lone Peak. The Knights get a shot at both of their competitors for the second place, and get the Cavemen at home. If American Fork can beat Pleasant Grove, it has the best shot at a No. 2 or No. 3 spot, pending ties. Lone Peak beat both teams earlier in the year, so give them the edge to repeat the feat.

Region 5: Bonneville will win region assuming it wins one of its last two. Mountain Crest has a one-game lead on Sky View for second, and gets a visit to last-place Logan but also hosts the first-place Lakers. Sky View has a great chance to win out with games against Roy and Logan, and could force a coin flip for second if the Mustangs split. The Royals have two tough games ahead, but with a two-game lead for the final spot, they look like a safe bet to make it.

Region 6: A surprising Cyprus team can lock down the No. 1 spot with a win - if the Pirates don't get it against Bountiful, they'll definitely beat Clearfield. The Braves and Woods Cross are tied at No. 2, and the Wildcats have their final two games on the road. But Woods Cross did beat Bountiful earlier in the season, and one of its last games is against woeful Highland, so it gets the edge here. Clearfield can lock up a playoff bid by beating East. The Leopards can force a coin flip by winning out a relatively easy schedule.

Region 7: Skyline is already the top-seeded team from this region. Olympus has a one-game lead on the field for No. 2, but its last game is against the Eagles, so it's likely to at least split unless it can benefit from playing at home. Westlake and Hillcrest are deadlocked at 4-4. The Thunder has a gimme game against Murray, but also a tough road trip to Skyline. The Huskies have the easiest path to the third seed - and maybe a flip for No. 2 - with Murray at home and Herriman on the road. The Mustangs need to win out just to be in this conversation.

Region 8: This playoff picture is the most bungled of all. Salem Hills has a slim one-gamelead at the moment, and has the benefit of playing its last three games at home. Maple Mountain and Timpanogos are tied at 8-3, and will play each other at the Timberwolves' place on Valentine's Day. They have similar schedules otherwise - both have to play Provo and another 4-7 team to round out their schedules - and there isn't an obvious edge, except the Timpanogos gets the home game when they play each other. Springville is fighting for its playoff life, and has Salem Hills, but also Timpview and Provo. The Red Devils are likely to be in if they can win both of their home games. The Thunderbirds are also fighting, but they'll probably have to beat Springville on the road to get in.

Region 10: Juan Diego need only beat Uintah on the road to lock up the No. 1 seed, and it would be surprising if the Soaring Eagle didn't. Judge needs to beat Park City to stay at home with the No. 2 seed, and that's almost assured. That leaves Wasatch with No. 3 and Uintah with No. 4. If there is a surprise in this region, it would be that Juan Diego and Judge may come down to a coin flip for No. 1 - everything else is pretty much set.

Region 14: There's a pretty good battle at the top of this region this week: South Summit v. North Summit. The Wildcats lead by a game now, but if the Braves can knock them off, they'll share the region title and flip a coin for top seed. Maesar Prep heads to Waterford to fight for the No. 3 seed, and the loser gets No. 4. Rowland Hall is out.

Region 17: Yet undefeated St. Joseph has this region locked up, and Layton Christian has the second seed. Intermountain Christian will almost certainly beat Concordia Prep for the the final seed and the right to play the No. 5 team from Region 20. West Ridge Academy has completed its region schedule and can only wait for the result.

— Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon —