Catch up with what's going on in the girls lax playoff picture in this week's power rankings
There’s one week (sort of) left in the girls lacrosse season, but the playoff picture is pretty clear.
You don’t often get that this time of year. While seeding is still up in the air in all four divisions, who will and won’t make the playoffs is already decided in Division I and II and all but decided in Division IV.
The games this week are still huge, especially in some of these divisions where being the No. 2 or 3 seed gives teams a significantly better chance of reaching a title game vs. being the No. 4 and playing a powerhouse at No. 1.
There are also some big games being played from teams that are just hoping to get to the postseason, nevermind win the whole thing.
We’ve got you covered. First, take a look at who’s in, who’s out and who’s got work to do and then move on as we present the final girls lacrosse power rankings of the regular season.
DIVISION I
Teams play 14 games, top six automatically make playoffs, teams must win four games otherwise.
IN: Moses Brown, La Salle, East Greenwich, Portsmouth, Barringtin, Prout
OUT: Lincoln School, South Kingstown
DIVISION II
Teams play 13 games, top four teams automatically qualify, teams must win five games otherwise.
IN: North Kingstown, Chariho, Burrillville, Cumberland, Toll Gate, Smithfield, Middletown
OUT: Cranston West, Mt. Hope, Pilgrim
DIVISION III
Teams play 14 games, top four teams automatically qualify, teams must win five games otherwise
IN: Westerly, Narragansett, Mount St. Charles, Bay View, East Providence
OUT: Cranston East, Rogers
NOT YET: Ponaganset needs to win one of its final four games (hosts Mount St. Charles Monday, at East Providence Tuesday, hosts East Providence Thursday, at Providence Country Day next week); Providence Country Day needs two wins in its final four games (at Mount St. Charles Tuesday, hosts Narragansett Thursday, hosts Mount St. Charles Saturday, at Ponaganset next week).
DIVISION IV
Teams play 14 games, top four teams automatically qualify, teams must win five games otherwise
IN: North Smithfield, Lincoln, Tiverton, Classical, Scituate
OUT: Coventry needs to win two of its final three games (at Lincoln Monday, home vs. Johnston Wednesday, home vs. Scituate next week); North Providence needs to win its final four games (at Classical Monday, at Johnston Tuesday, home vs. Scituate Thursday; has unscheduled game vs. Johnston); Johnston needs to win its final five games (home vs. Tiverton Monday and North Providence Tuesday; at Coventry Wednesday and North Smithfield Thursday; has unscheduled game with North Providence left).
See? Pretty easy.
Now let’s get down to something that wasn’t – the final rankings of the regular season.
RIIL Girls Lacrosse Power Rankings – Division I
1. Moses Brown (11-0 Division I)
Can’t tell if the Quakers are letting teams stick around in the first half of games, only to blow them out, is on purpose or not, but it gets the job done. Moses Brown is methodical in its play and someone’s going to have to find perfection if it wants to win against them. The Quakers close the regular season hosting East Greenwich Tuesday, at Barrington Thursday and home against South Kingstown Saturday.
2. East Greenwich (7-5 Division I)
Following a terrific win over La Salle with a loss to Prout wasn’t great, but the Avengers are still playing better in the second half than anyone not named Moses Brown. EG’s problem right now is it needs two wins to be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed but one of those wins would be against the Quakers, who it plays Tuesday. Even if the Avengers beat South Kingstown, they still might end up the No. 4 seed.
3. La Salle (8-4 Division I)
Last week was a rough one for the Rams, who gave away a halftime lead to East Greenwich and got blown out by Moses Brown after playing tough with the Quakers for a half. The Rams need to rebound in a hurry because they’re still one win from being the No. 2 seed. La Salle hosts Barrington Monday and travels to play Portsmouth Wednesday and two losses would be detrimental for their hopes of reaching the state final.
4. Portsmouth (7-5 Division I)
The Patriots are fourth in this poll, but if they can beat La Salle by six on Wednesday and then beat Lincoln School next week, they’ll be the No. 2 seed for the D-I playoffs. A loss to the Rams wouldn’t be ideal, but with goal-differential tiebreaker over East Greenwich, a win over the Lynx is all Portsmouth will likely need to earn the No. 3 seed and avoid having to play Moses Brown in the semifinals.
BROILING: Barrington (5-6 Division I); Prout (5-6 Division I)
RIIL Girls Lacrosse Power Rankings – Division I
1. North Kingstown (10-0 Division II-A)
The rest of the regular season doesn’t matter. Last Thursday’s win over Burrillville guaranteed the Skippers would be the No. 1 seed from II-A, but that doesn’t mean they want to start slacking off. NK will need to stay sharp as the playoffs near and has three more games to keep things going – at Smithfield Monday, home vs. Cranston West Wednesday at Pilgrim on Saturday morning.
2. Chariho (10-1 Division II-B)
The Chargers don’t have anything to play for the final two games, but much like North Kingstown, they need to stay sharp to continue their run toward a title. The Chargers have two games left – at Toll Gate Tuesday and home vs. Pilgrim on Thursday – and if the offense can continue to produce the way it has of late, they’ll be fine come the playoffs.
3. Burrillville (8-4 Division II-A)
North Kingstown is better. Chariho is better. It doesn’t matter. There’s something about these Broncos that seems special and if they end up being Division II champs on grit and toughness, don’t be shocked. Burrillville closes the season with a home game Tuesday against Mt. Hope and at Cranston West Friday.
4. Middletown (5-6 Division II-B)
Last week was not kind to some of D-II’s playoff contenders, but wins over Cumberland and Toll Gate suddenly brought the Islanders into the picture. They’ve got two winnable games to close the season – at Pilgrim Tuesday and home against Mt. Hope Friday – and if Middletown grabs those dubs, they’ll have substantial momentum as the postseason arrives.
BROILING: Toll Gate (5-5 Division II-B), Cumberland (6-5 Division II-B)
RIIL Girls Lacrosse Power Rankings – Division III
1. Westerly (12-0 Division III)
Subdivisions aren’t listed on the RIIL’s official standings, but the rules page say they exist which means the Bulldogs are locked into their spot as the top team from III-B. Westerly wants more and has one big game left on its schedule to make a statement when it hosts defending D-III champ Bay View on Tuesday night.
2. Narragansett (9-1 Division III)
The Mariners haven’t lost since the season opener against Westerly and if they can come up with a win over Bay View Monday, it will put them in good shape to play the Bulldogs in the last game of the season. Narragansett is the top seed from III-A regardless of what happens this week, but would like to finish strong with a home game against Cranston East Wednesday and at Providence Country Day Thursday.
3. Mount St. Charles (7-4 Division III)
It’s back to the drawing board for the Mounties, who had their four-game win streak snapped with an 11-goal loss to Narragansett last week. Now they’ve got to finish strong and get ready for what would be an impressive title game run. First up is a road game at Ponaganset, followed by a home-and-home with Providence Country Day Tuesday and Saturday.
4. Bay View (7-4 Division III)
If the Bengals are going to make their move, this is the week they’ll do it. Monday, Bay View travels to take on Narragansett; Tuesday its at Westerly. If the Bengals win both, what happens against Rogers on Friday doesn’t matter because Bay View will be the heavy favorite to win its second straight Division III title.
BROILING: East Providence (5-5 Division III)
RIIL Girls Lacrosse Power Rankings – Division IV
1. North Smithfield (11-0 Division IV)
The Northmen have cruised this season, but their final three games are exactly what they need heading into the playoffs – two playoff teams (Monday at Scituate, Friday at home vs. Lincoln) and one non-playoff team Thursday when they host Johnston. Then, the fun starts.
2. Lincoln (8-4 Division II)
The Lions have tiebreakers over Tiverton and Classical for the No. 2 seed, but they can just lock the thing up by winning their final two games. Lincoln should take care of Coventry at home Monday, but Friday’s game at North Smithfield would be a chance to show the Northmen the title is far from guaranteed.
3. Classical (7-4 Division III)
When the Purple have all their players on the field, they can – and have – beat anyone in D-IV. Keeping them on the field is key. Classical needs to win its final two games to ensure a No. 3 seed, which would mean avoiding undefeated North Smithfield in the semifinals. The Purple close down the season at home against North Providence Monday at Tiverton Thursday in a game that will have major playoff implications.
4. Tiverton (8-4 Division III)
Two games could change the season for the Tigers, who need to win their final two games to earn a No. 3 seed – and maybe No. 2 – and avoid undefeated North Smithfield in the semifinals. Tiverton will travel to Johnston on Monday night, but Friday night’s home game against Classical will be the playoff game before the playoffs that could change everything for the Tigers.
BROILING: Scituate (5-5 Division IV)
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island High School Girls Lacrosse power rankings heading to playoffs
