Dan Tomlin's View on WB6 Games

By Dan Tomlin, dtomlin@qconline.com

Half of the Western Big 6 girls' basketball teams are ranked in the latest state polls, and they are all well-deserved. However, tonight is another Thursday night and everyone knows you can throw out state rankings, throw out records and every game is going to be a dogfight. At some point in time this season, every coach has said something to the effect of, "That's basketball in the Western Big 6. Every Thursday night is going to be a grind." Tonight is no different. As the season gets later, the importance of the games becomes greater and the opportunity to scratch and claw your way to the top of the conference is lessened. All three games on this evenings slate have major WB6 ramifications as the second half of the conference season gets under way. Alleman (15-6, 4-2 WB6) at Rock Island (15-4, 4-1 WB6):The winner of this game not only gets to hold on to the city championship bragging rights until next season, but also has the catbird seat the rest of the way in conference. The Rocks have tooled around with their starting lineup and it looks like the changes they've made are for the better… . Both teams have been red hot lately, with the Pioneers dropping state-ranked Galesburg last week then roughing up North Scott on Saturday. The Rocks had two blowouts of Quincy and Pleasant Valley. … The implications of an Alleman victory bring the conference full circle with five teams potentially in the hunt. If the Rocks win, they can control their own destiny and start to put some distance between them and the chase pack. Moline (13-8, 3-2 WB6) at Galesburg (15-3, 3-3 WB6): The Silver Streaks can't lose another conference game if they hope to win the conference title. With their backs against the wall, the Maroons should expect John Thiel Gymnasium to be rocking. … Moline's zone defense will allow Galesburg and the system to put up a lot of 3s, and it very well could come down to how well GHS can make their bombs. … Moline is coming off a tough home loss to UT and would love to pin one on the Sreaks and stay close to, if not pull even with, Rock Island and Alleman in the battle for the conference crown. United Township (13-6, 2-3 WB6) at Quincy (8-7, 0-5 WB6):I said it last week and I'll say it again, Quincy can play the sleeper on any given night. They still have a winning record and could shock a team like the Panthers if they don't go in prepared for a battle. … The Panthers have been playing great as of late, losing to one of the best teams in the state of Iowa, Assumption, but just a pair of buckets. They'll need to string together some WB6 wins to take the conference title, and last week's win at Moline was quite the start. How I voted in the state polls: In 4A, I didn't have Moline or United Township on my ballot at this time as there are just too many question marks about who they are. This week should answer some of those questions, and one of them, if not both, could make their way onto the ballot. … 3A was tough. I had Peoria High third after seeing how explosive it could be in winning the Manual Tournament, then Springfield fourth having seen it make a nice run at State Farm. Then it got muddled. Galesburg won the Charleston Tournament and has a win over Springfield this season, so I dubbed them fifth despite their loss on the road to Rock Island. Morton had to fit in somewhere, and, since the Potters beat Rocky, I dropped them in at sixth and had the Rocks seventh. Geneseo got a vote at 10 because it is a good 3A team as well. This is a very solid class as evidenced by all of the ties in voting. … 2A wasn't much easier. Quincy Notre Dame was a unanimous No. 1 throughout the state, and I think El Paso-Gridley was a deserving No. 2 after winning the State Farm Classic. After that, Alleman was the next best team I saw from 2A. Although the loss to Sherrard looms large, the wins over Pana and St. Thomas More were impressive. Sherrard did get a nod at No. 10, where they ended up on the final poll.