Here's where small districts help

Three girls basketball teams in District 1-5A will battle down the stretch for playoff berths.

Of course, they're all playing for second in the district behind Southwood, but Byrd, Huntington and Airline are in a three-way battle for their postseason lives. And that battle is huge this week as Airline faces both teams.

Thanks to a five-team district alignment -- instead of the massive nine-team football district the schools play in -- the playoff spots are easier to attain.

And no one has a shorter distance to look to for motivation than the Lady Vikes. After all, it was just a year ago the Airline boys snuck into the playoffs with a less-than-spectacular record and reached the quarterfinal round before falling.