Nationals 2014 Thursday Preview

Published: Jul 2, 2014 by Joey Bohanon

As things are wrapping up on Wednesday, I wanted to mention where we stand with respect to the Final Four. Right now, only five teams stand a chance to make it. Results through round 17 may be found on Grand Central.

First, there’s Bothell’s, “The A Team” at 15-2. They are guaranteed a spot. They play Swedesboro and Phoenix in the morning.

Second, there’s James River’s “Blazing Fire” at 16-3. They are also guaranteed a spot. They play Fort Worth and Cedar Rapids.

While this is nationals and anything can happen, I don’t see either of them losing in the morning, so likely they will end up as the #1 and #2 seeds. Also, in case of a tied record, Bothell has way more points than any other team, so unless they lose two and James Rivers wins two, they will be the top seed.

Sitting in third place is Muskogee, OK. In the morning, they play Cedar Rapids and Scottsdale. They only need to win one to guarantee themselves a spot. If they win two, they have the #3 seed. If they lose one, they will likely end up tied with either Bellevue or Spring and head-to-head will determine placement and whether they play Bothell or James River first.

Tied for fourth place are Bellevue, WA and Spring, TX. In the morning, Bellevue plays Upper St. Clair and Spring plays Binghamton in the first round, then they play each other in the second round. More than likely that game will determine the fourth spot.

As for top scorer, Abby basically has that sewn up, unless something particularly beguiles her in the last two matches. She has over a 300 point lead on the next quizzer.

Best wishes to all of these teams.