Basketball season is winding down in Beaufort County. Next week marks the end of the regular season. Conference tournaments and postseason play follows shortly after.

Winter sports in the area have been dominated by a handful of teams. At Washington, the success of the wrestling and boys’ swim teams has diverted attention from a struggling boys’ basketball team and an underperforming girls’ squad.

Other than Terra Ceia, not many local basketball teams have enjoyed much success. Two groups have a chance to at least make some noise come the state playoffs, though. Northside’s boys and Southside’s girls are both right in the middle of their respective 1-A Coastal Plains Conference standings.

The league has looked about the same for both the boys and girls. There are three teams with a firm grasp on the top of the table, and a clear No. 1. There’s a bit of jousting going on at the bottom of the standings, too, but one team is stuck right in the middle.

The Panthers and Lady Seahawks have both enjoyed modest success, despite not ranking among the top teams in the conference. Most recently, Northside competed with a Pamlico County team that demolished it, 83-55, less than a month ago.

Northside will hope to compete, and perhaps even beat, a Jones Senior team that manhandled it in very much the same way in their first meeting. The Trojans cruised to a 92-54 win on their court back on Jan. 10, but the Panthers didn’t have Rashod Smith in that game. The freshman point guard is the team’s second-leading scorer. Moreover, he averages 8.5 of Northside’s 11.8 assists per game.

With Jones Senior coming to Pinetown this time around, the Panthers have a chance to make up some ground in the standings. Although it’s unlikely they climb into third place, winning out would slingshot them into the conference tournament and then the playoffs, where they’re likely to earn an at-large bid and perhaps even host a first-round game.

The path isn’t nearly as simple for the Lady Seahawks. Of their final four regular-season opponents, Riverside and East Carteret are a combined 27-5. It’s unlikely Southside rises any higher or slips from its No. 4 spot. There is, however, a good shot for a playoff berth, even if it requires traveling for the first round.

The Lady Seahawks, even if they go 2-2 to end the season, should look for consistency. It starts with senior Precious Gaynor and juniors Symone Ruffin and Danielle Ruffin. That will be the foundation in Southside perhaps upsetting a team in the first round.

A lot of teams in the area barely qualify as playoff hopefuls. Even so, this time of the season is quite exciting.