This is Part II of the East Idaho conference rundown. To read Part I, please click here:

http://www.idahosports.com/blogs/blog.aspx?contentid=357

3A South East Idaho Conference

This conference features a two-headed monster of powerhouse programs that have been tearing up the competition thus far. The Snake River Panthers are the No. 1 ranked team in the state with a 17-1 record and 3-1 mark in conference play. Their only loss came to 2A Soda Springs by three points early in the season. The other half of that two-headed monster? The defending 3A State Champions, the Marsh Valley Eagles.The No. 3 ranked team in the state currently sits in second place in the conference at 13-5, with a 3-1 mark against conference opponents. 

American Falls and Bear Lake have both been unable to keep up with the Panthers and Eagles so far during the regular season. But all it takes is one night to have all cylinders clicking to knock off any powerhouse. 

2A Nuclear Conference

The Nuke is about as crazy as it gets. This conference every single year is close from top to bottom. In an article from the Post Register, the coaches said that this year has been wackier than most with this being the most-evenly matched season that they have ever seen. No. 2 Ririe leads the pack right now with a 13-5 overall record, 6-1 in conference play. They are followed by No. 3 Firth with a 12-6 record, including 3-3 in the Nuke. Then you've got West Jefferson at 11-7, 3-4 in the conference with No. 4 North Fremont at 11-7, 2-4 in the conference. You can't forget Salmon either, the newcomer to the conference, with an 8-10 record, 2-4 in conference play.

Ridiculous isn't it?

If there is any race to watch, this one could produce the most unexpected results. With only 1.5 berths available to the conference for the 2A Real Dairy Shootout, it's going to come all down to who can handle the madness and compose themselves in the postseason.

2A South East Idaho Conference

If you're looking for a model of consistency in girls basketball, Soda Springs would be a great place to look. The Cardinals have been to the state tournament every year since 2002.That streak doesn't look like it will end this season either, as they have a firm grip on the conference and a 16-2 overall record. Malad and Aberdeen could threaten for the district championship if Soda Springs has an off-night. West Side could always make a run too should they get hot during this last week, even though they have struggled this season. 

The conference gets 1.5 berths to the state tournament. The second place team would end up playing in the State Play-In game against the second-place team from the Nuclear Conference. I'm fairly sure that most teams would want to avoid that matchup if at all possible.

1A Classification

There are a few teams in both 1A Division I and 1A Division II to watch out for: 

In 1AD1, you've got the No. 1 ranked team in the state, Butte County, cruising along and looking to wrap up the top seed for the district tournament. Not far behind them is No. 3 Hagerman, No. 5 Challis, and Grace. But there are only 2.5 berths available for the state tournament for the 1AD1 Snake River Conference, which means that a very good team will most likely not play in the Real Dairy Shootout. This conference race could also be one of the more compelling races in East Idaho.

In 1AD2, the No. 5 ranked Mackay Miners are looking to return to the state tournament once again and to finish off what they started last season, except this time to win it all. Mackay fell in the semi-finals last year to eventual champion Dietrich and then came up just short against perennial favorite Richfield. Don't forget about Leadore or Clark County either. Both teams could pull an upset in the district tournament as they both want to stop Mackay's return trip to Boise from happening.

As the district tournaments progress, don't forget to come back to IdahoSports.com for information on the 2013 Girls Real Dairy Shootout! I'm expecting lots of excitement in the district tournaments. Get out and support your teams!

For information on the 2013 Girls Real Dairy Shootout, please click this link:
http://www.idahosports.com/tournaments/state/girlsbasketball.aspx?sportid=6