Marquette’s Maria Millado, bottom, dives for a loose ball with Westwood’s Karlie Patron in hot pursuit during their high school girls basketball game played at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Feb. 6. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

MARQUETTE — It’s time to brush off your tournament hats and favorite beverage holder to contain your coffee or hot chocolate as high school basketball tournament season begins tonight.

Unlike many years, a majority of area teams actually do get started tonight — 10 of the 12 girls teams, including every team in Marquette and Alger counties — with a tweak to the placement of teams in their brackets.

This is the first year the MHSAA is using a football playoff-like formula to determine the top two teams in each district so they can be placed on opposite sides of their bracket.

That will keep those two powerhouses (in some cases) from meeting until the district championship game on Friday night.

It’s caused some head-scratching by several athletic directors as they try to figure out who will host games in the nontraditional brackets — which is what six of the seven districts involving area teams will be.

Boys basketball is completing its regular season this week and will hold its districts next week.

In addition, high school hockey plays its regional final this week — Marquette is at Escanaba at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Division 2. The winner advances to the quarterfinals in Gaylord on Saturday.

One other hockey playoff game might make its way to the area — if Sault Ste. Marie wins its Alpena-hosted Division 3 regional, in all likelihood its quarterfinal against a Copper Country team will be played at Lakeview Arena in Marquette on Saturday.

Athletic directors at host sites always remind us that there is a set admissions price at each level and that season passes aren’t accepted at these games.

A number of other sports, involving both area high schools and Northern Michigan University, also have playoff action in these next seven days.

They include NMU hockey, which will host Michigan Tech in a WCHA playoff quarterfinal series on Friday night, Saturday night, and if necessary, Sunday night at the Berry Events Center.

The Wildcats’ basketball teams both take to the road Tuesday night for GLIAC playoff quarterfinal games. The No. 5-seeded women play at No. 4 Wisconsin-Parkside, while the No. 8-seeded NMU men travel to No. 1 and regular season champion Ferris State. A win and they advance to the weekend semifinals and finals to be hosted by the highest surviving seed of Tuesday’s games.

On the high school side, bowling, gymnastics, wrestling and competitive cheer have playoffs this weekend.

Ishpeming-Negaunee and Westwood send bowlers to their state finals downstate on Friday and Saturday, Marquette and Negaunee have gymnasts at a Grand Rapids regional on Saturday, seven area schools ranging from Westwood east to Newberry send wrestlers to the individual state finals at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday and Saturday, and Munising will send its cheer team to those state championships in Grand Rapids on Saturday.

Here is the schedule for basketball and hockey this week, though there is a chance some Wednesday or Friday girls basketball games could be at a different location depending on how the MHSAA completes its scheduling:

—————

TODAY

High school

girls basketball

Division 1 district, hosted by Alpena (nontraditional) — Marquette at Petoskey, 6 p.m.; Gaylord at Traverse City West, 6 p.m.

Division 3 district, hosted by Manistique (nontraditional) — Gwinn at Negaunee, 7 p.m.; Westwood at Ishpeming, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district, at Mid Peninsula (traditional) — Munising at Mid Peninsula, 6 p.m.; Superior Central vs. Rapid River, 7:30 p.m.

Division 4 district, hosted by Carney-Nadeau (nontraditional) — North Dickinson at Republic-Michigamme, 7 p.m.; North Central at Carney-Nadeau, 7 p.m. EST

Division 4 district, hosted by Baraga (nontraditional) — Dollar Bay at Baraga, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district, hosted by Wakefield-Marenisco (nontraditional) — Ontonagon at L’Anse, 5 p.m.; Ewen-Trout Creek at Wakefield-Marenisco, 8 p.m. EST

—————

TUESDAY

GLIAC basketball

Men’s quarterfinal — No. 8 seed Northern Michigan University at No. 1 Ferris State, at Big Rapids, 7:30 p.m.

Women’s quarterfinal — No. 5 NMU at No. 4 Wisconsin-Parkside, at Kenosha, Wisconsin, 8 p.m. EST

—————-

WEDNESDAY

High school hockey

Division 2, hosted by Negaunee (nontraditional) — regional final, Marquette at Escanaba, 7 p.m.

High school

girls basketball

Division 1 district, Alpena host — Marquette-Petoskey winner at Alpena, 6 p.m.; TC Central at Gaylord-TC West winner, 6 p.m.

Division 3 district, Manistique host — Gwinn-Negaunee winner at Manistique, 7 p.m.; Bark River-Harris at Westwood-Ishpeming winner, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district, at Mid Peninsula — championship, Munising-Mid Pen winner vs. Superior Central-Rapid River winner, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district, Carney-Nadeau host — Forest Park at Republic-Michigamme-North Dickinson winner, 7 p.m. EST; Stephenson at North Central-Carney-Nadeau winner, 7 p.m. EST

Division 4 district, Baraga host — Jeffers at Baraga-Dollar Bay winner, 7 p.m.; Chassell at Lake Linden-Hubbell, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district, Wakefield-Marenisco host — Watersmeet at L’Anse-Ontonagon winner, 5 p.m.; Bessemer at Ewen-Trout Creek-Wakefield-Marenisco winner, 7:30 p.m. EST

Division 4 district, hosted by Rudyard (nontraditional) — Newberry at Rudyard, 6:30 p.m.; Brimley at Engadine, 7 p.m.

—————

FRIDAY

WCHA hockey

No. 6 Michigan Tech at No. 3 NMU (Game 1 of best-of-3 quarterfinal), 7 p.m.

High school

girls basketball

Division 1 district championship, Alpena host — at Marquette, Alpena, TC Central, TC West or Gaylord, 6 p.m.

Division 3 district championship, Manistique host — at Manistique, Negaunee or Gwinn, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district championship, Carney-Nadeau host — at C-N, North Central or Stephenson, 7 p.m. EST

Division 4 district championship, Baraga host — at Baraga, Dollar Bay or Jeffers, 7 p.m.

Division 4 district championship, Wakefield-Marenisco host — at L’Anse, Ontonagon, Watersmeet or W-M, 7 p.m. EST

Division 4 district championship, Rudyard host — at Newberry or Rudyard, 7 p.m.

————–

SATURDAY

WCHA hockey

No. 6 Michigan Tech at No. 3 NMU (Game 2 of best-of-3 quarterfinal), 6 p.m.

High school hockey

Division 2 quarterfinals, at Gaylord — Marquette-Escanaba winner vs. TC Central-Muskegon Mona Shores winner, 1 p.m.

Division 3 quarterfinals, at Marquette or Sault Ste. Marie — Houghton-Calumet winner vs. Sault Ste. Marie-Gaylord winner, 1 p.m.

GLIAC basketball

Men’s semifinal — NMU-Ferris St. winner vs. No. 4 Northwood-No. 5 Davenport winner, time and site TBD

Women’s semifinal — NMU-Wisconsin-Parkside winner vs. No. 1 Ashland-No. 8 Saginaw Valley State winner, time and site TBD

—————-

SUNDAY

WCHA hockey

No. 6 Michigan Tech at No. 3 NMU (Game 3 of best-of-3 quarterfinal, if necessary), 6 p.m.

GLIAC basketball

Men’s and women’s — Championship games, times and sites TBD

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.