It's playoff time and the Ballard Beaver girls are in the thick of the basketball action with their first game this week.

Ballard was seeded in seventh place in the eight team bracket. Their possible first round opponents include Woodinville (13 and 1), Garfield (13 and 1) or Inglemoor (11 and 3).

The playoff tournament is double elimination. Ballard must win two games to advance or lose two games to end their post season.

Head Coach Karen Blair said her Beavers will fine-tune their games and work on minimizing errors in practice. She wants her players to play hard and to have fun in the playoffs.

The Beavers (6-8) ended their regular season with a 63-42 loss to Roosevelt on February 15.

Senior Gillian Huggins had another impressive game, outscoring the Roughriders Mackenzie Argens 19 to 11. Argens has received a scholarship to play for the University of Washington next year.

Ballard's last five games were against the league's best teams, Roosevelt, Woodinville, Garfield and Inglemoor. Their only win during that stretch drive was over Franklin.

As a result, Blair says there is no pressure on her team in the post season.

"I'm excited for the seniors getting back to the playoffs," said Blair.

During a practice last week, Ballard's three senior co-captains said they were more than ready for the post season. Molly Horak is the fourth senior.

"We are really excited. We can't wait to keep our season going. It's going to be tough, we are ready for the challenge," said Charlotte Shannon, the team's second leading score at 8.7 points per game.

Huggins has been the team's top rebounder and scorer at 12 points a game, to go along with her interior defense.

"Everyone individually has stepped up as a team to play together and work on the small things, executing plays and team bonding," Huggins said.

The team has been working on its "PMA," said Kalie Sandstrom. This means "positive mental attitude."

"It has been fun. We have been focusing on the breakdowns, keeping everyone together and pumped up," Sandstrom said.

"Our team is coming together right now. We take one game at a time, do the little things to get it done. To be successful, it's a whole team effort," said Shannon.

This week and hopefully beyond that if they can stay alive in the playoffs, the seniors will be playing their last games together.

"It's a good way to end it. We just hope to continue in the playoffs for a while and go out strong," said Huggins.

As the team's best player, Huggins worked hard during the off season to improve her game and help the team.

"It's been good. It's nice to come out, play hard and show people what I've worked on," said Huggins.

Sandstrom concedes that all the playoff opponents are tough teams.

"We are ready for anyone. We have all week to work on it and come out strong. We're working out the kinks and getting on the same page," said Sandstrom.

"The girls have learned a lot this year and have adjusted to the system," said Blair.