As the season nears its halfway point, things are getting very interesting in the Sierra Foothill League basketball race.

With the first preliminary Sac-Joaquin Section basketball power ratings due out next week, the section office released its league rankings last Friday.

League strength is a significant piece of the formula used for the power ratings that determine playoff positioning.

Not surprising to anyone who has seen a Sierra Foothill League game this season, the league is rated No. 1 in both the boys and girls rankings. The lofty positioning will give local teams an advantage when the playoff brackets are eventually drawn up.

Rocklin and Del Oro meet tonight in a huge matchup on the boys’ side as those two teams join Oakmont as the closest pursuers to league-leading Woodcreek. One of those two preseason favorites is going to enter the second half of the season with a 3-3 record and a big uphill battle on its hands.

Even the two teams at 2-3, Granite Bay and Nevada Union, are not out of the playoff hunt, especially with the big news that the SFL is the No.1 ranked league in the power rankings. Those two have big tests this week as well, as the Grizzlies play Woodcreek and both have showdowns with Oakmont.

It looks like Woodcreek is on its way to a league crown, but stay tuned as it is far from over in the SFL boys race.

One of the developments of the week came in the decision by a CIF appeals board to deny the appeal that would have brought Remi Barry to the floor for Del Oro. Now, unless there is some sort of late legal maneuvering, the 6-foot-7 senior will not be able to provide a huge late-season boost for the Golden Eagles.

His addition would have made this even more intriguing, but it is already pretty good. The boys switch to the Wednesday and Friday night schedule beginning this week, and you won’t want to miss these epic battles.

The girls also play this week on Wednesday and Friday before switching to the Tuesday/Thursday slate starting next week. It appears that Del Oro is on its way to yet another league title, but the rest of the league is in frantic pursuit of the postseason. The SFL girls are also the No.1 ranked league in the section, and that puts everyone in good position if they can pick up a couple of wins.

Tonight, it is Woodcreek and Granite Bay closing out the first half of the season with second place on the line, and then the second time through the schedule that should provide a ton of one and two-point games just like the first half.

Follow it all at rosevillept.com and placersports.com.