The Big East is the beast in college basketball this season, with nine teams in the latest Top 25 rankings, and the same also appears true at the West Virginia high school level.

The east has been particularly big so far, with four Eastern Panhandle teams ranked among the top eight in Class AAA.

Martinsburg (5-1) holds down the No. 2 spot in The Associated Press' first regular-season poll, with Jefferson (4-0) ranked fourth, Musselman (6-0) fifth and Hedgesville (6-2) eighth.

All the losses suffered by those four teams have come out of state. Hedgesville lost to Coral Reef (Fla.) 54-45 and Miami Northwestern 65-58 in two overtimes in the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Miami, and Martinsburg fell to Charlotte Christian 65-52 in the Hilton Oceanfront Classic in Hilton Head, S.C.

None of the four has lost to another West Virginia squad yet, highlighted by Jefferson wins over Parkersburg and University and Martinsburg's victory against Woodrow Wilson.

"The talent in the Eastern Panhandle has grown every year since I've been here,'' said Hedgesville coach Kelly Church. "The level of play has improved each year. Jefferson's just loaded with athletes every single year, Martinsburg's always a top-10 team and even though we do things different than those two do, we've been ranked 10 of the last 11 years in the top 10. Year in and year out, there's a ton of talent over here.

"But we've told our kids that the worst thing we can do is get caught up in the polls. We can't worry about that. We've got to worry about every single night around here. If you don't show up, you won't win. You can't just play hard. You have to play well.''

Competition in the Panhandle may get a little more cutthroat in years to come, too. Washington High, a first-year school in Jefferson County, is off to a 4-2 start under Don Bullett (brother of former WNBA and Martinsburg star Vicky Bullett), with one of his assistants being Vic Holmes (former Martinsburg baseball and boys basketball coach).

One item offering relief to teams in the Panhandle free-for-all is the opportunity to send more than one team to the state tournament under the revised postseason format. Sectional runners-up play champions of another section in the new-look regionals.

"That can be both good and bad,'' Church said. "I think it can create some excitement, but one thing you have to guard against is that it's not OK just to finish second. If you're second-best, it doesn't assure you of anything. If you make the mistake of making that your goal, you're in trouble. It's nice to have the opportunity, but you have to travel across the state and play somebody who won their section. If it's Bridgeport, Robert C. Byrd, no matter what . . . going and playing those guys in front of their home crowds is a problem no matter how talented you are.

"It's been a while since anyone from here made any noise in the state tournament [Martinsburg's 1994 title is the EP's most recent]. And that's what hurts us as far as reputation through the years. It's one thing to [have success in the regular season]. Teams around here are as talented as any of the other top teams in the state. The only problem in the past is that only one team gets there, and if you don't have a good showing, everybody thinks, 'Well, they must not have been any good' [in the Panhandle].''

Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.

The Big East is the beast in college basketball this season, with nine teams in the latest Top 25 rankings, and the same also appears true at the West Virginia high school level.

The east has been particularly big so far, with four Eastern Panhandle teams ranked among the top eight in Class AAA.

Martinsburg (5-1) holds down the No. 2 spot in The Associated Press' first regular-season poll, with Jefferson (4-0) ranked fourth, Musselman (6-0) fifth and Hedgesville (6-2) eighth.

All the losses suffered by those four teams have come out of state. Hedgesville lost to Coral Reef (Fla.) 54-45 and Miami Northwestern 65-58 in two overtimes in the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Miami, and Martinsburg fell to Charlotte Christian 65-52 in the Hilton Oceanfront Classic in Hilton Head, S.C.

None of the four has lost to another West Virginia squad yet, highlighted by Jefferson wins over Parkersburg and University and Martinsburg's victory against Woodrow Wilson.

"The talent in the Eastern Panhandle has grown every year since I've been here,'' said Hedgesville coach Kelly Church. "The level of play has improved each year. Jefferson's just loaded with athletes every single year, Martinsburg's always a top-10 team and even though we do things different than those two do, we've been ranked 10 of the last 11 years in the top 10. Year in and year out, there's a ton of talent over here.

"But we've told our kids that the worst thing we can do is get caught up in the polls. We can't worry about that. We've got to worry about every single night around here. If you don't show up, you won't win. You can't just play hard. You have to play well.''

Competition in the Panhandle may get a little more cutthroat in years to come, too. Washington High, a first-year school in Jefferson County, is off to a 4-2 start under Don Bullett (brother of former WNBA and Martinsburg star Vicky Bullett), with one of his assistants being Vic Holmes (former Martinsburg baseball and boys basketball coach).

One item offering relief to teams in the Panhandle free-for-all is the opportunity to send more than one team to the state tournament under the revised postseason format. Sectional runners-up play champions of another section in the new-look regionals.

"That can be both good and bad,'' Church said. "I think it can create some excitement, but one thing you have to guard against is that it's not OK just to finish second. If you're second-best, it doesn't assure you of anything. If you make the mistake of making that your goal, you're in trouble. It's nice to have the opportunity, but you have to travel across the state and play somebody who won their section. If it's Bridgeport, Robert C. Byrd, no matter what . . . going and playing those guys in front of their home crowds is a problem no matter how talented you are.

"It's been a while since anyone from here made any noise in the state tournament [Martinsburg's 1994 title is the EP's most recent]. And that's what hurts us as far as reputation through the years. It's one thing to [have success in the regular season]. Teams around here are as talented as any of the other top teams in the state. The only problem in the past is that only one team gets there, and if you don't have a good showing, everybody thinks, 'Well, they must not have been any good' [in the Panhandle].''

Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.