As the basketball season heads for the homestretch - district tournaments start in just three weeks - there are several things to take notice of.
Some of these observations are things I like seeing, some are dislikes.

I'm not a believer that some games come down to one single play that decides a win or loss.
But I do believe being particularly strong in one area can increase or decrease the chance of winning significantly.

The first observation falls into both the like and dislike category.
If you don't believe free throws play a serious role in winning or losing, I urge you to look at the two games between the Sweetwater and Tellico Plains boys.
Tellico lost the first meeting in December by one point and again on Friday night by nine.
In the two games combined, Sweetwater was 42 of 52 from the free-throw line, equaling 81 percent.
Tellico was 34 of 77 in the two games, or 44 percent.

When the tournaments roll around, free throws become crucial. The further teams advance, the more even they become. The Bears do a good job of getting to the line, but they must convert when given the opportunity.
Sweetwater, which was an average free-throw shooting team earlier this year, has become much better, winning two games in seven days at the stripe.

In a district as competitive as District 5-AA, every little advantage gained is another opportunity to win.
With the Wildcats' success at the free-throw line recently, it's easy to see why they hold the top spot in the district right now.
It's also easy to like the improvement the Sweetwater Lady Wildcats are making.

Looking at the scores from last week, it would appear no progress has been made. But having seen three of the last four games, I can tell you that this isn't the same team that started the season.
In the last four games, the Lady Cats have played three teams ranked in the top 10 in each of the three classifications for this state and another team that's getting top 10 votes. But Sweetwater never backed down and is playing a lot more physical style of basketball now.

Finally, one last thing to dislike is the Sequoyah Chiefs' luck since the Christmas tournament.
Five of the Chiefs' losses since Dec. 28, a period in which Sequoyah has gone 2-8, are by six points or less.

Take it a step further and four of those losses have come by three points or fewer.
There's no doubt Sequoyah has played a challenging schedule.
There are six Class AAA schools on the Chiefs' schedule and only one has beaten Sequoyah soundly.
While the losses are never fun to endure, especially when 10 of the 13 accumulated so far have been by single digits, but there's still time to turn this into a great season.
The Chiefs certainly have the talent to play with anyone.

Now it's just a matter of closing games out.