The winter sports regular season is heading for the home stretch with several Alameda basketball teams gearing up for a possible post-season run.

Encinal Jets

The Encinal High men’s and women’s basketball teams have been tearing it up recently as they enter the final week of the season.

The men’s team has won five straight and 12 of its last 13 games. The Jets have defeated teams such as Hayward (68-53 on Feb. 12), San Lorenzo (61-60 on Feb. 5) and Island rival Alameda twice (63-46 on Jan. 10 and 60-56 on Feb. 7) during this stretch. The Jets sport a 17-7 overall record and are a perfect 8-0 in the West Alameda County Conference (WACC) as of Monday, Feb. 17. The Jets will look to finish its season off strong in the regular season finale against Piedmont tomorrow on the road.

The women’s team is not too far off the men’s pace. The Lady Jets have acquired a 16-7 overall mark including a 7-1 record in the WACC Shore Line League. The ladies were on a three-game winning streak as of Monday, Feb. 17 before they played their regular season finale against Arroyo of San Lorenzo on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The Lady Jets defeated San Leandro (51-28 on Feb. 7), San Lorenzo (61-39 on Feb. 12) and Tennyson of Hayward (70-50 on Feb. 14) during its last three games. Both teams look poised to earn a spot in the NCS Division III playoffs.

SJND Pilots

The St. Joseph Notre Dame (SJND) men’s team finished its regular season on a five-game win streak with key wins over Pinole Valley (72-51 on Jan. 31) and Salesian of Richmond (63-58 on Feb. 5) during the stretch. The Pilots finished the regular season 21-5 overall and 8-2 in the Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL). The Pilots faced St. Mary’s of Albany in the first round of the TCAL playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The Pilots are ranked the 40th best team in the state of California by high school sports service maxpreps.com. The team is a lock for the NCS Division V playoffs as the team looks to retain the crown after winning it last year.

The Lady Pilots finished its regular season at 14-11 overall on the season and 4-6 in TCAL. The Pilots won two straight to end the regular season with victories over St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo (56-46 on Feb. 7) and De Anza of Richmond (63-24 on Feb. 14. The Pilots started its run for the TCAL with a contest against Kennedy of Richmond in the first round on Feb. 18.

Alameda Hornets

The Alameda Hornets men’s team is 7-17 on the year overall and 4-5 in the WACC. The team suffered some tough losses including the 60-56 defeat by Encinal on Feb. 7. The team has some good wins, however, including an 80-60 victory over Tennyson on Feb. 12. The Hornets will finish its season tomorrow against Hayward.

The Lady Hornets are 15-9 overall on the season and 3-5 in the WACC. They have won six of their last eight entering the final week of the regular season including an 88-76 victory over Encinal on Feb. 5. The team will end their regular season tomorrow against Hayward.