Loyola boys basketball coach Josh Davalli put it best when discussing the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoff picture: "There’s seven good teams and only six spots, so somebody is going to miss out. We don’t want to be that team."

League-leading St. Frances (22-3 overall, 14-0 league) and second-place Calvert Hall (23-3, 12-2) have a firm hold on the top two spots along with the opening-round playoff byes that come with them. After that, it’s a mixed lot that won’t be sorted out until the regular season concludes Wednesday.

As of now, Towson Catholic (14-11) holds down third place with a 9-6 mark; John Carroll (20-8) is fourth at 9-7; Mount St. Joseph (19-9) is fifth at 8-7; and Loyola (14-9) would be in with the sixth and final berth at 7-7. St. John’s Catholic Prep is the team on the outside with a 6-9 league mark.

The next pivotal game is tonight when Loyola travels to St. John's for a 7 p.m. tip. The Dons, who are surging after an 85-76 double overtime win against Mount St. Joseph on Sunday, then host Spalding tomorrow before traveling to John Carroll on Sunday.

Davalli said a loss against last-place McDonogh two weeks ago served as a wake-up call that he hopes keeps the Dons alive and well for an extended playoff run. Senior guard Matt Rum, who became the 13th player in the program to suprass 1,000 career points, leads the team in scoring at 17 points per game and senior forward Brandon Floyd is averaging 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds.

"After that loss, I think we learned a lot about ourselves and what we have to do to be successful. Everybody has embraced their roles and I’m constantly preaching to the guys to do what they each do well and everything else will come in line," said Davalli.

The playoffs are set to start next Friday with the third seed hosting the sixth seed and the fourth seed at home against the fifth-place finisher. The semifinals will follow Tuesday, Feb. 17, with the finals set for Sunday, Feb. 22, at UMBC.