If you want to look at District 2-6A in basketball, just glance at the same district in volleyball.
The three-team district has Crestview, Choctawhatchee and Fort Walton Beach. The district tournament's top seed gets a pass into the playoffs. The two and three seeds will play the tournament play in game to see who advances to the playoffs.
Just to the west, in District 1-6A, Escambia, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pace, Pensacola, Pine Forest and Washington will battle it out for seeding in the playoffs.
Would it be too much to ask to move two of the teams from District 1 — say Milton and Pace — into District 2 and create two five-team districts?
It probably is a little farther from Pace to Fort Walton Beach or Crestview than it is to one of the Pensacola schools, but you are only talking a few miles.
The distance from Pace or Milton to Crestview or Fort Walton Beach isn’t nearly as far as it is from Baker or Northview to Chipley in District 3-1A.
Making the argument for moving Pace and Milton from District 1-6A to District 2-6A even more compelling is both teams are already on Crestview’s boys schedule.
There are several reasons a five-team district is more attractive than a three-team district.
A five-team district means four more district games that impact the district tournament seeding. Having two extra teams in the district means coaches have to schedule four less games. A five-team district also means that even the No. 1 district seed has to win a game to make the playoffs.
In my perfect world, the smallest districts would have at least four teams. A four-team district requires every team to earn its way into the championship game or match.
Yes, there are times when the one or two seed are vastly superior to the lower seeds in a tournament. But there are other times when the difference between the top and bottom teams in a district are minimal at best.
Of course, one of the beauties of sports is on any given night the team that is the underdog can pull off the upset.
In my world, a district with anywhere from four to eight teams works best. I have no problem with a one or two seed getting a bye in the first round, or even first two rounds of a tournament.
But please, make the top seeds earn their way into the championship game. That can never happen in a three-team district.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: DICKSON: Three team districts just don't work