Eight straight losses have already saddled Jefferson with another losing season, and several of the defeats handed to the Cougars by local teams were by large margins.

There was a blistering 92-37 loss to Sectional rival Martinsburg. Hedgesville, another Sectional opponent, leveled the Cougars, 70-29.

The latest loss was to county rival Washington on the Patriots’ home court. Washington moved its overall record to 8-11 with a 56-52 win. Jefferson was 5-12 overall with that loss. Washington has beaten the Cougars both times the schools played this season.

After last week’s games, Jefferson had only Musselman, winless Hampshire and Silver Oak Academy left to play in the regular season.

Martinsburg and Musselman continue to ride atop the area’s Sectional standings. Following the Bulldogs and Applemen comes third-place Hedgesville with Spring Mills and Washington squabbling over the next spot. Jefferson and Hampshire are the final two teams as the regular season winds down and the Sectional tournament awaits.

Parkersburg South and University High of Morgantown continue to be the state’s top-ranked Class AAA teams. Fairmont Senior and Bridgeport are atop the Class AA ratings.

Teams are seeded for all the Sectional tournaments in each of the three classes. The state tournament in Charleston hosts eight teams in each class.

Regardless of any team’s regular season record, it’s automatically entered in a Sectional tournament.

In recent years, Martinsburg and Musselman have represented the local Section and Region at the Class AAA state tournament.