Jefferson High School junior Jamari Jenkins looks for an opening in the Washington High School defense in a game earlier this year. David Pennock

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Spring Mills High School and Morgantown High School are the state’s winningest boys basketball teams at the big-school level.

Morgantown has lost only once and that failure came on the road at Spring Mills. The Cardinals have also lost only once and that came against Frederick High School in Maryland.

Morgantown is the defending state champion. Spring Mills, which opened in 2013, has never enjoyed a season with this much winning.

Sectional tournaments began all over the state this past Tuesday and will crown champions tonight.

There are plenty of teams that need only one win to be able to call themselves “Sectional Champions.” And there are also plenty of teams that don’t have to win at all that can move on to the Regional tournaments.

Spring Mills (21-1) is one of those teams. So is Jefferson High School (15-7).

Both the Cardinals and Cougars have byes into the finals of three-team Sectionals. Even if they lose their only Sectional game both teams are going to the Regional tournament.

In the one-game Regional they must win to survive and then advance straight to Charleston for the eight-team State Tournament.

A win in the Sectional only guarantees a berth in the Regional. A loss for a team receiving a bye into the Sectional finals means moving to the Regional on something of a down note, but doesn’t end the season.

In the local three-team Sectional a very rare occurrence took place. Jefferson, Washington and Musselman all had the same 2-2 record against each other. Jefferson beat Musselman twice and lost to Washington twice. Washington beat Jefferson twice and lost to Musselman twice. Musselman beat Washington twice and lost to Jefferson twice.

Jefferson received the bye into the Sectional final where it awaits the winner of the Musselman versus Washington game on its home court in Shenandoah Junction tonight. Both the winner and loser of tonight’s sectional finale gets a berth in the Regional.

Jefferson completed its regular season with wins over Hedgesville and George Washington (Charleston).

Injuries hampered the Cougars through most of January and February.

Jefferson’s most-used personnel included Jaiden Gladney, Jamari Jenkins, Wyatt Shively, Kylan Johnson, Caleb Conner, Damarius Wallace, Quinton Goins and Ty Vickers.

Other than mostly experienced Morgantown, which teams had the most impressive regular season records?

Martinsburg, which must play Hedgesville in the first round of its Sectional, was 16-4. Bridgeport registered a 17-5 record and Spring Valley (Huntington) went 16-6. Huntington was 15-7 as was South Charleston. The Wheeling Park Patriots were 14-7 with a game against Morgantown remaining.

Hurricane’s Redskins went 14-8 while Hedgesville was 13-8, George Washinton 13-8, Musselman 13-9, University 12-9 and Beckley Woodrow Wilson 11-9.

Martinsburg completed its regular season with a 106-11 win over too-ambitious Broadfording Academy from Hagerstown, Md.

Morgantown defeated Parkersburg South in last season’s Class AAAA state championship game after the Patriots had stopped Jefferson, 87-66, in the state semifinals. Morgantown beat Bridgeport and Huntington on its way to the state finals.