Curiosity got the best of me Wednesday, prompting me to look up just how the District One Class AAAA playoff system will operate this year.

While up at State College for Chester's state-title victory last March, I overheard a rumor that District One was getting an additional seed in the PIAA bracket. This is true. District One now gets nine teams into the 36-team state-playoff field.

It used to be that the eight teams that make the district quarterfinal round make states automatically, then volley for seeding in a series of three games that follow. That still will be the case, but the ninth seed will be up in the air among an additional eight teams, those which lose in the round-of-16 second round.

The ninth-seed playoffs and the traditional District One playoffs will coincide, with each playing on Feb. 20, 24 and 27. For more information on this, check out the district's Web site.

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At the midway point of the basketball season, I'm sure a lot of folks are feeling down about their teams' chances at making the postseason.

Well, don't feel so bad.

It appears Palisades High School, in nearby Bucks County, suffered its 85th consecutive loss Tuesday night. (Just for kicks, the state record is 88, established by Mifflinburg from 1972-75). The hardest pill to swallow is that the Pirates actually led with a minute and a half remaining in their most recent loss.