The PIAA is on the verge of adding 16 play-in games to next year's basketball championships.

Following an 8-1 approval vote by the basketball steering committee, the measure to add games to the existing 32-team brackets will be voted upon by the board of directors next month in Chambersburg.

As proposed, there will be eight additional games for both the boys and the girls brackets, all targeting small districts that previously advanced only their champions.

The breakdown of the proposed play-in games by classifications:

Class AAAA: District 6 champion vs. District 10 runner-up (winner to play District 3 seventh-place); District 8 runner-up vs. District 7 (WPIAL) sixth-place team (winner to play WPIAL champion); winner of the District 9-10 sub-region vs. District 6 runner-up (winner to play WPIAL fourth-place team).

Class AAA: District 9 runner-up vs. District 10 third-place team (winner to play WPIAL champion); District 8 runner-up vs. WPIAL sixth-place team (winner to play District 10 champion).

Class AA: District 1 runner-up vs. District 3 fourth-place team (winner to play District 2 champion); District 5 runner-up vs. WPIAL eighth-place team (winner to play District 10 champion).

Class A: District 12 runner-up vs. District 3 fourth-place team (winner to play District 11 champion).Each play-in game would be three days before the 32-team field in each class begins play.The decision by the basketball steering committee has left the board with two different set of brackets to consider next month. The one with play-in games is slightly different from the one without because of the PIAA's policy of separating district champions and runners-up until the state semifinals, whenever possible.