It’s an event that comes and goes very quickly in the basketball season, but over the years, it’s rarely disappointed anyone in attendance. When the Blue Ridge and Miller boys hoops programs take the floor against one another, it’s a meeting of elite talent. And this year is no different from any other year as the Baron’s and Mavericks are chock full of collegiate talent.
Last season both schools competed for state championships with Miller winning the VISAA Division 2 title while Blue Ridge finished as the Division 1 runner up. The split between the two has been pretty even over the past three years, a 2-2 series with the Mavericks winning the last contest (before last season the schools played just once a year). And interestingly enough, home court advantage hasn’t been anything close to that as the road team has won the last four games.
In this first meeting between these teams — which will be held at the Massey Athletic Complex in St. George today at 4 p.m. — those watching in the stands should be treated to a pair of great match ups. At the guard position Blue Ridge’s Malick Kone, a junior who has an offer to play for Georgetown, will get the opportunity to square off against Maryland bound Mychal Parker. In the post, it’s another battle between Division I talents with a pair of 6-foot-8 giants in Miller’s Hippolyte Tsafack and Blue Ridge’s Darnell Turner. Next year Tsafack will be suiting up for the Memphis Tigers while Turner is currently weighing offers from Appalachian State, East Carolina and Fairfield and should have other offers in the pipeline.
Those are just two marquee players for both teams, and while the talent for either squad hardly ends there, that should give those unfamiliar with the schools a reasonable idea of what kind of game this is.
And if you’re looking to see what is, for all intents and purposes, a college basketball game being played by high school athletes, make sure you get up to St. George.
Fluvanna picks up the pace
It’s hard to classify Mia and K-anna Loyd by position at this point. And not just for outside observers.
“They don’t have a position,” said Fluvanna coach Chad White. “They’re just basketball players.”
The tandem has Fluvanna going full-steam ahead now after a brief hiccup against Page County in the William Monroe holiday tournament in a game that came after a long layoff. The Flucos battled past Western Albemarle just a few days after rolling over Monticello, completing a 3-0 week after a Monday victory over Madison.
The Flucos are in position to get a big leg up in the Jefferson District race if they can get past Monroe, a team they faced five times last season including in a season-ending loss in the regional quarterfinals, and Goochland, a young and developing squad that gave the Dragons a solid first half last week before Monroe pulled away.
Both Loyds have been playing all over the floor, manning everything from the post to the point, and that versatility makes them hard to stop. K-anna, a senior who has almost solely been tied to the post in years previous, has expanded her ball handling abilities, and Mia, a sophomore, has gained a couple of inches that allow her to make more of an impact on the boards. Throw in Sarah Ryan in the post and Brianna Burruss on the outside and things get complicated fast for teams trying to matchup with the Flucos.
If Fluvanna can keep the momentum going, they could quickly separate themselves from Charlottesville, Western Albemarle and the rest of the JD pack.
Athletes of the week
This week, swimming takes over the athletes of the week, so click here to see the winners.
Boys Top Five
1. Blue Ridge (7-2) — The Barons are playing a murderer’s row of a schedule but they’re motoring through it for the most part. Now an intriguing local battle gives fans in the region a good look at Blue Ridge.
2. Miller (4-3) — Miller’s frontline crashes into a tough Blue Ridge front court Tuesday afternoon, and they’ll need to be at their best to get a win in St. George.
3. Madison County (12-0) — With the Mountaineers’ runaway win over Monticello, Madison continued its dominance of Group AA opponents, and it’ll get another shot at a Jefferson foe Saturday against Charlottesville High at home.
4. Western Albemarle (8-3) — The Warriors are still riding the momentum they built over the holidays with three-straight Jefferson District wins including a 64-49 runaway against Louisa. A long road trip to Goochland Tuesday and a home battle with Monroe make for a tough week.
5t. Covenant (6-2) — With three double digit scorers (Sam Dale at 21.8 ppg, Isaac Stewart-Silver at 13.5 ppg and Nathan Hyde at 10.4 ppg) the Eagles are no easy out for any opponent. A test against Blue Ridge on the road next week looms.
5t. Buckingham (10-1) — The Knights picked up another monster win against Fluvanna and are making the Group A level perhaps Central Virginia’s most intriguing classification.
Lurking — Albemarle (5-4)
Girls Top Five
1. Fluvanna County (9-1) — The Flyin’ Flucos started last week by drubbing then unbeaten Monticello and finished it off by winning a tight contest against Western Albemarle. According to one Jefferson District coach, the other seven teams should focus on trying to win second place.
2. Miller (6-2) — The Mavericks are back in action this week after a 14-day break following their solid showing the Daily Progress/NBC 29 Holiday Classic. With 12 games to play in the next month, having fresh legs should make a difference.
3. Western Albemarle (7-4) — The Warriors survived on the road against a gritty Orange County squad but couldn’t do the same when they visited Fluvanna. This week they’ll have an opportunity to separate themselves from the middle of the pack in the JD with contests against Monticello and William Monroe.
4. St. Anne’s-Belfield (5-3) — After losing their first two games of the year, the Saints have now won four of their last five, including a 16-point victory over Trinity Episcopal and 26-point win against Notre-Dame Academy.
5. Charlottesville (4-5) — Perhaps no team is more difficult to figure out than the Black Knights, and that’s saying something this year. After beating Orange, the Black Knights fell to cross town rival Albemarle. And while they are under .500 on the year, Charlottesville still has only dropped one district contest which puts them behind only Fluvanna in the standings.
Lurking — William Monroe (6-7) and Monticello (5-3)
