It’s hard to believe that regular season is halfway through. It’s hard to be believe because, well, it’s not exactly true from scheduling point of view – most teams have yet to play 10 games – but if you go by the calendar, just about one month remains for the public schools before the postseason begins. The Jefferson quarterfinals are on February 12.
Outside of the Madison County boys knocking off one opponent after another, not much has been established in this first month of play. It might be because of the snow in December or even the holiday break, but in the few games that have been played so far, inconsistency seems to be reigning supreme.
The Fluvanna County and Monticello girls teams are the only teams still perfect in Jefferson District play, but that isn’t saying much at this point in the year. Outside of those two teams, space is tight. Western Albemarle, Orange County, and Charlottesville aren’t far behind the Flucos and Mustangs and we wouldn’t be surprised if the next two weeks do little to give a permanent shape to JD standings.
One thing to take out of the holiday tournaments is that the Western boys may have found a formula tht works. The Warriors were able to take home the Daily Progress/NBC 29 Holiday Classic by beating an underrated Covenant team as well as Albemarle, a squad that gave Western trouble in the first two weeks of the season. But even having found their basketball legs, the boys side of the JD still looks messy. Charlottesville sits out in front but looked vulnerable against both Albemarle and Covenant. Goochland, Fluvanna and Orange join the Warriors in line behind the Black Knights as all four teams have just one district loss.
So it should go without saying, with most teams looking at 16 games before the playoffs begin, January isn’t just going to be busy, it’s going to be hectic. It will be interesting to see on both the girls and boys sides who is able to cruise through their schedule, who gets burned out, and who winds up doing a little bit of both.
Athletes of the week
This week’s players of the week have a Scrimmage Play prize pack headed their way complete with a Scrimmage Play t-shirt, an SP bumper sticker and a free value meal from Chick-fil-a to go with five free milkshakes for their friends, family or even their entourage if they’ve got one already.
Desmon Shaver, William Monroe boys – Shaver averaged about 25 points over two games as the Dragons picked up a pair of wins over Turner Ashby and a tough Eastern View squad in the Dragon Holiday Ball. Shaver is part of an inexperienced Monroe squad that might be rounding into form. If he’s in the zone like he was over the holidays and he gets some help from some of Monroe’s developing players, the Dragons will surprise some people.
Sade Johnson, Orange County girls – Johnson’s 26-point performance against Madison was one of the best this weekend. The Hornet guard was able to hit shots from both short and long range and showcased a motor that makes her a great transition player. If she keeps playing at this level her teammates are going to get plenty of great looks at the basket.
Coaches or athletic directors who want to nominate players for the SP player of the week, email info@scrimmageplay.com by Monday at 5 p.m. each week.
Boys Hoops top five
1. Blue Ridge School (5-2) – Blue Ridge may have picked up another loss, but they’re playing a murderer’s row of a schedule.
2. Miller School (3-1) – We’ll know more about Miller when they tackle Blue Ridge January 12th.
3. Madison County (10-0) – Still unbeaten, Madison has a few tough games in the first half of January that could turn into losses.
4. Western Albemarle (5-3) – Western took a big leap forward in the holiday tournament by knocking off Albemarle and Covenant.
5. Covenant (4-2) – Eagles had pehaps the best holiday tournament in the area, despite falling to Western Albemarle. Wins over Spotswood and Charlottesville were particularly impressive.
Lurking: Buckingham County (7-1) – The Knights take on Fluvanna this week, a rematch of a tight contest in December. Can they pull it out again?
Girls hoops top five
1. Fluvanna County (6-1) – Flucos coach Chad White has stressed free throw shooting and the Page County loss over the holidays shows why. Still, Fluvanna looks awfully good in terms of the big picture.
2. Monticello (5-0) – After a long layoff, the Mustangs will resume play against the Flucos for the right to first place in the JD. That must sound awfully sweet to the players that stuck with it last year.
3. Miller (6-2) – In the first half against an outstanding Spotswood team, the Mavericks showed a lot of promise. If Ashley Bowles and Whitney Martin get some help this team will be tough to beat.
4. Orange County (5-3) – The Hornets lost their first three games but have righted the ship by winning five in a row. A win over Western tonight would put them in the conversation with Fluvanna and Monticello.
5. Western Albemarle (5-3) – The Warriors have lost three of their last five, but only one of those was against a district opponent. However, in their last two losses this team has surrendered 60 or more points. With their height and experience that shouldn’t happen often.
Lurking outside – William Monroe (4-6) – Part of being so young is dealing with inconsistency. Monroe is athletic enough to play .500 or better in the JD.
