2A Hoops Top Ten - #10 Prince Edward

Throughout the month of November, VirginiaPreps.com will begin previewing the upcoming 2016-17 High School Basketball season. As part of our comprehensive coverage, we will be counting down the Top Ten rankings for each classification.

The Skinny: Though James Scott’s Eagles were denied a third consecutive trip to the regional semifinals, bowing out to the then undefeated George Mason Mustangs 61-43 in the 2A-East Region Tournament quarterfinals, this program has earned a reputation of being a consistent contender. They’ve posted a record of 61-26 over the past three seasons with last year’s 15-13 record being the low-water mark during that span. Unlike going into last year when Prince Edward saw 39.4 points per game of the squad’s 60.3PPG average graduate, the Eagles bring back their top two scorers.

Both Zarius Jones (13PPG, 59 3’s) and 6’4” senior post Kevon Braxton (13.1PPG, 9.3RPG, 1.4SPG) more than doubled their scoring output from sophomore to junior year. Those are the building blocks, while senior guard Quantavis Nash (7.8PPG) has shown he has a flair for the dramatic, draining a buzzer-beating three-pointer in their 33-31 upset of 2A runner-up Greensville in the Quad Rivers Conference 34 Tournament semis. Reducing the turnover total of 366 from a year ago will be important for them to make a playoff run.

Final 2A Rankings for 2015-16:

#1 – Martinsville (26-3)

#2 – Greensville (24-7)

#3 – George Mason (29-1)

#4 – Dan River (20-5)

#5 – Gate City (23-6)

#6 – Graham (18-6)

#7 – Bluestone (22-6)

#8 – Union (20-6)

#9 – Bruton (18-8)

#10 – Madison County (21-5)

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a staff writer for Tar Heel Illustrated. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1.