The action is heating up on the hardwood here in January, even though the temperatures are getting colder in many parts of the state this winter.
In a Cedar Run District rivalry showdown, Patriot handed previously undefeated Battlefield its first blemish, 74-62. Isaiah Vick led the Pioneers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor. Kaden Bates had 20 points, including 4-of-5 on 3's, to go with seven rebounds.
There were also some results on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in out-of-district play of note around the Commonwealth.
Woodside - which fell at home on January 13th to Kecoughtan 69-60 - responded in a huge way by beating nationally-ranked Gonzaga 82-73 at the University of Maryland. Richmond signee Trevor Smith led the way with 17 points, while My'kel Jenkins and Silas Barksdale chipped in 16 points apiece for Stefan Welsh's Wolverines to grab a signature victory.
John Marshall also won another big game on MLK Day, defeating Grayson (GA) 66-53 behind 28 points and five three-pointers from junior point guard Damon 'Redd' Thompson Jr. The Justices are one of just six remaining unbeaten VHSL teams heading into play on January 17th.
As for the other five: it's Oscar Smith in Class 6 out of Chesapeake Menchville at the Class 5 level from Newport News, Northside from Roanoke in Class 3 as well as Skyline from Warren County, and Lancaster out of the Northern Neck in Class 1.
A couple of the marquee matchups this week include a re-match with Northside and Cave Spring, the reigning Class 3 State Champs, and Oscar Smith visiting King's Fork, which returned to the top of our Class 4 rankings after its 51-42 win over Maury where they had a 21-0 first quarter run.
You can see the full rankings below...
* Indicates record including Eastern District Tournament games
Honorable Mention:
Fairfax (11-3)
Edison (11-2)
Madison (10-4)
Freedom-PW (7-3)
Gainesville (12-4)
Honorable Mention:
Norview (12-4; 9-4*)
Riverside (9-4)
Highland Springs (7-4)
Princess Anne (10-4)
Mills Godwin (10-3)
Honorable Mention:
Sherando (11-4)
Jefferson Forest (9-3)
Hampton (7-5)
Great Bridge (9-3)
Churchland (10-6; 9-5*)
Honorable Mention:
William Monroe (10-3)
Petersburg (9-5)
Staunton (9-3)
Lord Botetourt (8-5)
Wilson Memorial (8-4)
Honorable Mention:
Greensville (7-5)
Honorable Mention:
Middlesex (11-2)
Bland County (11-4)
Eastside (7-7)
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald and The Farmville Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.
