Even though snow blowers have been pulled out all over the state this week with a host of games being postponed / re-scheduled due to Mother Nature dropping that powdery white stuff, there have been some compelling storylines and games in recent days.
During the 16th Annual VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic, host school Green Run knocked Oscar Smith from the ranks of the unbeaten, 78-67, as senior point guard Kass Jackson starred with 27 points, six rebounds and three steals. Other winners on the day included Norview over Kempsville 63-55 in come-from-behind fashion; Varina besting Catholic 57-48; reigning Class 6 State Champ South Lakes erasing a half-time deficit to topple Maury 64-52; and Warhill rallying in the closing minutes to edge Bayside 56-54 as Paul Hall earned career win No. 200.
Speaking of coaching milestones, while Potomac Falls' Jeff Hawes got his 500th career win earlier this month and Albemarle's Greg Maynard achieved victory No. 600 in January, another longtime veteran reached a neat plateau.
Meridian Head Coach Jim Smith notched his 550th career win as the Mustangs stayed unbeaten by edging Skyline 57-54 on a buzzer-beater on January 17th. Smith had previous successful coaching stops at McLean and Chantilly before coming out of retirement in 2021. Junior shooting guard Will Davis sank that buzzer-beating three-pointer.
There were a couple of other noteworthy performances by Class 5 teams. Junior 6-foot-6 forward Mason Ridgeway followed up a clutch 26-point effort in a comeback road win over Potomac Falls by pouring in a career-high 37 points in an 87-58 rout of Lightridge. Meanwhile, Riverside is No. 2 in the Class 5 rankings behind two-time reigning State Champ Woodside.
Donnell 'Deuce' Jarrett scored 23 points in a 78-64 comeback victory for Woodside over Green Run that pushed their winning streak to 23 games. That is now the longest in the state after three-time defending Class 2 State Champ John Marshall suffered a loss to Florida power Woodmere Academy, 59-47, on MLK Day.
Left in the state are just six unbeatens in VHSL basketball with Woodside, Handley, Meridian, New Kent, Carroll County and Graham.
Check out the latest rankings, plus links to previous weeks, below...
More from the 16th Annual VaPreps Classic Here
See the VHSL Hoops Top Tens Entering 1-17-25 Here
See the VHSL Hoops Top Tens Entering 1-10-25 Here
See the VHSL Hoops Top Tens Entering 1-3-25 Here
See the VHSL Hoops Top Tens Entering 12-26-24 Here
See the VHSL Hoops Top Tens Entering 12-17-24 Here
Honorable Mention:
Highland Springs (7-4)
Glen Allen (10-4)
Robinson (11-4)
South County (9-4)
George Marshall (10-6)
Honorable Mention:
Hermitage (8-3)
Indian River (10-1)
James River (7-3)
J.R. Tucker (11-2)
Honorable Mention:
Powhatan (8-2)
Monacan (8-2)
Smithfield (11-2)
Salem (10-2)
Tuscarora (10-4)
Honorable Mention:
Alleghany (10-3)
Staunton (12-2)
Wilson Memorial (11-1)
William Monroe (11-1)
Honorable Mention:
Union (10-3)
Dan River (7-4)
Appomattox (9-2)
Luray (9-2)
Stuarts Draft (9-2)
Honorable Mention:
Mathews (10-4)
Brunswick (8-5)
Cumberland (8-3)
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. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and be sure to Subscribe to Hometown Sports Productions where you can hear his Podcasts.
