What a start to the 2022-23 Virginia High School Basketball season it was. In Class 6, the defending State Champion Hayfield Hawks put their 32-game winning streak on the line as they played host to reigning Region 6B Champ Patriot. In fact, the visiting Pioneers led with under four minutes to go, but the Hawks won it 75-73 on a buzzer-beater from newcomer Donovan Bass-Briscoe, a transfer from West Potomac
Bass-Briscoe had 17 points and eight assists on the night, completing the stellar play of David King (26 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go with 16 rebounds) and offsetting a well-rounded effort from Patriot, headed up by its floor general in Nasir Coleman (8 assists).
Hayfield also notched a tough win over Class 5 contender Woodside, 64-59 in the Princess Anne Tip-Off Classic in Virginia Beach. Speaking of the Wolverines, they have a massive Peninsula District clash coming up with Newport News rival Menchville on December 13th in what could be a preview of what's to come in the Region 5B playoffs.
Of note in Class 5, Menchville handled L.C. Bird 75-49 at the Boo Williams Sportsplex last weekend to open some eyes. William Fleming edged longtime rival Patrick Henry-Roanoke 58-55 on a buzzer-beating shot from the deep corner by Isaac Higgs.
A big one coming up in Class 3 on December 9th will feature Northside hosting Cave Spring. The two teams had some memorable battle go down to the wire a season ago with the Knights outlasting the Vikings during a State Semifinal on their way to the Championship at VCU.
In Class 2, John Marshall won its first two games by beating Hopewell and Holly Springs of North Carolina before a huge test against Maryland powerhouse DeMatha of the famed WCAC this weekend at the Hoops Festival.
Despite falling 78-76 to Tri-Cities Christian, the Twin Springs Titans showed they could b a force to be reckoned with in Class 1 behind the dynamic duo of Bradley Owens (20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter) and Connor Lane (18 of his 32 points in the fourth period) as they accounted for all but three of their team's 41 points in the final stanza to nearly erase a 23-point deficit. Moving up to their spot though is George Wythe as the Maroons won the Ballard Lee Tip-Off Tourney at Virginia High in Bristol.
Check out more in the latest rankings below...
* Indicates record including Eastern District Tournament games
Honorable Mention:
Manchester (2-0)
John Champe (2-0)
Colgan (3-0)
Honorable Mention:
Potomac Falls (3-1)
Norview (3-1; 0-1*)
Honorable Mention:
Loudoun Valley (3-1)
King George (2-0)
Orange County (3-0)
Honorable Mention:
Staunton (3-0)
Caroline (1-1)
Liberty Christian (1-0)
Honorable Mention:
Ridgeview (1-0)
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.
