First it was Monticello, then Lousia County and then nearly William Monroe. Orange County’s in on it too. Wins by the first two schools last week, and near miss by the Dragons, and strong showing by the Hornets on Monday means that parity is official abound on the boys side of the Jefferson District race. After Monticello handed Fluvanna County its first loss (in overtime) the Mustangs found out that even those teams that have had shaky starts are capable of shaking up the standings. The Lions did so by brining Monticello back down a notch after a strong finish to December and opening to January. The Hornets added salt into the wounds on Monday.
Three teams rest at the top with one loss – Charlottesville, Fluvanna and Orange County. And with each team still loaded with half of its JD slate, this race should be one of the better ones in recent years as only two losses separate the trio at the top and sixth team in the standings (Louisa). With William Monroe currently fifth and Monticello a half game ahead at fourth, it looks like we should have a mess for the next month, and that’s a good thing.
The girls side of the JD still has a ways to go before it becomes a circus, but thanks to Charlottesville’s recent run (five straight wins) it appears that this could have a third horse in the race. Let’s hope so, because it’s been sluggish otherwise.
The Black Knights have established themselves as the districts third best squad with their play recently, and with each game this team is gaining confidence. Of course, to be able to elevate themselves to the top of the district past Western Albemarle or William Monroe, Charlottesville’s going to need more depth than just Ellie Von Storch and London Todd. With Todd and fellow key senior Olivia Levine currently banged up, that’s opened the door for a number of players to try and establish their presence on the court.
It’s funny how injuries can somehow have a way of helping a team in the long run, and that will remain to be seen in Charlottesville’s case, but it never hurts to develop extra options and that’s what the Black Knights had to do with those two post players absent on Saturday against both Orange County and Albemarle. Both Monique Perkins and Syndey Calloway contribute a lot to the team already, but more was asked of them over the weekend that previously and the two rose to the occasion. But so did sophomore Nia Johnson. It took some time for the young guard to find her shot against the Patriots, but when she did, it opened up the Black Knights offense and made a noticeable difference in the game.
In the end, Charlottesville needs to get healthy to compete with the Warriors and Dragons, and the window is short. They face both teams in back-to-back games next week. But for now, with Louisa and Monticello on the plate, it will be interesting to see if Black Knights coach Dee Mitchelson can further foster some of her young talent.
With that said, until Western and William lose to anyone in the district besides one another, it’s hard to forsee anything but a Warriors and Dragons championship game this February in the minds of many, and we get the second leg of the regular season battle between those two this week when Monroe hosts Western on Friday night.
The first meeting was in the first week of the season so it’s easy to argue that this game will play out much differently. Since then, both teams have beaten up on the rest of the JD, and faced big tests from out of district opponents during the holidays. The Warriors’ overtime loss to Spotswood serves as a playoff-like game for Kris Wright’s team to hold in its pocket while Monroe coach Phillip Lamb looks to have the very same thing in his squad’s narrow defeat to one-loss Page.
And no matter the outcome, with the way things have gone so far, don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last time we see these two teams doing battle. But for the sake of entertainment, wouldn’t it be nice the teams currently in the middle and lower rungs of the standings decided to shake things up?
Boys Top Five
1. Blue Ridge (9-0) — Blue Ridge. Miller. Enough said. Inclement weather moved this matchup to Thursday, but it should be a solid test for both sides, expect an intense battle in Crozet.
2. Fluvanna County (11-1) — Fluvanna County fell to Monticello in overtime, but bounced back with wins over Western Albemarle and Monroe in a game moved up to Monday. The Orange game should make for a great matchup.
3. Albemarle (10-4) — Albemarle’s Saturday victory over a tough, resilient Charlottesville team could be a springboard into the heart of Commonwealth District play.
4. Buckingham County (4-1) — The Knights last played back on December 21, but they continue to prove their depth with sophomore Cam Johnson leading the way with 22 points in a win over Prince Edward. He buried 12 of 14 free throws.
5. Fork Union (5-2) — Brutal week for the Blue Devils. FUMA has enough talent to right the ship but back-to-back losses to STAB and Christchurch have the Blue Devils reeling.
Lurking — Charlottesville (7-4), William Monroe (9-5), Miller (5-5), Louisa (4-4)
Girls Top Five
1. St. Anne’s-Belfield (6-1) — The Saints opened their post-holiday schedule with a win over Episcopal–today, Covenant will try and slow down Sarah Imovbioh and the rest of the Saints.
2. Western Albemarle (9-3) — Friday will go a long way toward deciding the JD title race when the Warriors travel to Monroe.
3. Miller (6-3) — Miller will double its number of home games with the next two contests against Norfolk Christian and Norfolk Collegiate Friday and Monday.
4. William Monroe (13-2) — William Monroe has played a ton of games, and it’ll get a chance to avenge one of those two losses Friday against Western. That should make for a tough battle for the first-place Warriors.
5. Charlottesville (8-2) — The Black Knights move into the top five with wins over Goochland, Orange County and Albemarle. Charlottesville appears to be making major stride.
