*** Follow 2021-22 VHSL Playoff Brackets Here ***
There wasn't a whole heck of a lot of drama or down to the wire excitement during Monday's regional playoff action. One of the games that did produce late heroics was Manchester edging Thomas Dale on a three-pointer at the end from Joel Moody to escape in overtime, 54-53. Jamel McDuffie led the Lancers with 17 points in that one.
Another game that was tight into the final couple of minutes in the fourth quarter was in Dumfries, where Potomac held off John Champe 60-55 behind 18 points from Cardinal District Player of the Year Kyle Honore and clutch foul shooting. The Panthers made 23 of 26 foul shots in the contest, including 12 of 14 in the fourth quarter. Champe cooled off shooting the basketball as they hit 4 of 5 from deep to begin the fourth period, but misfired on all five of their tries from behind the arc in the final stanza. See our Video Interview with Coach Keith Honore here and PG Kyle Honore here.
Truly the biggest surprise came on the girls side, where ninth-seeded Deep Creek took down top-seeded Hampton, 56-51, to halt an 18-game winning streak for a Lady Crabbers team with state title aspirations in Class 4.
Tuesday's slate gets much more interesting with 16 of the 24 regions in action, including a Region 5B field that I argue is as good as any in the state. That's where my travels will take me on Tuesday before boarding a plane early Wednesday morning with Old Dominion Women's Basketball for my play-by-play radio responsibilities.
Let's review my results from Monday, which includes one extra loss that I anticipated due to a typo in the Battlefield/Colonial Forge game (mishap on my part) before Tuesday's picks on this infamous 2/22/2022 date that is more confusing to me than any other in recent memory ...
Hatfield's Region Picks from Mon. 2/21/22: 26-4 (86.7%)
Hatfield's 2022 Region Playoff Total: 52-8 (86.7%)
Matthew Hatfield's 2021 Region Playoff Record: 109-24 (82%)
Hatfield's 2020 Postseason Record: 207-60 (77.5%)
Hatfield's 2019 Region Playoff Record: 139-56 (71.3%)
TUESDAY 2/22/22 VHSL REGION PLAYOFF ACTION:
Region 6C: Quarterfinals
#4 W.T. Woodson (17-6) at #1 Hayfield (26-0)
Hat's Pick - Hayfield
#3 Annandale (15-8) at #2 South County (19-5)
Hat's Pick - South County
#5 Lake Braddock (16-7) at #1 West Potomac (14-8)
Hat's Pick - West Potomac in OT
#3 Fairfax (18-5) at #2 Thomas Edison (16-8)
Hat's Pick - Fairfax
Region Tourney Final Pick: Hayfield over Fairfax
Region 6D: Quarterfinals
Liberty #4 Langley (11-9) at Concorde #1 South Lakes (20-2)
Hat's Pick - South Lakes
Concorde #3 Westfield (11-11) at Liberty #2 George Marshall (17-5)
Hat's Pick - George Marshall in OT
Liberty #3 Wakefield (11-9) at Concorde #2 James Madison (18-5)
Hat's Pick - James Madison
Concorde #4 Centreville (12-11) at Liberty #1 Washington-Liberty (16-6)
Hat's Pick - Centreville
Region Tourney Final Pick: South Lakes over Madison
Region 5B: Quarterfinals at Norview High in Norfolk
#5 Bethel (15-7) vs. #4 Menchville (17-5)
Hat's Pick - Menchville
#3 Woodside (17-5) at #6 Norview (14-7)
Hat's Pick - Norview
Region Tourney Final Pick: Kecoughtan over Maury
Region 5C: Quarterfinals
#8 Mills Godwin (9-11) at #1 L.C. Bird (18-2)
Hat's Pick - L.C. Bird
#5 Prince George (14-7) at #4 Highland Springs (17-4)
Hat's Pick - Highland Springs
#6 Deep Run (14-9) at #3 Glen Allen (16-4)
Hat's Pick - Glen Allen
#7 Midlothian (10-12) at #2 Douglas Freeman (19-3)
Hat's Pick - Douglas Freeman
Region Tourney Final Pick: L.C. Bird over Douglas Freeman
Region 4A: Quarterfinals
#9 Churchland (8-16; 8-15) at #1 King's Fork (20-0)
Hat's Pick - King's Fork
#5 Smithfield (14-8) at #4 Manor (15-7; 15-6) {at King's Fork}
Hat's Pick - Manor
#6 Hampton (13-9) vs. #3 Grafton (17-5) {at Jamestown}
Hat's Pick - Hampton
#7 Heritage-NN (11-9) at #2 Jamestown (18-3)
Hat's Pick - Jamestown
Region Tourney Final Pick: King's Fork over Jamestown
Region 4B: Quarterfinals
#9 Atlee (10-13) at #1 Eastern View (19-1)
Hat's Pick - Eastern View
#12 Monacan (8-15) at #4 Henrico (15-6)
Hat's Pick - Henrico
#6 Huguenot (13-9) at #3 Courtland (17-5)
Hat's Pick - Courtland
#10 Matoaca (9-13) at #2 Varina (19-1)
Hat's Pick - Varina
Region Tourney Final Pick: Varina over Eastern View
Region 4C: Semifinals
Northwestern #2 Kettle Run (12-9) at Dulles #1 Loudoun County (19-6)
Hat's Pick - Loudoun County
Dulles #2 Loudoun Valley (21-4) at Northwestern #1 Sherando (17-7)
Hat's Pick - Loudoun Valley
Region Tourney Final Pick: Loudon Valley over Loudoun Count
Region 4D: Semifinals
#4 GW-Danville (17-6) at #1 Western Albemarle (21-1)
Hat's Pick - Western Albemarle
#3 Blacksburg (16-6) at #2 E.C. Glass (20-4)
Hat's Pick - E.C. Glass
Region Tourney Final Pick: Western Albemarle over E.C. Glass
Region 3B: Semifinals
#4 Manassas Park (9-11) at #1 William Monroe (17-3)
Hat's Pick - William Monroe
#3 Skyline (16-7) at #2 Caroline (16-8)
Hat's Pick - Skyline
Region Tourney Final Pick: William Monroe over Skyline
Region 3C: Quarterfinals
#8 Turner Ashby (13-8) at #1 Spotswood (15-6)
Hat's Pick - Spotswood
#5 Charlottesville (11-8) at #4 Heritage-Lynchburg (13-8)
Hat's Pick - Heritage-Lynchburg
#6 Broadway (13-7) at #3 Liberty Christian (16-5)
Hat's Pick - Liberty Christian
#7 Fluvanna (15-7) at #2 Wilson Memorial (16-4)
Hat's Pick - Wilson Memorial in 2 OT's
Region Tourney Final Pick: Spotswood over Liberty Christian
Region 3D: Quarterfinals
#8 William Byrd (9-14) at #1 Cave Spring (22-1)
Hat's Pick - Cave Spring
#5 Tunstall (18-5) at #4 Abingdon (16-8)
Hat's Pick - Tunstall
#6 Bassett (11-11) at #3 Lord Botetourt (15-8)
Hat's Pick - Lord Botetourt
#7 Christiansburg (10-13) at #2 Northside (20-4)
Hat's Pick - Northside
Region Tourney Final Pick: Cave Spring over Northside
Region 2A: Quarterfinals
#8 Bruton (8-12) at #1 John Marshall (16-5)
Hat's Pick - John Marshall
#5 Prince Edward (10-8) at #4 Thomas Jefferson-Richmond (8-6)
Hat's Pick - TJ-Richmond
#7 Amelia (10-6) at #2 Greensville (12-1)
Hat's Pick - Greensville
#6 Brunswick (12-10) at #3 Nottoway (15-1)
Hat's Pick - Nottoway
Region Tourney Final Pick: John Marshall over Nottoway
Region 2B: Quarterfinals
#8 Strasburg (8-15) at #1 East Rockingham (21-4)
Hat's Pick - East Rockingham
#5 Page County (9-14) at #4 Madison County (12-12)
Hat's Pick - Madison County
#6 Stuarts Draft (5-15) at #3 Buckingham (14-7)
Hat's Pick - Buckingham
#7 Clarke County (8-12) at #2 Centrall-Woodstock (18-7)
Hat's Pick - Central-Woodstock
Region Tourney Final Pick : East Rockingham over Central-Woodstock
Region 2C: Quarterfinals
#5 Alleghany (15-8) at #1 James River-Buchanan (18-3)
Hat's Pick - James River
#3 Chatham (9-9) at #2 Floyd County (10-12)
Hat's Pick - Floyd County
#4 Dan River (8-12) at #1 Martinsville (11-9)
Hat's Pick - Martinsville
#3 Radford (15-4) at #2 Nelson County (18-2)
Hat's Pick - Radford
Region Tourney Final Pick: James River over Radford
Region 1B: Quarterfinals
#6 Franklin (10-9) at #3 Altavista (14-6)
Hat's Pick - Altavista
#5 Riverheads (9-10) at #4 William Campbell (10-8)
Hat's Pick - William Campbell in OT
Region Tourney Final Pick: Rappahannock County over Buffalo Gap
Region 1D: Quarterfinals
Cumberland #3 J.I. Burton (13-11) at Hogo #1 Northwood (16-6)
Hat's Pick - J.I. Burton in OT
Cumberland #2 Eastside (16-9) at Black Diamond #2 Honaker (14-10)
Hat's Pick - Eastside
Hogo #3 Holston (9-14) at Black Diamond #1 Grundy (12-11)
Hat's Pick - Grundy
Hogo #2 Lebanon (16-8) at Cumberland #1 Twin Springs (15-8)
Hat's Pick - Twin Springs
Region Tourney Final Pick: Twin Springs over Eastside
There wasn't a whole heck of a lot of drama or down to the wire excitement during Monday's regional playoff action. One of the games that did produce late heroics was Manchester edging Thomas Dale on a three-pointer at the end from Joel Moody to escape in overtime, 54-53. Jamel McDuffie led the Lancers with 17 points in that one.
Another game that was tight into the final couple of minutes in the fourth quarter was in Dumfries, where Potomac held off John Champe 60-55 behind 18 points from Cardinal District Player of the Year Kyle Honore and clutch foul shooting. The Panthers made 23 of 26 foul shots in the contest, including 12 of 14 in the fourth quarter. Champe cooled off shooting the basketball as they hit 4 of 5 from deep to begin the fourth period, but misfired on all five of their tries from behind the arc in the final stanza. See our Video Interview with Coach Keith Honore here and PG Kyle Honore here.
Truly the biggest surprise came on the girls side, where ninth-seeded Deep Creek took down top-seeded Hampton, 56-51, to halt an 18-game winning streak for a Lady Crabbers team with state title aspirations in Class 4.
Tuesday's slate gets much more interesting with 16 of the 24 regions in action, including a Region 5B field that I argue is as good as any in the state. That's where my travels will take me on Tuesday before boarding a plane early Wednesday morning with Old Dominion Women's Basketball for my play-by-play radio responsibilities.
Let's review my results from Monday, which includes one extra loss that I anticipated due to a typo in the Battlefield/Colonial Forge game (mishap on my part) before Tuesday's picks on this infamous 2/22/2022 date that is more confusing to me than any other in recent memory ...
Hatfield's Region Picks from Mon. 2/21/22: 26-4 (86.7%)
Hatfield's 2022 Region Playoff Total: 52-8 (86.7%)
Matthew Hatfield's 2021 Region Playoff Record: 109-24 (82%)
Hatfield's 2020 Postseason Record: 207-60 (77.5%)
Hatfield's 2019 Region Playoff Record: 139-56 (71.3%)
TUESDAY 2/22/22 VHSL REGION PLAYOFF ACTION:
Region 6C: Quarterfinals
#4 W.T. Woodson (17-6) at #1 Hayfield (26-0)
Hat's Pick - Hayfield
#3 Annandale (15-8) at #2 South County (19-5)
Hat's Pick - South County
#5 Lake Braddock (16-7) at #1 West Potomac (14-8)
Hat's Pick - West Potomac in OT
#3 Fairfax (18-5) at #2 Thomas Edison (16-8)
Hat's Pick - Fairfax
Region Tourney Final Pick: Hayfield over Fairfax
Region 6D: Quarterfinals
Liberty #4 Langley (11-9) at Concorde #1 South Lakes (20-2)
Hat's Pick - South Lakes
Concorde #3 Westfield (11-11) at Liberty #2 George Marshall (17-5)
Hat's Pick - George Marshall in OT
Liberty #3 Wakefield (11-9) at Concorde #2 James Madison (18-5)
Hat's Pick - James Madison
Concorde #4 Centreville (12-11) at Liberty #1 Washington-Liberty (16-6)
Hat's Pick - Centreville
Region Tourney Final Pick: South Lakes over Madison
Region 5B: Quarterfinals at Norview High in Norfolk
#5 Bethel (15-7) vs. #4 Menchville (17-5)
Hat's Pick - Menchville
#3 Woodside (17-5) at #6 Norview (14-7)
Hat's Pick - Norview
Region Tourney Final Pick: Kecoughtan over Maury
Region 5C: Quarterfinals
#8 Mills Godwin (9-11) at #1 L.C. Bird (18-2)
Hat's Pick - L.C. Bird
#5 Prince George (14-7) at #4 Highland Springs (17-4)
Hat's Pick - Highland Springs
#6 Deep Run (14-9) at #3 Glen Allen (16-4)
Hat's Pick - Glen Allen
#7 Midlothian (10-12) at #2 Douglas Freeman (19-3)
Hat's Pick - Douglas Freeman
Region Tourney Final Pick: L.C. Bird over Douglas Freeman
Region 4A: Quarterfinals
#9 Churchland (8-16; 8-15) at #1 King's Fork (20-0)
Hat's Pick - King's Fork
#5 Smithfield (14-8) at #4 Manor (15-7; 15-6) {at King's Fork}
Hat's Pick - Manor
#6 Hampton (13-9) vs. #3 Grafton (17-5) {at Jamestown}
Hat's Pick - Hampton
#7 Heritage-NN (11-9) at #2 Jamestown (18-3)
Hat's Pick - Jamestown
Region Tourney Final Pick: King's Fork over Jamestown
Region 4B: Quarterfinals
#9 Atlee (10-13) at #1 Eastern View (19-1)
Hat's Pick - Eastern View
#12 Monacan (8-15) at #4 Henrico (15-6)
Hat's Pick - Henrico
#6 Huguenot (13-9) at #3 Courtland (17-5)
Hat's Pick - Courtland
#10 Matoaca (9-13) at #2 Varina (19-1)
Hat's Pick - Varina
Region Tourney Final Pick: Varina over Eastern View
Region 4C: Semifinals
Northwestern #2 Kettle Run (12-9) at Dulles #1 Loudoun County (19-6)
Hat's Pick - Loudoun County
Dulles #2 Loudoun Valley (21-4) at Northwestern #1 Sherando (17-7)
Hat's Pick - Loudoun Valley
Region Tourney Final Pick: Loudon Valley over Loudoun Count
Region 4D: Semifinals
#4 GW-Danville (17-6) at #1 Western Albemarle (21-1)
Hat's Pick - Western Albemarle
#3 Blacksburg (16-6) at #2 E.C. Glass (20-4)
Hat's Pick - E.C. Glass
Region Tourney Final Pick: Western Albemarle over E.C. Glass
Region 3B: Semifinals
#4 Manassas Park (9-11) at #1 William Monroe (17-3)
Hat's Pick - William Monroe
#3 Skyline (16-7) at #2 Caroline (16-8)
Hat's Pick - Skyline
Region Tourney Final Pick: William Monroe over Skyline
Region 3C: Quarterfinals
#8 Turner Ashby (13-8) at #1 Spotswood (15-6)
Hat's Pick - Spotswood
#5 Charlottesville (11-8) at #4 Heritage-Lynchburg (13-8)
Hat's Pick - Heritage-Lynchburg
#6 Broadway (13-7) at #3 Liberty Christian (16-5)
Hat's Pick - Liberty Christian
#7 Fluvanna (15-7) at #2 Wilson Memorial (16-4)
Hat's Pick - Wilson Memorial in 2 OT's
Region Tourney Final Pick: Spotswood over Liberty Christian
Region 3D: Quarterfinals
#8 William Byrd (9-14) at #1 Cave Spring (22-1)
Hat's Pick - Cave Spring
#5 Tunstall (18-5) at #4 Abingdon (16-8)
Hat's Pick - Tunstall
#6 Bassett (11-11) at #3 Lord Botetourt (15-8)
Hat's Pick - Lord Botetourt
#7 Christiansburg (10-13) at #2 Northside (20-4)
Hat's Pick - Northside
Region Tourney Final Pick: Cave Spring over Northside
Region 2A: Quarterfinals
#8 Bruton (8-12) at #1 John Marshall (16-5)
Hat's Pick - John Marshall
#5 Prince Edward (10-8) at #4 Thomas Jefferson-Richmond (8-6)
Hat's Pick - TJ-Richmond
#7 Amelia (10-6) at #2 Greensville (12-1)
Hat's Pick - Greensville
#6 Brunswick (12-10) at #3 Nottoway (15-1)
Hat's Pick - Nottoway
Region Tourney Final Pick: John Marshall over Nottoway
Region 2B: Quarterfinals
#8 Strasburg (8-15) at #1 East Rockingham (21-4)
Hat's Pick - East Rockingham
#5 Page County (9-14) at #4 Madison County (12-12)
Hat's Pick - Madison County
#6 Stuarts Draft (5-15) at #3 Buckingham (14-7)
Hat's Pick - Buckingham
#7 Clarke County (8-12) at #2 Centrall-Woodstock (18-7)
Hat's Pick - Central-Woodstock
Region Tourney Final Pick : East Rockingham over Central-Woodstock
Region 2C: Quarterfinals
#5 Alleghany (15-8) at #1 James River-Buchanan (18-3)
Hat's Pick - James River
#3 Chatham (9-9) at #2 Floyd County (10-12)
Hat's Pick - Floyd County
#4 Dan River (8-12) at #1 Martinsville (11-9)
Hat's Pick - Martinsville
#3 Radford (15-4) at #2 Nelson County (18-2)
Hat's Pick - Radford
Region Tourney Final Pick: James River over Radford
Region 1B: Quarterfinals
#6 Franklin (10-9) at #3 Altavista (14-6)
Hat's Pick - Altavista
#5 Riverheads (9-10) at #4 William Campbell (10-8)
Hat's Pick - William Campbell in OT
Region Tourney Final Pick: Rappahannock County over Buffalo Gap
Region 1D: Quarterfinals
Cumberland #3 J.I. Burton (13-11) at Hogo #1 Northwood (16-6)
Hat's Pick - J.I. Burton in OT
Cumberland #2 Eastside (16-9) at Black Diamond #2 Honaker (14-10)
Hat's Pick - Eastside
Hogo #3 Holston (9-14) at Black Diamond #1 Grundy (12-11)
Hat's Pick - Grundy
Hogo #2 Lebanon (16-8) at Cumberland #1 Twin Springs (15-8)
Hat's Pick - Twin Springs
Region Tourney Final Pick: Twin Springs over Eastside
