As mentioned in my Riverheads/Buffalo Gap recap late last night, things look a little undetermined at the moment in terms of whether our teams will get to play their games tonight or get to rest since most of them were just in action last night and might not really mind having the night off. But there is an interesting assortment of games on tap, so I will go ahead and preview them in case they all get played after all, even if there are delays to Saturday or Monday. Here is the line-up:
BUFFALO GAP AT WAYNESBORO: At present, these two along with Riverheads are looking "up" at the top four teams above them. So each is hoping for an upset somewhere along the way, but also hoping to be the team that can claim the number five spot in the final district standings. Each of these has squeaked past RHS in the last week, so tonight's game may very well go a long way toward determining who gets that number five spot. With the Little Giants having the home court advantage and also having the night off last night, they are the smart bet to take this one.
STUARTS DRAFT AT FORT DEFIANCE: This is the spotlight game for this weekend. The Indians either hit or toyed with the century mark against each of the above-mentioned lower tier teams, but as you may have read, they had their hats handed to them last night in Staunton. The Cougars will have the horses (or cats as the case may be) to run with the Fort, so don't be surprised if this is a game where BOTH teams come close to triple digits. I will go with the Fort on home court advantage but a Cougar win will not be a surprise at all.
STAUNTON AT RIVERHEADS: Based on the way the season has gone, this one looks like a blowout on paper, but these two have had a colorful history against one another. Riverheads has actually beaten Staunton four times since it joined the league, and two of those wins even came in the Paul Hatcher gym. RHS even swept the series in its highly successful 2018-19 season that included a state tournament run. Now will I go so far as to predict a Riverheads win tonight? Probably not but the best way the Gladiators can approach this game will be to look at it as one of those "to be the best you have to play the best" situations.
WILSON AT MAGGIE WALKER GOVERNORS SCHOOL: With seven teams in the district, someone usually just takes the night off while the other six duke it out, but in this case the Hornets have this non-district trip to Richmond on the docket. It will definitely be one of those cases in which neither team will know anything about the other so they will just learn as they go along. Just for the sake of district pride, let's wish the Hornets a happy and safe bus ride to and from the big city.
BUFFALO GAP AT WAYNESBORO: At present, these two along with Riverheads are looking "up" at the top four teams above them. So each is hoping for an upset somewhere along the way, but also hoping to be the team that can claim the number five spot in the final district standings. Each of these has squeaked past RHS in the last week, so tonight's game may very well go a long way toward determining who gets that number five spot. With the Little Giants having the home court advantage and also having the night off last night, they are the smart bet to take this one.
STUARTS DRAFT AT FORT DEFIANCE: This is the spotlight game for this weekend. The Indians either hit or toyed with the century mark against each of the above-mentioned lower tier teams, but as you may have read, they had their hats handed to them last night in Staunton. The Cougars will have the horses (or cats as the case may be) to run with the Fort, so don't be surprised if this is a game where BOTH teams come close to triple digits. I will go with the Fort on home court advantage but a Cougar win will not be a surprise at all.
STAUNTON AT RIVERHEADS: Based on the way the season has gone, this one looks like a blowout on paper, but these two have had a colorful history against one another. Riverheads has actually beaten Staunton four times since it joined the league, and two of those wins even came in the Paul Hatcher gym. RHS even swept the series in its highly successful 2018-19 season that included a state tournament run. Now will I go so far as to predict a Riverheads win tonight? Probably not but the best way the Gladiators can approach this game will be to look at it as one of those "to be the best you have to play the best" situations.
WILSON AT MAGGIE WALKER GOVERNORS SCHOOL: With seven teams in the district, someone usually just takes the night off while the other six duke it out, but in this case the Hornets have this non-district trip to Richmond on the docket. It will definitely be one of those cases in which neither team will know anything about the other so they will just learn as they go along. Just for the sake of district pride, let's wish the Hornets a happy and safe bus ride to and from the big city.