1A East Boys Quarterfinal: Lancaster 47, Middlesex 46 final nm

[NNDman]

nm

 

[1badDevil]

DARN SHAME that these two great teams had to face each other tonight after winning their conference and have a great year in the Quarterfinals!! So sad. These teams should both be in the semis. Great season. Middlesex. You are the latest victim to another VHSL crappy procedure. And who loses? The kids. Red Devils, good luck in the semis!!

 

[JoelzDad]

You're right devil!!! Even though I'm a Lancaster fan, props to middlesex for a wonderful season. Holmes put on a show tonight. Lancaster has GOT to hit free throws to go any farther.
Middlesex should not have had to play Lancaster tonight. Nice job VHSL

 

[NNDman]

Folks. It's not the VHSL. The region approved this system. if you recall two years ago first round games were automatic pairings Like NND 1 vs. Tidewater 2 and Tidewater 1 vs. NND 2.

 

[jcthomas21]

VHSL should be ashamed of themselves. Middlesex and Lancaster playing in the first round after both winning their regular season and conference tounaments. I know, I know it goes by rating. Well their rating system is horse shit. Middlesex had a chance to win with about 7 seconds left on would be wide open layup but dribbled it off his foot. I'm from Middlesex but it's a damn shame one of them had to lose, they both played their ass off from the opening tip to the final horn. Mad props to Lancaster and we will be pulling for you.

 

[NNDman]

Same thing happened in softball last with Rappahannock playing Essex in the first round

 

[toughy299]

Maybe someone needs to explain to me, the West didn't have this issue. it was #1 vs #2 and all 4 #1 won ,which IMO will make tomorrow and Saturday some AWESOME basketball. A mini state tourney if you will.

 

[dringtuoti]

The region came up with the format not the vhsl. Middlesex has no one to blame but themselves. They had a mediocre season with the talent they had. How do they blow out a team like Northumberland and then lose by 29 later? Mathews and King William tied for the regular season title but Middlesex had the most talent. You lose to a mediocre team like nandua and West Point, then get beat by Mathews twice during the regular season - sorry but sound like sour grapes.

 

[1referee]

Yes-don't blame the VHSL-blame the Region AD's. Go back in time about 6 or 7 years to around 2010 and recall the best 2 teams in Region A were Lancaster and Essex. However, then Region A had the very concept some of you are lobbying for where District/conference champs get higher seeds. Middlesex got the automatic #2 seed because they were district champs in the weaker Tidewater and they advanced to state tournament twice because the 2 best teams (lancaster & essex) had to play each other before finals. Thats one reason the system was changed in Region A by the AD's-to reward teams for season long performance by using power ratings instead of simply using conference/district champs. Neither way is perfect obviously but again-it is a regional decision-not the VHSL.

 

[HokieTDTech]

It's not the vhsl it based on points System . If they had a week regular-season schedule then it doesn't matter on how many games you win its the teams you beat . Altavista got the #1 seed because they played 2a and a lot of 3a teams and won .

 

[jcthomas21]

Dringtuoti- first thing is I could care less who came up with the rating system or who approved it, it sucks plain and simple. I agree with you 100% Middlesex is much better than the record of (16-8) but you mention some games they lost in which 4 of those 8 games they were missing big time players due to injury or illness. So your statement about sour grapes, not so much. I was just stating that the rating system is terrible.

 

[dringtuoti]

What else would you have them do? They used the conference championship as a factor one year and everyone complained, they use a rating system and the same complaints - it is what it is. Losses to Nandua & WP, the team had their best players. Fact is, they didn't come to play every night and their rating suffered.

My only suggestion for improvement would be that they use a combination of rating system and conference tournament results - tournament champs get top 4 seeds & use the rating system to determine those seeds, then use the rating system for the bottom (conference runner -ups). I don't know how much that would have changed the bracket though?