Picture Above - Virginia High's Deonta Mozell (Courtesy - Bob Lanum of BobLimages.com)
Bristol, Virginia was where the most drama came on Wednesday night in Virginia High School Hoops. For the fourth straight year, the Bearcats of Virginia High are headed to the VHSL State Basketball Tournament as they prevailed over Gate City, 57-55, thanks to the buzzer-beater from senior guard Deonta Mozell.
Those were two of his 23 points and it results in their fourth meeting against Southwest District rival Graham, which edged Central-Wise 66-62 in overtime behind 30 points from sophomore Channing Disibbio.
L.C. Bird is back in the State Tournament yet again in Class 5, beating J.R. Tucker on its gym 62-35 in the regional semis to set up a re-match with Albemarle, who they eliminated from last year's State Semis and also lost to earlier this season during the Coaches 4 the Cure Event at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Richmond.
While Riverside won comfortably in the Region 5D semis over Stone Bridge 85-67 to punch its State Tournament ticket, it was a nail-biting finish for Riverbend, which will join them after holding off Potomac Falls 43-40 in a defensive battle.
Another close one came in Region 4D as E.C. Glass held off GW-Danville, 46-44, in a low-scoring affair. D.J. Best's Hilltoppers are just a couple of seasons removed from falling in the Class 4 State Finals and will now take on the team that has been ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 4 for almost the entire season, John Handley (23-1), the Region 4D crown.
The highly anticipated showdown between Spotswood and Staunton - two teams riding long winning streaks - in the Region 3C semis ended up being more lopsided than expected. The host Blazers won 79-61 as their senior backcourt tandem of Cam Pacheco (Mount St. Mary's signee) and Tyler Sprague scored 26 points apiece to give them a fourth straight State Playoff berth.
Two-time defending Class 1 State Champ Lancaster is heading back to the State Tournament after upending second-seeded Middlesex, 67-54. They will get another crack at Northern Neck District rival Northumberland, a 68-55 winner over Mathews in its regional semifinal, for the Region 1A crown.
Let's review how the picks did for Wednesday 2/26/25 action below...
5C = 2-0
5D = 1-1 (missed on Riverbend/Potomac Falls)
4D = 2-0
3C = 2-0
2D = 1-1 (missed on Graham/Central-Wise)
1A = 1-1 (missed on Lancaster/Middlesex)
1B = 1-1 (missed on Franklin/Brunswick)
Record on Wednesday 2/26/25 Games: 10-4 (71.4%)
Hatfield's 2025 Region Playoff Total: 108-22 (83.1%)
Well, the call of Graham / Wise requiring more than 32 minutes of regulation to determine a winner was right, but it ended up being the G-Men getting a matchup with their Southwest District rival, Virginia High, for the Region 2D crown. The Bearcats also needed overtime to take its matchup, over upset-minded Gate City. Meanwhile, the Region 1B title game features a couple of teams with double-digit losses - Altavista and Franklin - squaring off for the crown.
Make Sure You Save This Link Here with our VHSL Playoff Brackets / Landing Page OR the direct link below...
VHSL 2025 Hoops Playoff Brackets Here
Our Picks for Thursday 2/27/25 action - featuring 14 regions in play with Region 4C + Region 3B crowns on the line - will come in the next post.
