We are approaching the halfway point and about the only thing we have determined for sure is that East Rock appears to be unbeatable in the district. Yes, I know they still have to travel to both Page and Stuarts Draft, and either of those "could" be a stumbling block, but I doubt it seriously. They are that good.
As for the other five, nobody has stepped up yet to definitively say that they are better than the other four, which makes Friday night's other three games interesting. So here is my take....
East Rock at Luray: Should be no contest. The Eagles will win by 25 or more.
Stuarts Draft at Page: Earlier this season, when the Cougars laid a 36-point egg at East Rock, they would have been easy to dismiss as a non-factor. But apparently they just needed some time to get it together, and having seen them in action just last night, they have their mojo working again and I will be surprised if they finish lower than third this season. But in this case, I still think Page is more disciplined in their approach, plus they will have the home court advantage. I will go with Page by 8-10 points.
Riverheads at Wilson: Each team has just had the Stuarts Draft experience on the Cougars' home court, where Wilson lost by 26 on Tuesday and Riverheads by 17 just last night. So if you factor in Wilson's home court advantage for this Friday, how could you consider this one anything BUT a toss-up? I have my reasons for thinking that Riverheads will come out on top, but then I am sure there are plenty of Wilson fans who expect them to win this one.
Buffalo Gap at Stonewall: Since our local papers cover Stonewall so little, they are a mystery to us down here. But from the limited coverage and scores I have seen, they appear to be much improved this year. They beat Wilson in Fishersville by 3 and they came within 10 of Page at home. Past Stonewall teams would not have come close to matching either of those feats. The Bison on the other hand are the only team without a district win, and I think they only have one overall, although they should get number two tonight (Thursday) when they host Nelson. This one will probably be close but I will go with Stonewall by 7.
Travel safely one and all since the S word is being tossed around quite a bit today!
As for the other five, nobody has stepped up yet to definitively say that they are better than the other four, which makes Friday night's other three games interesting. So here is my take....
East Rock at Luray: Should be no contest. The Eagles will win by 25 or more.
Stuarts Draft at Page: Earlier this season, when the Cougars laid a 36-point egg at East Rock, they would have been easy to dismiss as a non-factor. But apparently they just needed some time to get it together, and having seen them in action just last night, they have their mojo working again and I will be surprised if they finish lower than third this season. But in this case, I still think Page is more disciplined in their approach, plus they will have the home court advantage. I will go with Page by 8-10 points.
Riverheads at Wilson: Each team has just had the Stuarts Draft experience on the Cougars' home court, where Wilson lost by 26 on Tuesday and Riverheads by 17 just last night. So if you factor in Wilson's home court advantage for this Friday, how could you consider this one anything BUT a toss-up? I have my reasons for thinking that Riverheads will come out on top, but then I am sure there are plenty of Wilson fans who expect them to win this one.
Buffalo Gap at Stonewall: Since our local papers cover Stonewall so little, they are a mystery to us down here. But from the limited coverage and scores I have seen, they appear to be much improved this year. They beat Wilson in Fishersville by 3 and they came within 10 of Page at home. Past Stonewall teams would not have come close to matching either of those feats. The Bison on the other hand are the only team without a district win, and I think they only have one overall, although they should get number two tonight (Thursday) when they host Nelson. This one will probably be close but I will go with Stonewall by 7.
Travel safely one and all since the S word is being tossed around quite a bit today!
