JMU Hosting 2-A State Quarter and Semi-finals

[longtimerhsfan]

Some of you may already be ahead of me on this but I just read on the VHSL website that the JMU Convocation Center will be hosting the quarter-finals and semi-finals for 2-A state basketball Thursday through Saturday, March 2nd-4th. The state title games will then be played at the Siegel Center the next Thursday the 9th. Apparently the schedule at the Siegel is going to be lighter this year and only the state championships will be held there.

Anyway, this will be great news for 2-A fans in this area. Can you imagine the atmosphere if any combination of Lee, East Rock, Page, and Stuarts Draft were to make it that far? I guess all four of them simply couldn't because they would be knocking each other off before they get to that point, but I think it is mathematically possible for two of them to make it.

As for the girls, from what I have read and followed, both East Rock and Wilson could be capable of making it that far. Surely SOME of our local teams will be there and you can't beat that for convenience.

As for 1-A fans, the news is not so good. Those quarters and semis are being held at Virginia High School down in Bristol. That seems totally illogical to me because most of the teams that will make it will have a tremendously long distance to travel. Can you imagine somebody like Essex or an Eastern Shore team having to make that trip?

Realistically I don't see any of our local 1-A teams making it that far, so it probably won't matter to us, but it sure seems like they forgot the concept of central location when they made those plans.

 

[AntGZee]

So much for a central location for 2A also. It seems Roanoke is more centralized than Harrisonburg.

 

[kwhs95fan]

Last year the Lancaster boys and I believe also the Colonial Beach girls had to travel to UVA Wise for state quarterfinal games. Want to say it was something like 476 miles one way for Lancaster.

 

[AntGZee]

That is crazy! Virginia has to do better. They need a serious lesson in Geography. I thought it was nuts when Martinsville had to play Dan River at UVA- Wise.

 

[kwhs95fan]

It will be really bad on the girls from the East this year as the quarterfinals are on March 2nd and if they win then the semis are on March 4th so surely you don't go all the way back home for one day. Could turn into a 4 day trip if they leave on the 1st which I am sure some will do and not return home until late on the 4th or early on the 5th. If it was the semis and finals it would make more sense but all this has to be done just to make it to the championship. Not seeing how the reward for being a top seed in the East is a 6 or 7 hour ride out West to "host" a state quarterfinal or semifinal game.

 

[THEGOATFROMJMU]

1A the dividing line for east and west is like Blacksburg isn't it? not for mileage but # of schools

 

[AntGZee]

It's ridiculous thinking of the traveling that some schools have to do. Sending an East school to UVA-Wise for a 1/4 final game is beyond straight jacket crazy.

 

[kwhs95fan]

Heck it's even crazier bud when the #1 seed in the East has to travel 6 hours to "host" a state quarter game.

 

[longtimerhsfan]

To correct myself on a couple of points......

1) I was wrong when I said that only the state finals would be held at the Siegel Center. If you study the VHSL website, some of the higher classifications are playing earlier rounds there. For example, the 3-A quarter-finals and semi-finals are there, so that means that for local fans here in the valley, Spotswood (definitely one of the premier teams in 3-A) could conceivably have as many as three games in Richmond if they advance that far and keep winning.

2) When I was listing 2-A girls teams that might benefit from the Harrisonburg location, I left out the Stuarts Draft Lady Cougars, who might be strong enough to make the state tournament field. For that matter, I even left out my own Lady Gladiators, who are the number one seed in 1-A's Conference 44. If the chips were to fall the right way, they could make it to Bristol.

My excuse for these blunders is that I was reading the news late at night and just wanted to throw it out there quickly for discussion.

 

[GCDEV]

GC had to go to Richmond on Back to Back weekends last year ! And How far do you think it is from Big Stone Gap to JMU ? this stuff is crazy!

 

[AntGZee]

GCDEV, I agree with you. I wonder if the VHSL has an understanding of what a centralized location is?

 

[GCDEV]

no they Don't and they don't care last year they should have moved Dan River and Martinsville closer to the home sites for the fans and the expense. it cost both teams another night in hotel and meals and what the vhsl reimburses you is closer to 1970 prices than 2016. central locations are Lynchburg and Charlottesville. The VHSL screwed up when it moved the games especially for lower divisions to Richmond. It cost Gate City 10,000 dollars for 2 weekends to Richmond last year. thanks god for private donors

 

[Ryan4VT]

Some of you may already be ahead of me on this but I just read on the VHSL website that the JMU Convocation Center will be hosting the quarter-finals and semi-finals for 2-A state basketball Thursday through Saturday, March 2nd-4th. The state title games will then be played at the Siegel Center the next Thursday the 9th. Apparently the schedule at the Siegel is going to be lighter this year and only the state championships will be held there.

Anyway, this will be great news for 2-A fans in this area. Can you imagine the atmosphere if any combination of Lee, East Rock, Page, and Stuarts Draft were to make it that far? I guess all four of them simply couldn't because they would be knocking each other off before they get to that point, but I think it is mathematically possible for two of them to make it.

As for the girls, from what I have read and followed, both East Rock and Wilson could be capable of making it that far. Surely SOME of our local teams will be there and you can't beat that for convenience.

As for 1-A fans, the news is not so good. Those quarters and semis are being held at Virginia High School down in Bristol. That seems totally illogical to me because most of the teams that will make it will have a tremendously long distance to travel. Can you imagine somebody like Essex or an Eastern Shore team having to make that trip?

Realistically I don't see any of our local 1-A teams making it that far, so it probably won't matter to us, but it sure seems like they forgot the concept of central location when they made those plans.

JMU is not central to the far SWVA teams like GC, Union, Richlands, and Graham. 2 of those 4 will make it to JMU. Richlands to JMU is 4 hours. Gate City to JMU is 4:15. Those aren't short trips.

It's no different in 1A. Bristol is convenient to Ridgeview, Central, Union, GC etc. But it's not convenient to the others.

The VHSL is incompetent when it comes to these things.

 

[AntGZee]

VHSL, needs to take a better look at the logistics of the playoff games.