All four quarterfinal games should be well played games. No team really stands out above any other at this point. With that said, these are just my predictions on what I think might happen. Feel free to chime in with your picks as well.
State Quarterfinals:
Colonial Beach vs Sussex. The Beach comes in as Region A champs, after winning the NND tournament last week. In Corvion Davis, they have a guy who averages close to 25 ppg. But they are far from a one man show. Jett, Lucas, and Pietras can all put up points as well. Jett just put up 33 in the regional championship. Sussex has flown under the radar this year while playing in the grueling Tri Rivers District. That however makes them battle tested. They went into a hostile environment at Riverheads and nearly pulled it out. My pick: Colonial Beach 72 Sussex 63
Riverheads vs Mathews. Riverheads was my preseason #1 and while their regular season record was not as great as some expected, they too have been battle tested by playing in the Shenandoah District. They are a great shooting team, led by Grant Painter and brother Adam, but others can also step up, if need be. Mathews is a team that I was high on coming into the season, even before anyone really knew who they were. They are extremely well coached and have a stud in Thomas, but a solid team around him. The edge here, might be the crowd that Riverheads will bring, and how well Mathews responds. My pick: Riverheads 56 Mathews 54.
Parry McCluer vs Grundy. PM surprised me by winning Region C, but it was well deserved. Led by Spencer Hamilton, they are a great shooting team and play solid defense, which is what you'd expect from a Mike Cartolaro coached team. Grundy has been ranked #1 in my poll for most of the season. However, I didn't pick them to win the region, and while they didn't, they surely proved that they belong and are more than capable of winning it all. Cade Looney is one of the best players in the state, and the Wave will need him to come up big. My pick. Grundy 47 Parry McCluer 45
Eastside vs Auburn. This is a rematch of a regular season game that Auburn won by 27. I don't think this game will be a blowout. Both teams have star players in Ethan Powers of Eastside and Ethan Millirons from Auburn. Which team will have its role players step up? Is this the year that Eastside finally gets over the hump? How will Auburn handle the long ride? My pick. Auburn 64 Eastside 59
Regional Semis:
Colonial Beach vs Riverheads. I'm not sure if these two have ever met in basketball. I know they met in football in the fall and will play again next fall. If this matchup does take place, I believe Riverheads will be the "host" team. This could be a shooting expedition by both teams. A key for Riverheads could be if they get their big man, Homer Robson back from injury. CB isn't a big team at all, but they are extremely talented and athletic. This could come down to which team controls the pace. My pick. Colonial Beach 62 Riverheads 58
Auburn vs Grundy. For this matchup to happen, it would mean that both teams went on the road and won in the state Quarterfinals. Grundy will have the size advantage with Looney and Keene, but the key could be how well McCoy can handle Ethan Millirons. This is honestly a game, like many in this tournament that I think could be a toss up. My pick. Auburn 57 Grundy 50.
State Championship:
Colonial Beach vs Auburn. If this happens, it would be a fun game to watch and I definitely would look forward to seeing. Both teams shoot it really well and they both have star players. Can Davis, Jett and company lead CB to their first state title since 2008? Can Millions take an Auburn team that only has one senior, to the promised land? A couple of weeks ago I said if I had to pick a state winner at that moment, I'd pick Auburn. I'm sticking with that. My pick, Auburn 67 CB 64
Your 2020 Class 1A State Champions: Auburn
State Quarterfinals:
Colonial Beach vs Sussex. The Beach comes in as Region A champs, after winning the NND tournament last week. In Corvion Davis, they have a guy who averages close to 25 ppg. But they are far from a one man show. Jett, Lucas, and Pietras can all put up points as well. Jett just put up 33 in the regional championship. Sussex has flown under the radar this year while playing in the grueling Tri Rivers District. That however makes them battle tested. They went into a hostile environment at Riverheads and nearly pulled it out. My pick: Colonial Beach 72 Sussex 63
Riverheads vs Mathews. Riverheads was my preseason #1 and while their regular season record was not as great as some expected, they too have been battle tested by playing in the Shenandoah District. They are a great shooting team, led by Grant Painter and brother Adam, but others can also step up, if need be. Mathews is a team that I was high on coming into the season, even before anyone really knew who they were. They are extremely well coached and have a stud in Thomas, but a solid team around him. The edge here, might be the crowd that Riverheads will bring, and how well Mathews responds. My pick: Riverheads 56 Mathews 54.
Parry McCluer vs Grundy. PM surprised me by winning Region C, but it was well deserved. Led by Spencer Hamilton, they are a great shooting team and play solid defense, which is what you'd expect from a Mike Cartolaro coached team. Grundy has been ranked #1 in my poll for most of the season. However, I didn't pick them to win the region, and while they didn't, they surely proved that they belong and are more than capable of winning it all. Cade Looney is one of the best players in the state, and the Wave will need him to come up big. My pick. Grundy 47 Parry McCluer 45
Eastside vs Auburn. This is a rematch of a regular season game that Auburn won by 27. I don't think this game will be a blowout. Both teams have star players in Ethan Powers of Eastside and Ethan Millirons from Auburn. Which team will have its role players step up? Is this the year that Eastside finally gets over the hump? How will Auburn handle the long ride? My pick. Auburn 64 Eastside 59
Regional Semis:
Colonial Beach vs Riverheads. I'm not sure if these two have ever met in basketball. I know they met in football in the fall and will play again next fall. If this matchup does take place, I believe Riverheads will be the "host" team. This could be a shooting expedition by both teams. A key for Riverheads could be if they get their big man, Homer Robson back from injury. CB isn't a big team at all, but they are extremely talented and athletic. This could come down to which team controls the pace. My pick. Colonial Beach 62 Riverheads 58
Auburn vs Grundy. For this matchup to happen, it would mean that both teams went on the road and won in the state Quarterfinals. Grundy will have the size advantage with Looney and Keene, but the key could be how well McCoy can handle Ethan Millirons. This is honestly a game, like many in this tournament that I think could be a toss up. My pick. Auburn 57 Grundy 50.
State Championship:
Colonial Beach vs Auburn. If this happens, it would be a fun game to watch and I definitely would look forward to seeing. Both teams shoot it really well and they both have star players. Can Davis, Jett and company lead CB to their first state title since 2008? Can Millions take an Auburn team that only has one senior, to the promised land? A couple of weeks ago I said if I had to pick a state winner at that moment, I'd pick Auburn. I'm sticking with that. My pick, Auburn 67 CB 64
Your 2020 Class 1A State Champions: Auburn