Girls' Basketball: Virginia AAA Northern Region preview
By Preston Williams, Monday, February 18, 10:19 AM
Here's a look at the first-round Virginia AAA Northern Region matchups. The tournament begins Monday night and continues Tuesday with the quarterfinals, Thursday with the semifinals and Saturday with the championship. The semis and final will once again be held at Robinson. The two finalists qualify for the state tournament.
Because of Virginia High School League realignment, this will be the last Northern Region tournament in its current form, at least with the full complement of schools that have been long been associated with the region.
Next school year, 21 of the current Northern Region schools will play in 6A North, a group that might retain the Northern Region name. The other nine region schools (Jefferson, Marshall, Edison, Falls Church, Mount Vernon, Stuart, Wakefield, Lee and Stone Bridge) will play in 5A North and not meet the 6A teams in the conference playoffs.
The first-round pairings:
made two-game winning shots. Madison beat Robinson in the region quarterfinals last season.
She scored 40 points last week in Patriot District semifinal upset of West Springfield. This is the teams' fourth postseason meeting since 2004.
West Springfield (20-4): In a typical season, this first-round matchup would stand out as a mismatch. And maybe it will be. But Wakefield lost this season by four to T.C. Williams, by six to Edison and by four to Mount Vernon. West Springfield, with two freshmen among its top three scorers, has been vulnerable. At the same time, would anyone be stunned to find even a rebuilding West Springfield team back in the region final for a fourth straight year?
McLean and Madison.
Tatianna Torres (18.3 ppg), has its most wins since the 2002-03 season. The Generals have only one victory this season over a region qualifier, that coming in a split with Wakefield. T.C. and W-L have not met since 2004.
McLean (18-7) at Oakton (20-4): McLean had a chance to win its first Liberty District title but lost in the final to Madison, after rallying from to tie the score with about 17 seconds left. Senior Elizabeth Manner (24.1 ppg), is in retooling mode but has won three of the past four region titles. The Cougars, like West Springfield, are more vulnerable than in recent seasons, but their advancing to the region final would not be a huge surprise given the track record of winning five region titles since 2001, with a runner-up finish in 2007.
Chantilly (9-15) at South Lakes (20-4): The homestanding Seahawks, ranked for much of the season, lost twice this month to Madison, but their four losses are by a total of 11 points. South Lakes junior center Abigail Rendle is coming off a season-high 25-point scoring night against Madison. Chantilly's wins have come against teams with a combined 40-93 record. South Lakes and Chantilly met on Dec. 1, with the Seahawks prevailing, 68-37.
Kelly Loftus, but has no player taller than 6 feet.
More from AllMetSports.com: Northern Region boys' preview | Brackets Northern Region girls' year-by-year results Maryland tournament previews: Girls | Boys Rankings: The Post Top 20 LeDuc lifts Madison to AAA Liberty District title
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By Preston Williams, Monday, February 18, 10:19 AM
Here's a look at the first-round Virginia AAA Northern Region matchups. The tournament begins Monday night and continues Tuesday with the quarterfinals, Thursday with the semifinals and Saturday with the championship. The semis and final will once again be held at Robinson. The two finalists qualify for the state tournament.
Because of Virginia High School League realignment, this will be the last Northern Region tournament in its current form, at least with the full complement of schools that have been long been associated with the region.
Next school year, 21 of the current Northern Region schools will play in 6A North, a group that might retain the Northern Region name. The other nine region schools (Jefferson, Marshall, Edison, Falls Church, Mount Vernon, Stuart, Wakefield, Lee and Stone Bridge) will play in 5A North and not meet the 6A teams in the conference playoffs.
The first-round pairings:
made two-game winning shots. Madison beat Robinson in the region quarterfinals last season.
She scored 40 points last week in Patriot District semifinal upset of West Springfield. This is the teams' fourth postseason meeting since 2004.
West Springfield (20-4): In a typical season, this first-round matchup would stand out as a mismatch. And maybe it will be. But Wakefield lost this season by four to T.C. Williams, by six to Edison and by four to Mount Vernon. West Springfield, with two freshmen among its top three scorers, has been vulnerable. At the same time, would anyone be stunned to find even a rebuilding West Springfield team back in the region final for a fourth straight year?
McLean and Madison.
Tatianna Torres (18.3 ppg), has its most wins since the 2002-03 season. The Generals have only one victory this season over a region qualifier, that coming in a split with Wakefield. T.C. and W-L have not met since 2004.
McLean (18-7) at Oakton (20-4): McLean had a chance to win its first Liberty District title but lost in the final to Madison, after rallying from to tie the score with about 17 seconds left. Senior Elizabeth Manner (24.1 ppg), is in retooling mode but has won three of the past four region titles. The Cougars, like West Springfield, are more vulnerable than in recent seasons, but their advancing to the region final would not be a huge surprise given the track record of winning five region titles since 2001, with a runner-up finish in 2007.
Chantilly (9-15) at South Lakes (20-4): The homestanding Seahawks, ranked for much of the season, lost twice this month to Madison, but their four losses are by a total of 11 points. South Lakes junior center Abigail Rendle is coming off a season-high 25-point scoring night against Madison. Chantilly's wins have come against teams with a combined 40-93 record. South Lakes and Chantilly met on Dec. 1, with the Seahawks prevailing, 68-37.
Kelly Loftus, but has no player taller than 6 feet.
More from AllMetSports.com: Northern Region boys' preview | Brackets Northern Region girls' year-by-year results Maryland tournament previews: Girls | Boys Rankings: The Post Top 20 LeDuc lifts Madison to AAA Liberty District title
? The Washington Post Company
