VISAA Final Four Standouts (Part 1)
It’s one of the best weekends for high school basketball fans and media, as the private school state championships come to the city of Petersburg and Virginia State University for a great weekend of basketball. Friday there were six semifinals…
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Continue ReadingIt’s one of the best weekends for high school basketball fans and media, as the private school state championships come to the city of Petersburg and Virginia State University for a great weekend of basketball. Friday there were six semifinals starting at 12 and ending around 10 PM. There were two games in each division ranging from D1-D3, and with that came some great basketball and a lot of standout players. Below, you’ll see the scores of the games, along with part one of the individual standouts from throughout the day.
Game 1 (D3 Semi): #1 Life Christian 89 #4 Christ Chapel 56
Game 2 (D3 Semi): #3 Eastern Mennonite 52 #2 Walsingham 47
Game 3 (D2 Semi): #1 Blue Ridge 63 #4 Middleburg 47
Game 4 (D2 Semi): #3 Miller School 52 #2 VES 47
Game 5 (D1 Semi): #5 Episcopal 63 #1 Paul VI 57
Game 6 (D1 Semi): #3 St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 76 #2 Bishop O’Connell 46
INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS
Marcelus Avery | 6’7” F | Life Christian Academy 2020
While I showed up late for the LCA blowout of Christ Chapel in the first D3 quarterfinal, Avery showed all of his potential and special ability in just the time I was there. At 6’7”, Avery’s blend of athleticism and natural ability is always on display. He can shoot the three ball, attack off the bounce, finish above the rim and protect the rim, and he still has so much room to grow.
Antonio “Spider” Bridy | 6’1” PG | Life Christian Academy 2019
Bridy has somewhat of a street ball game to him at the point guard position, as he’s flashy and fun to play with as he makes everyone on his team better. He has a smooth handle that can break down defenders, he sees the floor well and when they need him to he can go create and get a bucket as well. He’s the straw that stirs the drink for them.
Trey Barber | 6’7” PF | Christ Chapel 2019
While CC ran into a tough matchup with LCA, Barber showed the same promise he showed last year in leading CC to the state championship. At 6’8” he isn’t the most mobile or athletic guy, but he plays big and physical and has a good skill set offensively. He’s a two way impact guy that protects the rim defensively, rebounds and is a mismatch offensively.
Zach Hatter | 6’0” G | Eastern Mennonite 2019
In EMHS first trip to the Final Four since 1990, the Flames were able to pull an upset over #2 seed Walsingham who many considered a favorite. Hatter, the senior leader, was a big reason for that, and it was even more than his 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists that made a difference. Hatter can really shoot the rock, and he hit four straight threes in the second quarter to show that. However, he also stepped up as a leader and handled most of the ball handling duties as well.
Aviwe Mahlong | 6’2” W | Eastern Mennonite 2020
It was my first time getting to see Mahlong who is a foreign exchange student from South Africa, and his athleticism and high motor were very impressive on both ends. Mahlong plays the five for them but he should be classified as a wing with his athleticism and ability to move his feet defensively. He ran the floor like a gazelle, finished shots around the basket and rebounded at a high clip. He finished with an impressive 13 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
Adam Hatter | 5’9” G | Eastern Mennonite 2022
The younger of the two Hatter’s, Adam stepped up big time in the sixth man role and made some big shots throughout the game for the Flames. He showed confidence in shooting the ball, wasn’t afraid to stick his nose in defensively and showed great poise as a freshman on a big stage. He finished with 12 points in the win.
Jaylin Stewart | 6’2” G | Walsingham 2019
The Walsingham senior is one of the more decorated players in the state with over 2,000 career points, and while they lost the game he showed what has made him so dominant in his career. The stocky 6’2” guard is great when he gets downhill and he’s an acrobatic finisher around the rim. He’s also a good rebounder as a guard and can facilitate. He finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.
Marcus Banks | 6’1” G | Walsingham 2021
Banks is arguably one of the best shooters in his class, or maybe any class, in the state of Virginia, and while EMHS did a great job shadowing him and making it difficult he was still able to hit three three’s and finish with a game high 17 points. The most impressive thing about Banks’ shooting ability is how quick he’s able to get his shot off. He has great footwork on the catch and a quick release along him to come off screens and shoot it with little space.
Mike Gray | 6’1” G | Blue Ridge 2021
Gray has been up and down at times this year, but the natural scorer that he is he only needs a couple of looks to get it going, and that came for Gray toward the middle of the second quarter. After being held to just two free throws in the first quarter, he hit three straight from behind the arc to get Blue Ridge momentum going. He continued to make some plays in the second half and hit free throws down the stretch, finishing with a game high 21 points as well as pitching in four steals in the press.
Savion Helm | 6’5” F | Blue Ridge 2019
One of the best players in the state that comes off the bench, Helm gave the Barons great minutes and productive play on both ends of the floor. The lengthy 6’5” wing has all the tools offensively, and he was extremely efficient and didn’t settle for jump shots like he sometimes does. He also rebounded well and made good decisions. He finished with 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 shooting from the line and pitched in four rebounds and four assists.