10 Best: VISAA D3 Championship
In possibly the most surprising matchup of the day, the VISAA D3 Championship featured local school and #1 seed Life Christian Academy against #3 seed out of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite HS. While many predicted that LCA would be here at…
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Continue ReadingIn possibly the most surprising matchup of the day, the VISAA D3 Championship featured local school and #1 seed Life Christian Academy against #3 seed out of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite HS. While many predicted that LCA would be here at the beginning of the season, not many believed that EMHS would be there.
It was also a matchup of contrasting styles, where EMHS is a smaller team that finds success shooting a lot of threes where as LCA was a much bigger and more athletic team who wanted to push in transition and take advantage of extra opportunities on the glass. What it made for was a thrilling game that was fun to watch from the tip to the buzzer.
Behind the play of senior point guard Antonio Bridy and junior forward Marcelus Avery, LCA jumped out early and killed EMHS in the paint. They headed into halftime leading 34-27.
While some adjustments were made, both teams primarily stuck to their style of play and found success with it in the second half. Every time it looked like LCA would pull away, Mennonite would hit a couple of big threes to keep them in the game. EMHS trailed by 10 after the third quarter, but they refused to give up behind the play of junior Aviwe Mahlong and the shooting prowess of junior Chance Church. They were able to cut the lead all the way down the three and had multiple chances to tie the game, but simply weren’t able to convert and get stops when they needed to the most. LCA was able to hold on and win the championship 63-59, their first state championship since 2008.
Here’s a look a breakdown of the game in our signature “10 Best” style.
MVP: Antonio Bridy | LCA 2019
“Spider,” as he’s known by teammates, coaches and friends, is one of the most naturally gifted lead guards I’ve seen. He has a playground style to his game as he’s flashy, tough and someone who is fun to watch and fun to play with. He was able to get in the lane at will, controlled the tempo and kept everyone involved and happy on the offensive end. More on him below.
Best Offensive Performer: Antonio Bridy | LCA 2019
While I wasn’t there for tip off so I didn’t keep full stats, Bridy finished with a game high 22 points and was pretty unguardable throughout the game. He made big shots at the end of the second and third quarter to keep the momentum with LCA, and his ability to continue to push the rock and make plays for himself and others was a big reason they were able to play their game. He showed good finishing ability around the rim and in the midrange, and he rebounded well on both ends for his position.
Best Defensive Performer: Logan Washington | LCA 2020
Possibly the least talked about guy in LCA’s front court that features three players over 6’5″, Washington is the defensive minded one who is an elite shot blocker at just about 6’5″. He has a wide base that allows him to wall up when guarding in the post, but he’s also quick off his feet and bouncy which allows him to come help side to block shots. He’s a fearless rim protector who will meet you at the rim, and he’s also a strong and athletic finisher inside. He pitched in 10 points as well as having a number of blocks defensively.
Best Guy off the Bench: Rodney Roane | LCA 2021
There wasn’t a lot of bench production from either group, but Roane came in and did the dirty work for LCA which was important. He shadowed EMHS senior star and leading scorer Zach Hatter when he was in the game and made things difficult for him, and he let him know it throughout the game. Roane’s defensive intensity and toughness was big for them in the win.
Best Intangibles: Zach Hatter | EMHS 2019
While LCA did a good job against Hatter and his shots weren’t falling the way they usually do, he showed great leadership, toughness and persistence throughout the game. He competed on both ends, he kept his teammates heads up and never backed down, helping will his team back on multiple occasions. He only finished with 10 points, but his presence was needed every minute he was on the floor.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer: Aviwe Mahlong | EMHS 2020
This is a guy we need to get to know more about throughout his career as EMHS. A foreign exchange student from South Africa, the 6’3″ Mahlong is more of a wing but he plays all over the floor for the Flames. He has good length and physical tools, he’s athletic with a high motor and he’s pretty skilled with a high upside. He showed the ability to finish in transition, rebound the basketball well and step outside and make shots. He finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
Best Underclassman: Adam Hatter | EMHS 2022
Hatter didn’t play as well as he did in the semifinal but you have to love the toughness of a kid who is about 5’8″, 130 lbs. soak and wet and he played with grit and smarts. Much like his older brother Zach, Adam has a good feel for the game and he already has a great looking stroke from deep. He’ll be one to keep an eye on moving forward.
Best Catch-And-Shoot Guy: Chance Church | EMHS 2020
The unsung hero on this team, Church can really light it up from deep and he was a key guy in their late push for a comeback. The 5’11” guard has deep range, a quick trigger and great confidence. He showed the ability to get it off with little space and it looks the same every time he shoots it. He hit 4 three-pointers on the way to 19 points in the game.
Best Prospect: Marcelus Avery | LCA 2020
When it comes to talent and potential at the next level Avery has it all. He has a good frame and good mobility at about 6’6″, he’s bouncy and aggressive around the basket and he has good ball skills. Because of his talent he’s able to do things differently than other people would do it and still come up successful. For instance, in a one-on-one fast break situation, instead of fronting a defender Avery simply let him have the lay-up because he knows he’s athletic and good enough to just go snatch it off the glass. He can shoot off the catch and the bounce, has good footwork on his finishes and the funniest part is that he still has so much room to get better! He finished with 16 points and likely had a double-double.
Best Part of Environment: Support from Across the State
The most crowded and live game of the day was this one, the first one, and there was no chance that it was going to get beat. Life Christian is about a mile down the road from Virginia State so they had a solid crowd there, but it seemed like the entire community of Eastern Mennonite made the close to 2 hour trip to the game to support the school in their first ever state championship. It was a great atmosphere and what makes high school sports so great.