CANCELED! No. Region Cancels BB Games
The Blizzard Of 2010 has canceled all regular season games in the Northern Region, and players like Chris Hightower, Caroline Coyer, Brandon Winbush, and Shelby Romine will go right into their respective district tournaments...
Photo By: Helene Shain / Gameday Magazine
Thanks to the cancelation of regular season games, the much anticipated rematch between Hayfield and Mt. Vernon will have to wait until a possible meeting in the National District tournament. Hayfield will be the top seed once the tournament begins, and Mt. Vernon #2.
Although tied with South Lakes in the district standings, the Madison Lady Warhawks are on the outside, looking in, and will have to settle for the #2 seed in the upcoming Liberty District tournament, by virtue of their loss to the Seahawks earlier in the season.
STERLING, VA - The answer Bill Curran, head of athletics for Fairfax County, was waiting for from the VHSL was not good news. As we reported Tuesday, Mr. Curran, in the wake of all of the school closings due to the weather, inquired about pushing back the regular season in order to complete scheduling, including district and regional tournaments. The VHSL's answer? NO!
This recent set-back has now forced all four districts in the Northern Region to cancel the remianing games in the regular season schedule, and now athletic directors are waiting on the edge of their collective seats to see how this latest blizzard will affect district tournament play, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, February 16.
What is known is that the Concorde, Liberty, and Patriot district tournaments have been rescheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 17, and the National district tournament will begin on Thursday, February 18. This scenario will allow teams to practice for a day or two, should schools reopen by the weekend, or Monday. Current standings in each district will be used for seeding into each respective tournament.
This is not ideal news for Northern Region teams, but those teams currently in 1st place may be breathing a slight sigh of relief, as some top spots were not so clear. In the Concorde district, the Herndon Hornets Boys are the runaway leader, but the 2nd and 3rd seeds were not so set. Chantilly and Centreville are #2 and #3 respectively, with one game separating them in the win\loss column. But they were scheduled to play before the blizzard swept in, and a win by the Wildcats, at home, would have sealed the #2 seed for Centreville. The news is more disapointing to the Oakton Cougars on the girls' side. The Cougars trail the front-runners Westfield Lady Bulldogs by a mere 1\2 game, and a win in their last regular season game against each other could have propelled Oakton to the top spot, in spite of their victory over Westfield earlier.
In the Liberty, barring any major upset, Langley, Stone Bridge, and Marshall would've finished in that order, with one game separating each team. But Stone Bridge and Marshall had one final game against each other remaining, and a win by the Statesmen could have pushed them to the #2 seed in their upcoming tournament. Marshall defeated the Bulldogs in their earlier contest, 85-68. The girl's side of the Liberty is much more murkey. With South Lakes and Madison tied for the district lead, at 8-3, the Seahawks will gain the advantage, and the top seed, by virtue of their earlier 61-54 win over the Warhawks, and their 14-5 overall record, versus Madison's 10-8 total.
In the Patriot, the West Springfield Lady Spartans own the top seed, with their 10-0 district record, and will be followed by South County, Annandale, and Woodson, with 2, 3, and 4 district losses respectively. The boy's column is equally clear, with South County, West Potomac, and Annandale owning the top three seeds.
The girl's bracket in the National district is clear, with no drama pending. The Edison Lady Eagles have run away from the pack with their 11-0 district mark, with Mount Vernon, Yorktown, and Hayfield rounding out the top four, each garnering 1st round home games for their tournament. But disapointment looms in the boy's standings. With one more game being scheduled between them, Hayfield leads Mount Vernon by one game, and a possible one-game playoff game between them, to determine the top seed, would have been imminent had the Majors defeated the Hawks in that game. But now Hayfield will collect the top honors for district seeding, while Mount Vernon, Yorktown, and Wakefield will get a 1st round home game.
Loudoun County, Prince William County, and Winchester\Frederick County are scheduled to make decisions regarding their seasons, and respective tournament schedules later today. Once details are known, Gamedaymagazine.com will post the latest updates as they come across our news wires. Come back often for updates.
