Semifinal Saturday Notebook: Northern Region
The Langley Saxons beat Yorktown 46-39 on Saturday to advance to the Northern Region finals to play Chantilly on Monday night. Langley is playing its best basketball of the season at the perfect time.
West Springfield's Naomi Ngalle looks on as her team closes out the win against Edison on Saturday. Ngalle had a great game, playing strong defense against one of the quickest teams in the region in Edison.
Oakton's Zora Stephenson glides to the basket in the 50-31 win over South County. Stephenson and the Cougars pounced on the Stallions early, scoring the game's first 11 points.
Photo By: Mike Kurec / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
BURKE, VA - Four teams left Robinson Secondary School in tears, and four others were ecstatic with their performances today. The Northern Region semifinals took place on Saturday, and there were a few surprises.
The Edison Lady Eagles had entered Saturday's showdown with West Springfield in the eyes of many as a legit title contender. N.C State bound Myisha Goodwin was averaging over 20 points per game, and the Eagles were tough all year to beat.
However, on this day, it was the play of two sensational sophomores that stole the show for the Spartans, and led them to victory. April Robinson poured in 26 points, and Logan Battle played tough defense to help West Springfield advance to the Northern Region finals on Monday night.
The West Springfield defense was the key in this win, as they held Goodwin in check for the entire game. She had 4 points at the half, and finished with 9 total in the game. She didn't score the last 5 points on the day until under 2 minutes to go, with the game out of reach.
Spartan head coach Bill Gibson said after the game, that it was a complete team effort that got it done.
"The girls played really well today," Gibson said. "We have a great group of kids, and they showed up today against a good team and played well."
West Springfield will play Oakton on Monday night, after the Lady Cougars dismantled South County 50-31 in the second game. Oakton jumped out quickly like they usually do, scoring the game's first 11 points.
South County could never rebound from falling behind by so far. Zora Stephenson and Caroline Coyer poured in great performances, and Oakton advanced to the Northern Region Finals for the second straight season. Game time for Monday is set for 6:00pm.
In the boys semifinal match-ups, Chantilly and Mount Vernon played in a rematch from earlier this season. The Chargers had led the Majors at home big at the half, but Mount Vernon rallied for a win in their earlier meeting.
That wasn't in the cards today, as Chantilly rolled up the Majors 69-57 in impressive fashion. John Manning was unbelievable in the win, finishing with double digit blocks. Manning finished with 12 swats, and made it difficult all night for Mount Vernon to do anything offensively.
Manning said after the game that it was his time to shine, and he was glad he could come through.
"We've been preparing for this for so long, working so hard, it just felt great to go get it," Manning said. "Everyone is so happy, but we all know we have other goals too."
Manning scored 11 points and also grabbed 7 rebounds on the day. Kethan Savage and Adam Fridy also played extremely well, finishing with 17 points and 16 points respectively in the victory.
The Chargers will square up against Travis Hess' Langley Saxons on Monday night after the defeated Yorktown 46-39. Langley gave Yorktown trouble with Austin Kriz and Joey Kiffe combining for 27 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
Yorktown's Mike Veith was once again impressive, but he ran into foul trouble and his impact in the second half was limited due to his time on the bench. Daniel Pietropaoli nearly pulled the Patriots back into the game with 13 points on the night, but Yorktown's rally was too little too late as Langley advanced to the Northern Region Finals with a 7 point win.
COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:
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Say what you want, but the four best teams in then region are still in the tournament. It was apparent today that the four that advanced are the most deserving, and give the Northern Region the best chance to do something in the state tournament starting next Friday.
West Springfield really impressed me with their depth and athleticism. I've felt all year long that Oakton was the team to beat, but we might see their arch nemesis on Monday night in the Spartans.
April Robinson and Caroline Coyer are mirror images of each other, and they will be matched up all night against one another in the championship game. That should be a ton of fun to watch.
West Springfield has better inside play, while Oakton is far more dangerous from the perimeter with Zora Stephenson. Stephenson played exceptionally well against South County, shooting lights out from the 3 point range.
Look for this game to be very close. If I had to put the early line on the game, I would give the edge to West Springfield because of their depth and overall athleticism.
The Early Spread:
The Spartans By 5
In the Boys Regional Final, we will see possibly the most cohesive team in Langley go against the hottest team in the tournament in Chantilly. The Saxons play so well together, and everyone contributes on the floor. Austin Kriz will be neutralized some with John Manning in the middle, but Langley's outside shooting could be a problem for Chantilly's zone defense.
Colin Jones and David Adams will test that early, and if they are on, the Chargers will need to make some adjustments quickly.
Chantilly is more explosive, and definitely more athletic. Kethan Savage will create some big problems for Langley, and if Adam Fridy continues to shoot like he did on Saturday, the Saxons may have difficulty hanging with the Chargers.
Manning is the X-factor as usual. Another performance like Saturday's, and the Chargers could run away with this game. If Manning gets into foul trouble, then Langley could very easily win this game.
Two solid teams, two solid coaches, and we couldn't ask for a better match-up than Langley and Chantilly on Monday night.
The Early Spread:
Chantilly By 8
NORTHERN REGION TITLE GAMES TO BE TELEVISED LIVE:
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