Northern Region Basketball Report: District Championship Games

What to watch for in Friday night’s district championship games.

Patriot boys: (3) Annandale vs. (1) T.C. Williams

The other top two teams on the boys side meet in the Patriot District championship at Lake Braddock, when the Atoms and Titans meet in a rubber match that will also crown the district’s best team. After losing narrowly at T.C. Williams early in the season, Annandale handed the Titans their first district loss of the season in January.

Annandale and TCW are very similar, as both feature solid inside-out attacks, with Patriot District Player of the Year Karl Ziegler and fellow All-District First Team guard D’Angelo Boyce leading the way for the Atoms, while Tyrell Sitton and Jamal Pullen pace the Titans.

While neither the Atoms nor Titans want to look too far ahead, a win not only means a district title, but it also means avoiding Westfield, which gave Chantilly everything it could handle in a 42-41 loss in the district semifinals, in the first round of the regionals. In a mini-upset, I like Annandale to leave Burke Friday as Patriot District champions.

Patriot girls: (3) T.C. Williams vs. (1) West Springfield

Much in the way Oakton dominated the Concorde District, West Springfield owned the Patriot District this season. The Spartans also went 22-1 this season and undefeated in Northern Region play. In their two wins against over T.C. Williams, the Spartans outscored the Titans 105-70. April Springfield and Logan Battle are Patriot District First Team players, and form one of the best inside-outside tandems in all of girls basketball. Friday will be no different, as the Spartans will claim yet another Patriot District title.

National boys: (5) Falls Church vs. (1) Mount Vernon

The Jaguars are playing with house money, as they thought Edison had eliminated them from the district tournament on Wednesday. However, with the Eagles forced to forfeit due to using an ineligible player, Falls Church finds themselves in the championship game. The new life afforded to Romeo Kc, Sachin Gangele and company should keep them loose, something they’ll need against a great Mount Vernon squad.

Jesse Konadu is playing like the district Player of the Year that he is, seven straight wins. Mount Vernon had no trouble with Falls Church during the regular season, winning the first matchup by 13 points and the second one by 14. With Edison out of the picture, the district championship was actually played Wednesday when Mount Vernon beat Yorktown. There’s no reason they won’t take care of the Jaguars.

National girls: (2) Edison vs. (1) Mount Vernon

No doubt the best girls game on Friday’s slate, Edison and Mount Vernon split their regular season games, including a thrilling 52-50 Edison win in Alexandria just three weeks ago. This has all the makings of a great rubber match, including four of the best players in the district.

Edison features co-Player of the Year Ruth Sherrill, while Mount Vernon counters with three players on First Team All-District in Tiffany Webster, Kelly Loftus and Taylor Dunham. If the Majors can clamp down on Sherrill, their balance should allow them to claim the district championship. That’s the call here, making it a clean sweep for Mount Vernon High School in the National District.

Concorde boys: (2) Chantilly vs. (1) Herndon

Chantilly and Herndon were two of the best teams in the region all season, finishing our regular season rankings at No. 3 and No. 2, respectively. Herndon swept the series in the regular season, including a 63-58 win at home a week ago. They’re very familiar with one another, and we’re just as familiar with the matchup. The Hornets will try to get out and run, putting the ball in the hands of Concorde District Player of the Year Austin Hamilton. Chantilly, while not averse to running, will slow it down and try to pound it inside with John Manning and Jake Weigand.

Their two regular season matchups were decided by a total of eight points, and there’s no reason to expect anything different Friday. The only aspect that will be different is the outcome, as Chantilly gets the Herndon monkey of its back, winning the district championship and heading to the Northern Region tournament as the top seed from the Concorde.

Concorde girls: (2) Robinson vs. (1) Oakton

The powerhouse Oakton Cougars had little trouble in dispatching every Northern Region opponent it faced this year, en route to a 22-1 overall record. In their two games against Robinson, the Cougars won by a combined score of 129-84. Oakton features the Concorde District Player of the Year in Caroline Coyer and another All-District First Teamer in Zora Stephenson. Robinson has had a great season and is on a tear as of late, but there’s nothing keeping Oakton from an eventual regional semifinal showdown with West Springfield. Oakton takes care of business Friday.

Liberty boys: (3) South Lakes vs. (1) Langley

South Lakes came in third in the Liberty District regular season and advanced to the district title game, but Langley dominated the Seahawks this year, beating them by a combined score of 135-93 in two wins. The Saxons were cruising to an undefeated district season before slipping up against Madison, but they’ve righted the ship, winning their last three games in dominant fashion.

David Adams, co-Player of the Year in the district, leads a high-powered offense, and the Saxons feature one of the best sixth men in the region in Daniel Dixon. South Lakes plays great at home, going 8-3 in Reston this year. One of the teams to beat the Seahawks on their home floor? Langley. It will happen again Friday.

Liberty girls: (3) Madison vs. (1) Stone Bridge

Madison and Stone Bridge split their regular season meetings, each team holding serve on its home floor. Megan LeDuc of Madison is coming off a 32-point eruption against Fairfax in the semifinals, and she is going to be a challenge to contain for the Bulldogs. Stone Bridge may be the district’s regular season champion, but they’ve looked shaky of late, and Madison nearly got them in Ashburn last month. Look for them to complete that job Friday, as the Warhawks will take the Liberty District crown and the top seed from the district in next week’s region tournament.