Loudoun County, Va. — As high school basketball wraps up in Loudoun County, a few local teams stood out among the crowd this winter. In a two-district county, we wanted a way to put things into perspective. Enter: the LoCo Top 5.
Of course, if you’re into hard numbers the full Potomac District and Dulles District standings are available here.
[adrotate banner=”16″]1. Freedom (13-1, 27-4)
Wins in the Potomac District and VHSL Region 5C tournament championships proved just how good Freedom really was. Despite falling in a VHSL 5A State semifinal to Edison – who Freedom previously beat in the region championship game – the Eagles made an excellent run, thanks in part to their full-court pressure and ability to score from anywhere on the floor. Freedom shows no sign of slowing down moving into the 2018-2019 season as the Eagles should return guards Jaelyn Batts, Kamryn Meador and Jalyn Scales along with forwards Rose Burnham and Brenna Haley.
2. Loudoun Valley (11-1, 21-5)
A combination of things lifted Loudoun Valley to the No. 2 spot on our list: their depth, their fundamental play and their will to win. With four or five girls who could regularly contribute off the bench, the Lady Vikings had unmatched depth in the county. Loudoun Valley was young and athletic, and will retain Olivia Badura and Haley Pasqualone in leadership roles next winter.
3. Tuscarora (13-1, 24-3)
One of our favorites to start the season, Tuscarora turned in another solid campaign in 2017-2018. This was the first winter in some time that the Lady Huskies were really tested in district and – despite winning a share of the Potomac District regular season title – couldn’t hang with district-rival Freedom late in the season. Rebounding was Tuscarora’s Achilles heel this winter and their focus on rebounding is only going to have to increase in 2018-2019 as they graduate leading rebounder Kennedy Middleton.
4. Loudoun County (10-2, 20-5)
If you had asked me preseason where Loudoun County would fall on my list, I would have been remiss to put them anywhere but No. 1. After returning committed guards Natalie Villaflor and Julia Ng, the Lady Raiders had most of the pieces they needed to put together another dominant run in the Dulles District. While Loudoun County cruised through most of the district, their lack of depth came into play in all three of their losses to No. 2 Loudoun Valley. Returning guard Morgann Harden will have her work cut out for her in 2018-2019.
5. Stone Bridge (9-5, 17-8)
While Stone Bridge never fully clicked in 2017-2018, the Lady Bulldogs were good enough on the offensive end to make up for it. Led by senior guard Chloe Madgwick and sophomore guard Anna LeMaster, Stone Bridge fought its way through the top-heavy Potomac District to earn the No. 3 seed headed into the postseason. Getting through No. 1 Freedom will be a tall task in 2018-2019, but don’t be surprised to find Stone Bridge fighting its way into the Potomac District championship game next winter.