Loudoun County, Va. — As high school girls basketball heats up in Loudoun County, a couple local teams have started to stand out among the crowd. 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, check out the full Potomac District and Dulles District standings.
[adrotate banner=”19″]1. Freedom (8-0, 16-0) —
There is not a team in Loudoun that has separated itself this year like Freedom has. The Eagles are red hot and solidified their spot atop the LoCo Top 5 after putting up a 26-point win over No. 2 Loudoun Valley on January 16, then turning around and dominating No. 3 Tuscarora, 77-48, on January 18. Freedom is loaded with talent:
- Senior point guard Kamryn Meador dished out 12 assists and had 5 steals against Tuscarora and is possibly the best ball distributor I’ve ever seen
- Junior forward Brenna Haley is probably the most skilled post player in Loudoun County
- Senior guard Morgann Harden is a lethal scorer and extremely disruptive defensively
- Senior forward Rose Burnham is as physical as they come on the inside
- Senior guard Jalyn Scales can knock down shots from just about anywhere behind the arc
- Oh, and, senior guard Jaelyn Batts was the only girls basketball player in Loudoun named first team all-state last year
To anyone who still has Freedom on their schedule this winter: good luck!
2. Loudoun Valley (5-0, 10-2) —
Loudoun Valley has a ridiculously athletic defense which is allowing opponents less than 40 points per game. Senior guards Olivia Badura and Haley Pasqualone and junior forward Megan Stevenson have led the Vikings to the top of the Dulles District standings, and there appears to be no signs of Loudoun Valley slowing down. The Vikings have defeated each of their district opponents by at least 21 points and are averaging more than 60 points per game overall.
3. Tuscarora (6-2, 12-3) —
Only three teams have come within 20 points of Freedom this winter. The Eagles dispatched Riverbend, 64-45; defeated Potomac Falls, 54-36; and came-from-behind to knock off Tuscarora, 57-55. The Huskies only have three losses all season — two of those to Freedom – and is otherwise outscoring Potomac District opponents, 310-189. Junior guard Isabellah Middleton is averaging more than 26 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game and picked up her ninth double-double of the season in a loss to Freedom on January 18.
4. Potomac Falls (6-2, 13-3) —
Potomac Falls’ only three losses have come at the hands of No. 3 Tuscarora, No. 2 Loudoun Valley and No. 1 Freedom. The Panthers have a fundamentally-sound defense and are allowing the second fewest points against in Loudoun County this winter. Offensively, they’re in the middle of the pack in Loudoun, but if sophomore center Paige Anderson can start contributing to the scoring effort, the Panthers have enough athleticism to continue to compete near the top of the Potomac District.
5. Briar Woods (4-3, 7-7) —
We had Briar Woods and Potomac Falls pinned at No. 5 and No. 4, respectively, in our first edition of the LoCo Top 5, and their match up on January 8 didn’t disappoint. The Panthers took a 1-point lead into the half and expanded it to seven going into the fourth quarter. Briar Woods, however, gave them a good run, ultimately falling 47-46. The Falcons are the fourth best scoring offense in Loudoun County, so on a night when they’re hot, they could earn a statement win.