Loudoun County, Va. — As sports come to a grinding halt across the country, we wanted to reflect on the efforts of the girls basketball teams in Loudoun County this winter. Only five teams entered the LoCo Top 5 in 2019-2020 and nothing changed here in this season’s final edition. However, we wanted to take the time to applaud the success of the teams and their graduating seniors and look forward to what’s to come next winter.
Of course, if you’re into hard numbers, check out the full Cedar Run District, Potomac District, and Dulles District standings.
1. Loudoun Valley (12-0, 23-1) —
After cruising through the VHSL Region 4C tournament, Loudoun Valley made yet another statement in Virginia as the Vikings dominated E.C. Glass in a VHSL 4A State quarterfinal. The Vikings jumped out a double-digit first quarter lead against Hampton in their state semifinal matchup but couldn’t hold off the Crabbers, ending their season at 23-1. Loudoun Valley graduates all-region first teamer Megan Stevenson but will return a dangerous lineup, including junior guard Jordan Campbell, sophomore point guard Jane Bodamer, and freshman forward Louis Volker.
2. Woodgrove (10-2, 18-8) —
Woodgrove escaped Freedom in the first round of the VHSL Region 5C tournament then held off an always dangerous Briar Woods team to win the region title. In their VHSL 5A State quarterfinal, the Wolverines knocked off William Fleming, before running into the gauntlet that is Princess Anne girls basketball as their season came to a close in a state semifinal. Like Loudoun Valley, Woodgrove will graduate a key senior leader in Sophia Coates, but the Wolverines return a boatload of talent in 2020-2021.
3. Tuscarora (10-2, 18-7) —
Backed by the VHSL Region 4C Player of the Year Isabellah Middleton, Tuscarora did everything within its power to compete at the top of Loudoun County in 2019-2020. The youngest starting five in Loudoun County will take a major blow next winter as Middleton sets sail for Slippery Rock, but the Huskies will have talent both inside and out for the next few years and will continue to compete at the top of the Dulles District.
4. Potomac Falls (11-1, 19-5) —
Even after a blow by Briar Woods cut their season short, the Potomac Falls girls basketball team turned in a historic season, including the program’s first district title in school history. Led by juniors Paige Anderson and Ashley Allen and senior Ashley Pandelides, the Panthers allowed just 31.54 points per game this year, the best by any defense in Loudoun County by a long shot. Despite graduating Pandelides and fellow senior guard Abby Suchoski, Potomac Falls should be in good shape to compete atop the Potomac District again in 2020-2021.
5. Briar Woods (6-6, 15-11) —
All season we talked about how Briar Woods had all the pieces to be a force in the Potomac District but that things hadn’t fully clicked. Well, senior point guard Marissa Almonte wasn’t going down without a fight as she and the Falcons dominated No. 4 Potomac Falls in a VHSL 5C Region semifinal then lost to No. 2 Woodgrove by just 1 in the region championship game. Of all the teams in the LoCo Top 5, Briar Woods takes the biggest lumps heading into their 2020-2021 season after graduating Almonte as well as guards Camryn Adkins, Megan Caulfield, and Casey O’Connor and forward Hannah Crawford. At the same time, the Falcons will return sophomore forward Abby Crane, junior guard Drew Hoehner, junior forward Grace Nathan, freshman guard Teia Perez, and sophomore guard Kayce Shin, who all got valuable minutes this winter.
On the bubble: Riverside (6-6, 14-10)