Purcellville, Va. — After an early departure from the 2023 Potomac District tournament, the Woodgrove High School boys basketball team had made up their minds: they were going to compete for a district title in 2024. With a reclassification to Class 4 and all but three players returning from their 2022-2023 team, the Wolverines marched through the Catoctin District, going 7-1, securing the No. 1 seed heading into the district tournament.
“It’s just a testament to the kids,” Woodgrove head coach Konstantine Papastergiou said. “We talked about this since our season ended last year; we asked ‘why couldn’t it be us?’ Our ‘believe in us’ slogan is what got us to where we are.”
In their district semifinal, the Wolverines escaped an up-and-coming Park View team, 66-53, setting up a rematch with No. 2 Broad Run in the Catoctin District championship game.
Led by a 25-point, 6-rebound, 4-block performance by junior center Dane Marsh, the Wolverines completed the season sweep of the Spartans, securing the Catoctin District tournament title, 71-61, on February 15 in Purcellville.
“We have a lot of good players in our district, there’s no doubt about it, but [Dane Marsh] is the player of the year,” Papastergiou said. “His presence in the post, the way that he scores the basketball, and his willingness to play unselfishly and get his teammates going is unmatched. Tonight, he showed up under the bright lights when it mattered most.”
Marsh got off to a quick start, scoring Woodgrove’s first basket of the night to give his team a 2-0 lead. After a score by senior guard Kenny Chicas, Marsh made his presence known on the defensive end, blocking a shot to keep the score at 4-0.
Despite the early effort by Marsh and co., Broad Run senior forward Benny Nketia knocked down a pair of triples before the end of the first to give his team a 15-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
That’s when the Wolverines caught fire.
Woodgrove senior guard Joey Marcheschi scored on the opening possession of the second quarter, sparking a 10-0 Woodgrove run, including baskets from senior guard Steve Richards and sophomore guard Caleb Roach.
The Spartans ended that run thanks to baskets by junior guard Zorawer Ghotra and junior center Darnell Bennett, but Chicas and Marsh then took the Wolverines on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 27-19.
“We wanted to keep the ball hot and push the pace,” Papastergiou said. “That’s what they did to us in the second half and it was effective for them, but luckily, we had created enough of a cushion.”
Broad Run and Woodgrove traded baskets for most of the third quarter as Marsh continued to stay hot, scoring 9 of his game-high 25 points coming out of halftime.
The Spartans continued to put up a fight in the fourth as their starters combined for 20 points in the final eight minutes to cut the lead to as few as 9.
“All five of their starters are dangerous,” Papastergiou said. “The last couple times we played them, we did a really good job on Perdue, keeping him at bay. But they’re a lot like us, because they have guys who can step up.”
Even with guys stepping up, the presence of Marsh and three buckets each from senior guards Colin Fuller and Jack Hill kept Broad Run at arm’s length as Woodgrove secured the Catoctin District title, 71-61.
Both Broad Run (6-2, 15-9) and Woodgrove (7-1, 21-3) earned berths to the VHSL Region 4C tournament. The Spartans will travel to Dulles District champion Tuscarora while the Wolverines host Dulles District runner up Loudoun Valley on February 20.
“Tuesday’s a big one. It’s uncharted water for us: we’re in the region tournament,” Papastergiou said. “I’m glad we get to host them at our place, but we understand how tough they are. Landen Conrad is probably the best player in Loudoun County. And it’s not just going to be about the physical, but it’s going to be a mind game too, because we know how much this rivalry means. Nevertheless, we’ll be prepared.”
Sam Mesecar captured 200+ photos at the game!
Woodgrove Stats
| Woodgrove | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Dane Marsh | 25 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2-for-3 |
| Colin Fuller | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0-for-1 |
| Jack Hill | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-1 |
| David Richards | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Joey Marcheschi | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2-for-2 |
| Kenny Chicas | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Caleb Roach | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Jimmy Marsh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 71 | 21 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 4-for-7 |
Broad Run Stats
| Broad Run | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FT |
| Adam Perdue | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Benny Nketia | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0-for-0 |
| Zorawer Ghotra | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Brayden Lee | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| James Wasikye | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4-for-4 |
| Darnell Bennett | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Brody Anthony | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Benjamin Bolle | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Jed Leslie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Brady Pollard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-for-0 |
| Totals | 61 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 4-for-4 |