10 Best: VISAA D1 Championship
In what many people didn’t expect to happen, two of the best IAC programs in Northern Virginia pulled what on paper were upsets in the semifinals, as #3 St. Stephen’s St. Agnes beat #2 Bishop O’Connell, and #5 Episcopal beat…
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Continue ReadingIn what many people didn’t expect to happen, two of the best IAC programs in Northern Virginia pulled what on paper were upsets in the semifinals, as #3 St. Stephen’s St. Agnes beat #2 Bishop O’Connell, and #5 Episcopal beat #1 Paul VI. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the rankings as many people believed that St. Stephen’s St. Agnes resume was the best in the state, but as many in that area are familiar with, most of the time the teams in the WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) get the nod because the conference is widely considered one of the best in the country. With all that being said, having two IAC programs in the state championship is huge for the conference, especially because they both beat WCAC teams, and now we have two bitter rivals in the biggest private school state championship game.
These two teams are very familiar with each other, as they met four times over the season. Their first matchup was in the Sleepy Thompson Championship game, the tournament SSSAS hosts at the beginning of every year. They then played twice in the regular season and in the IAC Tournament Finals, and SSSAS won all of those matchups, going 4-0 against Episcopal throughout the season. This fifth one would be similar with one big difference, no shot clock as per the VISAA rules (IAC Conference plays with a shot clock).
With all that being said, it wasn’t like Episcopal came out and were ready to lay down.They came out with great energy, but not much to show for it as the Saints punched the Maroons in the mouth early, and after the first quarter SSSAS had a commanding 17-8 lead. However, the Maroons settled in on both ends, finding their groove offensively and stepping it up defensively. However, they still trailed 28-20 at half.
In the third, Episcopal made some adjustments and came out on the defensive end strong, holding the Saints to just two points in the first four minutes of the quarter. After being held to just three points on three shots in the first half, the Maroons made a concerted effort to get sophomore star Darius Johnson going at it worked, as he scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half. The Maroons were able to cut it to four, then the Saints would make a big shot. Episcopal made a big play defensively, St. Stephen’s St. Agnes answered with their own big play. It happened that way throughout the fourth quarter, and despite a valiant effort to come back from Episcopal it was too little too late as SSSAS was able to execute down the stretch and come away victorious 67-58. It was the Saints first state championship since 1990, when they were an all boys school named St. Stephen’s before the integrated with their sister school St. Agnes (FUN FACTS).
Here’s a look at some of the standouts from the game.
MVP: Jamal Barnes | SSSAS 2020
The Saints may have the single deepest and most balanced team in the state, so on any given night it could be anyone’s turn to step up. After a solid game of 9 points on just five shots against Bishop O’Connell in their semifinal win, Barnes was looked at to make plays and he did in the most crucial times for his team. He finished with a game high 21 points in the win. More on his performance below.
Best Offensive Performer: Jamal Barnes | SSSAS 2020
I’ve seen the Saints play four times this year, and if you aren’t paying attention there’s a chance you could miss a guy like Barnes because there’s bigger names and division one seniors. However, one of the things that impresses me most about Barnes is how he allows the game to come to him. With other guys feeling it in the first half, Barnes only took three shots, scoring five points by hitting a three and a layup. It was in the second half that he got more opportunities, and he was ready and took them. He scored 16 in the second half, going 3-for-5 in the half from behind the arc. At 6’5″, Barnes has great size on the wing and can stretch the floor, which opens up chances for him to attack the rim off closeouts. His final stats were 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, 4-for-6 shooting from deep and 3-for-4 shooting from the line and he also pitched in four rebounds and two assists in the win.
Best Defensive Performer: Christian DePollar | SSSAS 2019
While Barnes was the guy in the second half, Air Force commit Christian DePollar was actually the shot maker early for the Saints, going for 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in the first half. While he only scored 3 points in the second half, the 6’4″ wing made his presence felt by playing smart help side defense and forcing turnovers. DePollar had two steals, but even more impressive he sacrificed his body and took two charges as well. That set the tone for SSSAS who took five of them throughout the game as a team.
Best Guy off the Bench: Andre Screen | SSSAS 2020
There wasn’t very much bench production from either group in this one, but when you can bring a 6’10” big man with good hands and soft touch off the bench you have a huge advantage. Screen has improved a lot over the past few years and if the Saints weren’t stacked at every position they’d probably start him. However, he’s molded himself a nice role off the bench, and the best part is they feed him the rock early and often when he’s in the game. He showed a few nice post moves and was all over the glass in his time on the floor, going for 6 points and 6 rebounds in limited action.
Best Intangibles: Xavier Johnson | Episcopal 2019
The George Mason commit didn’t play his best game of the year by any means, but when we look back at Johnson’s career he’s going to have done a lot for the Episcopal program. After winning a state title as a freshman, his intensity and work ethic has helped keep the program on the right track after very good players have graduated. At the lead guard spot, he has a great control of the game and he has a mix of IQ and toughness that you have to love. He can score it or distribute off the bounce, he’s a good defender and he’s been playing much of the season hurt. He finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and three assists in the loss.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer: Xavier Lipscomb | SSSAS 2020
Lipscomb isn’t super under-the-radar by any means, but his importance to this Saints team may get overlooked at times. They have other guys off the bench in Ephraim Reed and Lamumba Howard who are very good lead guards in their own rights, but Lipscomb’s ability to impact the game in so many different ways at the point guard spot is impressive. He’s unselfish and smart, getting them into their stuff, his size makes him a good defender and allows him to pass over top of others and he can score from all three levels when he needs to. He finished with an impressive stat line of 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and I would really encourage division one schools to take a look at him this summer.
Best Underclassman: Darius Johnson | Episcopal 2021
Johnson is a kid who throughout the season I thought was going to disappoint me but never really did. In the first game I watched him, he scored 38 points in a win over Maret and I thought “No way he’s THAT good he just had a great game.” Well, he continues to impress me with his ability to score it in bunches from all over the floor and his takeover ability at the point guard spot. He can shoot it off the bounce out to NBA range, he’s a strong guard who can get downhill and finish through contact and he’s tough and keeps coming at you. After just three points in the first half, he scored 16 in the second half to finish with 19 and he did so in so many impressive ways. He did the same thing in the semifinals against PVI, scoring 17 in the second half in the finish with 20 on the game.
Best Inside Presence: Charles Thompson | SSSAS 2019
The 6’8″ Towson commit didn’t have quite the game he had in the semifinal blowout win over Bishop O’Connell, but he did have an impact on the game in the paint. He played big defensively without fouling, and while he couldn’t really get his shot to fall he still played terrific defense and rebounded on both ends. He finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, two steals and a block in the win.
Best Wing With Upside: Tymu Chenery | Episcopal 2020
Chenery has all of the physical and athletic tools, and while he needs to be more consistent he always shows flashes of promise and ability. After a quiet first half in which he only scored two points that were a dunk to open the game, Chenery came alive when Episcopal needed him most which was in the fourth quarter. Helping them close the gap, the 6’5″ wing hit two threes in about 20 seconds of game play, one of them was answering a Saints 3 and helped cut the deficit to just four. He finished with 10 points and four rebounds in the loss.
Best Storyline Moving Forward: Possible Repeat?
Want to hear something scary? St. Stephen’s St. Agnes played 10 guys in the championship win. Only four of their top 10 are seniors, and while two of them are division one guys who have been around for so long they also have had a hand in helping the younger guys get to where they are and showing them the ropes and getting the culture where they want it to be. So that means six of their top 10, three of their five starters will be returning next season. Not to mention, they have some guys at the end of their bench who are no slouches and could start at a lot of different programs. So to answer your question, no, a repeat is not out of the question!