VISAA Final Four Standouts (Part 3)
It’s one of the best weekends for high school basketball fans and media, as the private school state championships come to the city of Petersburg and Virginia State University for a great weekend of basketball. Friday there were six semifinals…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIt’s one of the best weekends for high school basketball fans and media, as the private school state championships come to the city of Petersburg and Virginia State University for a great weekend of basketball. Friday there were six semifinals starting at 12 and ending around 10 PM. There were two games in each division ranging from D1-D3, and with that came some great basketball and a lot of standout players. Below, you’ll see the scores of the games, along with part two of the individual standouts from throughout the day.
Game 1 (D3 Semi): #1 Life Christian 89 #4 Christ Chapel 56
Game 2 (D3 Semi): #3 Eastern Mennonite 52 #2 Walsingham 47
Game 3 (D2 Semi): #1 Blue Ridge 63 #4 Middleburg 47
Game 4 (D2 Semi): #3 Miller School 52 #2 VES 47
Game 5 (D1 Semi): #5 Episcopal 63 #1 Paul VI 57
Game 6 (D1 Semi): #3 St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 76 #2 Bishop O’Connell 46
INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS
Darius Johnson | 6’1” PG | Episcopal 2021
The younger brother of George Mason commit Xavier Johnson, Darius came up huge down the stretch for Episcopal in their upset win over #1 Paul VI. After being held to just three points on three shots in the first half, they made a concerted effort to put the ball in his hands and let him go. He scored 18 points in the second half, showing the ability to shoot it from deep off the bounce and get in the lane and use his strength to finish. He’s a naturally gifted guard who should continue to get better with time as well.
Xavier Johnson | 6’0” PG | Episcopal 2019
The aforementioned older brother of Darius, the George Mason commit did a little bit of everything for Episcopal, including being the vocal leader and guy with the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He’s so smooth with the ball in his hands, as he’s great in transition but can also create shots for himself and others in the half court. He finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds and three assists, and hit some big free throws down the stretch in the win.
Jack Fitzpatrick | 5’11” G | Episcopal 2020
The nephew of Episcopal HC Jim Fitzpatrick, Jack stepped up in a big way in the second quarter when they really needed it. With both Johnson’s struggling to get open looks, Fitzpatrick made PVI pay for forgetting about him as he hit four straight from beyond the arc in the second quarter. He scored all 14 of his points in the second quarter, but they were much needed at the time and opened it up for the other guards to get downhill and get after it.
Trevor Keels | 6’2” G | Paul VI 2021
The WCAC co-POY had an unbelievable season after nationally ranked guards Anthony Harris and Jeremy Roach both went down with knee injuries. However, as PVI always does they had guards waiting their turn and Keels stepped up. He’s a big, strong guard who can shoot the rock, play both guard positions and has a great feel on both ends of the floor. As the go-to guy he showed the whole package as a scorer and made the right play consistently, finishing with a game high 21 points and pitching in 4 rebounds.
Knassir “Dug” McDaniels | 5’10” PG | Paul VI 2022
Another young guard who was thrust into the starting lineup due to injury, McDaniels has shown so much poise and potential at the point guard position. He’s shifty and slippery off the bounce, he has tremendous vision and flashy passing ability and he has a great middle game with floaters and great acrobatics around the rim. He didn’t have his best game of the year, but he still finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Avery Ford | 6’7” PF | Paul VI 2021
One of the forgotten pieces on PVI, Ford is the dirty work guy who isn’t afraid to mix it up and doesn’t need to score a ton to be effective. He rebounds at a high rate, he’s an excellent post defender who can contest without fouling and he runs the floor and finishes plays in the paint at a high rate. He finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
Charles Thompson | 6’8” PF | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2019
Thompson was flat out dominant for the Saints in their blowout win over Bishop O’Connell. The Towson commit owned the paint on both ends of the floor, was great in their press and played with great energy to help spark his team. He finished multiple plays above the rim and relentlessly pursued the basketball on the glass on both ends. He finished with an impressive stat line of 16 points, 17 rebounds and 6 steals in the win.
Xavier Lipscomb | 6’2” PG | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
On a super deep and talented team like the Saints, you need a point guard who can execute your plays, set the tone and keep everyone happy. Lipscomb is just that, and as an added bonus he’s a really long 6’2” guard which makes him tough to matchup with and makes him a solid defender. He made plays all game long, took care of the rock and showed he could score when he needed to. He finished with 9 points, 7 assists and three rebounds in their win.
Jared Cross | 6’4” WG | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
One of four All IAC members from the Saints, Cross was the guy in the first half that got things going for them and helped them gain momentum from the jump. He has great size on the wing, and in the first half he was aggressive on the offensive end looking for his shot and playing with confidence. He scored 11 points in the first half, and while he didn’t score in the second half he wasn’t needed nearly as much with the game in hand.
Charlie Weber | 6’7” PF | Bishop O’Connell 2019
One of the best available players in the state, Weber showed why some coaches are making him a priority. At 6’7” he isn’t the biggest post guy but he has great bounce, is quick off his feet and he runs the floor extremely well. He plays way above the rim on both ends and he can catch-and-shoot the jumper out to the three-point line. He finished with a game high 20 points in their loss.
Wes Peterson Jr. | 6’5” WG | Bishop O’Connell 2021
Peterson didn’t put up gaudy numbers by ay means, but if you don’t see the potential in the young wing you’re Stevie Wonder blind. He has great size for his age and position, he’s an effortless and explosive athlete and he has plenty in the repertoire moving forward to make him a very good prospect worth keeping an eye on. He finished with 8 points going 3-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep, and he had 4 rebounds and 2 assists as well.