VULNERABLE BUT ALWAYS POWERFUL
Princess Anne retains area’s No. 1 spot but must replace some firepower
High school girls basketball starts this week for many teams in Hampton Roads. Here’s a look at the 2021-22 season.
5 things you should know
Is Princess Anne still the best in Hampton Roads?
With eight consecutive Class 5 state titles — and 10 state titles overall in 13 consecutive championship-game appearances — Princess Anne remains No. 1 until proven otherwise. Six seniors graduated from the 2021 state champs, N.C. State recruit Aziaha James, the repeat All-Tidewater Player of the Year, included. The Cavaliers’ two most talented underclassmen transferred.
Experience drop-off notwithstanding, coach Darnell Dozier retools and reloads so well annually that Beach District title contention and a Class 5 state quarterfinal appearance are givens.
Lots of work to do after COVID
A minority of public- and private-school teams played last winter because of COVID-19, and none played close to a normal full schedule. In a sport already struggling in the area participation-wise, the lost season means varsity teams this season will be less experienced than usual. “We’ll have to spend more time working on fundamentals this season,” Menchville coach Adrian Webb said.
State tournament berths double for area Class 5 schools
Following the Virginia High School League’s latest cyclical adjustments for enrollment, Class 5 Region A and Region B are comprised totally of schools from Hampton Roads. That means the area is guaranteed a state finalist because A plays B in a state semifinal. Princess Anne is, naturally, the favorite in Region A, with Kempsville and Salem likely vying for the second state tournament berth. Menchville and Norview are big favorites to make state from Region B.
Other state tournament hopefuls
King’s Fork, the Southeastern District favorite and a state finalist in 2017, is the Class 4 Region A favorite. Grafton, Hampton, Warhill and Smithfield are the likely contenders for the second state tournament berth from the region.
Lake Taylor, a perennial state tournament participant in Class 4, moves into Class 3 Region A.
Hampton went ahead 52-49 at the 5:53 mark on Najee Garvin’s layup, but Cahiem Brown and Bankston each had four points as NSU pulled ahead 57-52. Hampton couldn’t make enough shots down the stretch to catch up.
Bryant’s traditional threepoint play made it 62-56 with 1:57 to go, and he made six foul shots in the final minute.
“We didn’t think we played the way we were supposed to in the first half. Defensively we didn’t do a very good job,” Norfolk State coach Robert Jones said on nsuspartans.com. “We talked about that at halftime; our guys made the proper adjustments by sharing the ball and executing our plays.
“I challenged Joe at halftime and he answered the bell, played like he was supposed to play. Bankston was hindered by foul trouble, otherwise he could have had an even bigger night. But he was consistent for us while he was in there.”
Monday night, NSU (8-1) beat Grambling 70-63, followed by Hampton against Morgan State.
The Pirates won’t have to wait long for a rematch with the Spartans. They’ll clash at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the HU Convocation Center.