Why the Patriots are ranked here: The Patriots lose only one senior from a team that finished third in the Jefferson District and played in the JD Title Game. Albemarle went on to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual Final Four Team Potomac, 70-59. Albemarle finished with a 20-8 record, with no bad losses. The fact that Juwan Carter is gone hurts, but with four of five starters returning, the Patriots will again challenge for the JD Crown. Jacob Hahn will still be a huge threat in the post, Kennedy Brown will still be a leader on the court for his senior season, and of course, 6’6 Division 5A All-State First Team player Austin Katstra will be back, and it’s only his junior year. He averaged 18.9 points and 10.3 rebounds last year, and he should only get better. Under Greg Maynard, who has 400 career victories after Albemarle’s last win last year vs Mount Vernon in the Regional Tournament, the Patriots will be awfully good next year, possibly a top ten team in Division 5A.
2. Charlottesville
Caleb Gage
2014 Record: 24-2
2014 JD Record: 14-0
Notable players gone: Jordan Saylor, Mica Girstantas, Malik Wingate, Kendell Dennis, Troy Hughes
Notable players returning: Caleb Gage, Deandre Bryant, William Slate, Quintis Brooks, Murray Hill, Tyreek Ragland
Others expected to join the roster: Patrick Ronayne, Jaylen Hudson, Jalen Fitch, Sam Neale
Predicted starting lineup:
Murray Hill, Caleb Gage, Tyreek Ragland, Deandre Bryant, William Slate
Why the Black Knights are ranked here:
Much can be said about the Black Knight’s season in 2014. CHS went undefeated in Jefferson District play, won the Conference 23 Crown, and made it to the Elite 8 before falling to EC Glass 58-54, one win away from a State Final Four appearance. Now, with key players like Jordan Saylor and Mica Girstantas gone, the Knights have huge holes to fill. Still, Caleb Gage and Murray Hill played well in Saylor’s absence at the end of last season, Gage had two 19 point games, one in the Sweet 16 and one in the Elite 8. Tyreek Ragland was a very effective scorer and defender last year, and he should only get better. Deandre Bryant and William Slate will be able to fill in the hole Dennis left, Bryant can bring the size and toughness and Slate will bring back the height and scoring Dennis brought to the table. What about Girstantas’s shooting ability? Patrick Ronayne will be able to mimic the percentages Girstantas had behind the arc and he is a better shooter off the dribble than Girstantas ever was. With experienced players like Quintis Brooks returning, and former JV players such as Jaylen Hudson, Jalen Fitch, and Sam Neale joining the roster to back up the starters, the Black Knights should be just fine next year.
Western Albemarle
Ryan Ingram
2014 Record: 17-7
2014 JD Record: 11-3
Notable Players Gone: Josh Casteen, Carter Berry, Scott Grover, Sam Swanson, Will Kinlaw
Notable Players Returning: Ryan Ingram, Mike Vale, Jared Carter, Carrington Murphy, Chris Mcgaren, Will Cress
Why the Warriors are ranked here:
Some might say Western Albemarle is on a decline in the basketball world. They had a down year last year and lose important players like Josh Casteen and Carter Berry…but, the Warriors still finished second in the district and did not lose as many players Charlottesville or Fluvanna did. Ryan Ingram is back, and it will only be his junior year. Others still, such as Mike Vale, Jared Carter, Carrington Murphy, Chris Mcgaren, and Will Cress will again, just as usual, be a very unselfish, very hot-shooting team. Under Darren Maynard, the Warriors will again challenge in the District and be a Title contender in Conference 29 of the 3A Division. Yes, Western Albemarle Basketball isn’t going anywhere.
Fluvanna
Jameel Wilson
2014 Record: 14-12
2014 JD Record: 6-8
Notable Players Gone: Vincent Agee IV, Talavious Hughes, Hunter Deforge, Kashawn Anderson, Nafeese Smith, Jake Mooney
This is the one I am not betting my money on. Fluvanna lost almost everybody from a 14-12 team, including Division 4A All-State First Team Player Vinny Agee, plus most of their rotation, Talavious Hughes, Hunter Deforge, Kashawn Anderson, Nafeese Smith, and Jake Mooney all graduated last spring. Still, the Flucos finished fourth in the District last season and they still have Jameel Wilson. He is poised for a superb senior season. After a breakout junior year, the kid will have lots of roles to fill, but he will join the list of complete point guards in the District, with experience and skill both on his side. The Flucos also, as usual, have an impressive freshman and middle school class coming to Pleasant Grove, so the Flucos, under one of the best coaches in the region Munro Rateau, should survive Jefferson District Play once again.
Monticello
Anthony Lee
2014 Record: 7-15
2014 JD Record: 5-9
Notable Players Gone: Rashad Brooks, John Anderson, Robert Deane
Notable Players Returning: Gabe Thacker, Jacoby Jackson, James Connaughton, Josh Rush, Jordan Spry, Anthony Lee
Why the Mustangs are ranked here:
A new coach is coming to southern Albemarle to coach the Mustangs, Robert Spry. Spry was the JV coach for Monticello last year, and he led them to a 15-6 record. Spry had a superb career as the JV coach, and, even though replacing Robert Shelton will be difficult, should be a good fit with the Maniacs of Monticello. Losing Rashad Brooks to will hurt the Mustangs, he provided great shooting throughout his career. Monticello’s problem last year was their lack of post presence and the fact that Brooks basically carried the team. Now that Brooks is gone and the post area is still relatively empty, many predict doom for the Mustangs once again this season, but don’t be too quick to judge. Last year, Monticello was 7-15. Sure, that may be a terrible record, but look at their schedule last year. Charlottesville, Albemarle, and Western Albemarle twice, EC Glass, Spotswood, and many other top 25 teams last year lined Monticello’s schedule. That doesn’t mean they were bad last year, they just played really good teams. Rising sophomore Jacoby Jackson is back, and he should be better. Gabe Thacker also returns for his senior season. Anthony Lee is poised for a breakout senior season. Even though a coaching change is difficult, the Mustangs should still be effective again next season.
The Charlottesville Black Knights had an amazing basketball season this year, and that might be an understatement. The Black Knights went 19-1 in the regular season, finished with a 24-2 record and ranked number 6 in the Division 4A Rankings. They won the Jefferson District regular season crown, won the JD tournament and the Conference 23 Crown before falling 58-54 at EC Glass in the Elite 8. This past season was nothing short of incredible for the Black Knights.
The Knights were led by Seniors Jordan Saylor (Point Guard) Mica Girstantas (Shooting Guard) Malik Wingate (Wing) Troy Hughes (Forward) and Kendell Dennis (Center). The other regular players for the Knights were juniors Caleb Gage, Tyreek Ragland, and Deandre Bryant.
The Knights opened up their season by hammering Covenant 67-25 at Covenant. Their first real test was their second game, a home one against the 25th ranked William Monroe Dragons. The Black Knights won that competition, pounding the Dragons 81-55. The Black Knights went on to beat Covenant again, 66-36, and survived a home scare against Powhatan, only winning 58-50.
Then, the schedule thickened for the Knights. They travelled to nearby Albemarle High School, who was also undefeated. The 9th ranked Patriots were led by 6’6 sophomore Austin Katstra. the Patriots had hopes and the home crowd advantage, but the Knights showed up as well. After giving up a 17-point lead against the Patriots, the Knights eventually pulled away and won 55-46. The Knights finally showed their full potential. They went on to annihilate Louisa 79-45, and then took out the 13th ranked Western Albemarle Warriors at home 64-51. CHS showed who the real boss of the Jefferson District was.
Things were looking good for the Knights, standing at 7-0 and with wins over three ranked opponents. It didn’t hurt after beating JEB Stuart 82-60 and 21st ranked Turner Ashby 58-50 at neutral sites. Then, the Culpeper Blue Devils came to Charlottesville. The Blue Devils were 8-1, with their only loss to Albemarle. The game was home for CHS. The Devils were up by ten in the second quarter, but the Knights came back and cut the lead at half. The game stayed close, until the end of the fourth quarter when the 4th ranked Culpeper Blue Devils pulled away and beat the 2nd ranked Black Knights 68-58. Still, the Knights looked forward, with the experience of a loss in their minds.
The Knights cut through the rest of Jefferson District play, with quality wins over Fluvanna, Orange, Monticello, and Louisa. When the 11th ranked Albemarle Patriots came to CHS for their second regular season meeting, the Knights showed that they were back in rhythm beating the patriots 69-56, then taking out number 12 Western Albemarle 71-58 on their own court. The Knights charged out of the regular season 19-1, and 14-0 in the Jefferson District.
In the Jefferson District Tournament, the Knights played the four seeded Fluvanna Flucos for the third time, eventually pulling away and winning 70-51. In the Jefferson District Tournament Finals, the Knights faced off the third seeded Albemarle Patriots for a third time. The CHS gym was up to capacity, all 1,500 people it could hold. The Patriots started strong and led by two at halftime, 19-17 but the Knights came back. Finding themselves down by 4 with 2:45 to go, Jordan Saylor buried a three nearly 3 feet behind the arc. The next play, Mica Girstantas took a charge. On their possession, he nailed a baseline jumper to take the lead, and the Knights held on to win a low scoring Championship 48-42. Now, the Knights needed to prepare for the Conference Tournament.
Charlottesville pounded Handley 75-56, to go on to play Fluvanna for a fourth time of the year. The Flucos wanted that home court advantage in Regionals, and they came out strong. by the end of the third quarter, the Knights were down 44-34, thanks to Vinny Agee and the rest of the Flying Flucos. But the Black Knights weren’t giving up. Kendell Dennis had a steal and a layup with 7:32 to go in the fourth, to make the score 42-36. The Flucos didn’t panic and got another bucket, putting the lead back up to eight. Then Jordan Saylor had a steal and threw a long-range pass to Caleb Gage who scored, making the score 44-38. After a missed three by Vinny Agee, Caleb Gage dished the ball out out Mica Girstantas and the hot-shooting senior nailed a three from the baseline to make the score 44-41 Fluvanna. The next play, Saylor had another steal and threw it half court to the waiting hands of Kendell Dennis, who drove in and made a bucket, making it 44-43. After yet another missed Fluvanna shot, Gage took the ball in and missed, but Kendell was there for the putback, and the Black Knights led for the first time since the beginning of the second quarter. With 42 seconds left, Kendell had yet another putback, making the score 52-48. With 21.6 seconds left, Girstantas had a rebound, ran down-court, passed to Gage, and the junior made an and one. The score was 54-48, and closed out the win. Kendell Dennis had a career-high 23 points. The Knights were 23-1 and had home-court advantage heading into the Sweet 16 of the 4A Tournament.
The Knights hosted the two-seeded Millbrook Pioneers, who were 20-3, and a very quick paced, hot shooting team. Right before the end of the first quarter, the Pioneers dunked and took the lead 20-7. Things weren’t looking good for the Knights when it was 20-11 at the end of the first quarter. Then, again, the Knights came back. Gage had a personal 6-0 run that got the Knights going. The knights scored 23 points and held the Pioneers to 14 in the second quarter. At halftime, the score was 34-34. With 4:15 left in the third quarter, Gage had a bucket to take the lead for the first time, 40-39. The Pioneers hung around, but a Girstantas layup with 1:13 left put the Knights back in front at 59-57, and when Millbrook failed to convert on the next trip, they fouled Kendell Dennis. The senior forward missed the dire one-and-one leaving a chance for the Pioneers. Right on cue, Millbrook’s Trey Brathwaite sent the game into overtime with a layup.
Girstantas was having an off-game, but he woke up in overtime. He and Millbrook player Taryk Baylor exchanged free throws, then Millbrook took the lead with a bucket. Girstantas was fouled again, and made two more free throws. Donte Weaver for Millbrook made another bucket, making the score 64-62, but Taryk Booker fell and cramped up on Millbrook’s end of the floor, leaving a gap in Millbrook’s defense and allowed Girstantas to swish a three with 1:23 remaining and to take the lead 65-64. Baylor had a chance to put his team ahead from the line with 20 seconds left, but bricked two free throws while Girstantas made two on the other end. Millbrook was unable to make a shot at the buzzer, sending the Black Knights into the regional semifinals, the Elite 8 of Division 4A. The Knights were now 24-1.
The Knights headed to Lynchburg to play another one seed, EC Glass. Both teams were quick, well coached, and hot shooting. The Knights led at halftime 26-24, but this time it was the Knight’s opponents turn to come back. With 2:01 remaining, the Knights were down by four, and Gage hit a bucket to cut the lead down to two. Girstantas then came up with the steal, and passed it down the Dennis, but the senior couldn’t convert. By the end of it, EC Glass won 58-54, ending the spectacular season for the Knights.
Even though the Black Knights didn’t get as far as they wanted, Coach Mitch Minor and his 2014-2015 Team will never be forgotten, with emotional wins, comebacks, joy, sadness, and a great year to remember for the Black Knight’s fans.
Next year for the Knights, Caleb Gage, Murray Hill, Tyreek Ragland, Quintus Brooks and Deandre Bryant will all be seniors for the Knights, and 6’5 junior William Slate will be returning. Quick, hot-shooting juniors from the JV team will also join Mitch Minor and his team.
PHOTOS:
Jordan Saylor scores against Austin Katstra in the Jefferson District Title Game against Albemarle.Tyreek Ragland playing defense against EC Glass’s Rameek Vereen in the Elite 8.Caleb Gage drives against Albemarle in the Jefferson District Championship meeting at CHS.Kendell Dennis puts up a contested layup against Fluvanna in the Conference 23 Title Game.Mica Girstantas shoots a midrange jumper against Millbrook in the Sweet 16.CHS Head Coach Mitch Minor coaching during a game against Fluvanna.
Charlottesville knew it was going to be a tough game from the start, but no one expected the game to be thirty minutes shorter than it should’ve been. The Black Knights and the Warriors did not finish their game due to more than a couple lightning calls. Sherando did not want to leave and forefit the game, but in the end, the Black Knights picked up the win, advancing to the semifinals. It was a large crowd over at Theodose Stadium. The Sherando faithful had a large pocket of fans sitting on the visitor side. The students rung cowbells and chanted while the Black Knight fans waited in agony…would their team advance over a team as big as Sherando? When play started the Knights realized Sherando was a indeed a physical team. The Warriors began with rough plays, pushing past the Knight defense, but once again, Sophmore Yahya Mohammed and Junior Charlie Manning played spectacular defense. And once again, freshman goalie Carter Kitchin had a couple of miraculous saves, keeping the Knights alive. With 37:00 minutes to go in the first half, Carter sped away from the goal, deflecting a shot attempt, but Sherando recovered and shot the ball. It would’ve gone clean into the goal and given the Warriors a 1-0 lead, but senior Jake O’Conner would not let that happen. He beat the ball to the goal, and headed it out, saving the Knights from their first trail since 5/4/15 against Fluvanna. Only a few minutes later, The Knights drove forward, getting past Sherando’s defense. There, Abibi Osman got the ball and scored at the 32:54 mark, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead. After Abibi’s goal Sherando regrouped and had many attempts to score, but most were foiled by the Knights defense or Kitchin. Finally, at the 12:50 mark, A Kitchin deflection flew right back to one of Sherando’s players, and the Warrior nailed the ball right into the goal. The Sherando fans went crazy, as the score was now 1-1. With 4:25 to go, and a storm brewing in the above the stadium, Barun Tamang for the Knights drove the ball up the field, but the Sherando goalie was waiting. He deflected the ball, but Barun recovered and shot. The ball was flying right to the goal, but a Sherando player had the same idea O’Conner had nearly thirty minutes before. He jumped up, trying to deflect the ball with his head, but Barun’s shot was to high for the Warrior. The ball flew into the top of the goal, giving the Knights a 2-1 lead.
With 38 minutes to go in the second half, the referees called lighting, and many of the Charlottesville fans left the stadium. The game was called at around 10:20pm, giving the Knights a 2-1 win. The Knights advanced to the Regional Semifinals against (2) Courtland.
CHARLOTTESVILLE — The Black Knights and the Blue Streaks each wanted the Conference 23 crown…badly. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie in double overtime near the beginning of the season at Harrisonburg High School, previewing the epic match between these two teams for the Conference 23 crown at CHS on Thursday, May 28.
Charlottesville was 9-4-3 and the 3-seed entering the playoffs. They started out the tournament by hammering the 6-seed Louisa 13-0, preparing with a long-wanted rematch with Fluvanna. The 2-seeded Flucos were the last team to beat Charlottesville, 2-1 in overtime on Charlottesville’s home field. Charlottesville beat Fluvanna at Fluvanna 2-1 earlier in the year. Thanks to a goal by the senior Mica Girstantas with under 5 minutes to play, the Black Knights advanced to the Conference Final, winning 2-1 at Fluvanna for a second time this season.
The final was to be played at Charlottesville High School, since CHS hosted the tournament. Still, the 1-seed Harrisonburg (who had just beaten the 4-seed John Handley 3-0) was the “home” team and wore white jerseys while the Black Knights wore their black and orange away uniforms. From the start, the large crowd at Theodose Stadium knew they were in for a great game.
Charlottesville possessed the ball for most of the first half, but thanks to Harrisonburg’s incredibly skilled and long goalkeeper, both shot attempts in the half were saved. Harrisonburg had many fast breaks to get to Charlottesville’s goal, but thanks to the amazingly quick Yahya Mohammed, most of the would-be shots or goals were deflected by the sophomore. With 22:15 to go in the half, Harrisonburg broke away from the defense but missed over the goal post. The score was 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Charlottesville switched up their positions. Musa Mohammed was moved to offense (he played defense in the first half). With 38:18 to go, Charlottesville had a corner kick. Barun Tamang took kick and the ball flew high and right into the swarm of Knights and Blue Streaks. The ball bounced several times before ricocheting off of some players and Thomas Birle got just enough of it to cause it to roll into the goal. The Charlottesville crowd went crazy as the Knights took the lead, 1-0…..but the celebration was short lived. Under 3 minutes later, with 35:49 to go, Harrisonburg beat the defense and scored, tying up the game at 1 apiece. Charlottesville had many other chances to score in the half, with 5 corner kicks and great plays by Abibi Osman and Musa, but the Harrisonburg defense stayed strong as the game went into overtime.
With under 20 seconds to go in a rather uneventful first overtime, Abibi had a chance to shoot the ball, but his shot attempt was foiled as the buzzer sounded to end the first overtime.
The second overtime was much more eventful. Thomas Birle had many great plays offensively, but was unable to score. With under a minute to go, it looked as if the game would go to Penalty Kicks, but the Knights had a chance. A corner kick bounced off the Harrisonburg defense, but Campbell Brickhouse for the Knights got the ball and wove through the defense to get to the left end of the goal. From there, he delivered a pass right to the Harrisonburg goalie, who swapped it away, but senior Musa Mohammed recovered it and shot the ball from a few yards out. The ball went in with 41.7 seconds to go. The Black Knight faithful went crazy, and the Blue Streaks were unable to score in the last 40 seconds, making the Charlottesville black Knights the Conference 23 Champions. The Black Knights are now 12-4-3.
Charlottesville will host (2) Sherando, the Conference 21 Runner Up. The game will be on Monday, June 1st, at 8:00.
It was a warm but windy night at Theodose Stadium at Charlottesville High School. The Knights were ready to play. The Knights opened up the season with a loss to Chancellor and a win over William Monroe in friendlies, then opened up the regular season with two ties: 3-3 against Albemarle, and 1-1 at Harrisonburg.
The Knights were tired of tying, and poured out their frustration on District Team Louisa Thursday night, winning 10-2. Even though the Knights defense looked good, the offense was really in-sync, with selfless passes and smart shots resulting in ten goals. The score was 6-2 at halftime. In the second half, the Knights scored three more goals and allowed none, thanks to the goalie William Slate and the rest of the defense. With under 18 minutes to go, Mica Girstantas (dubbed “banana” by his teammates due to his bright yellow cleats) scored a fourth, automatically giving CHS the win due to the Eight Point Difference Rule. The Knights are 1-0-1 in the District and will travel to Palmyra on Thursday, April 9th, to play another District Team, Fluvanna. The Knights are now 1-0-2 on the season and the Louisa Lions are now 0-2-0.
Jefferson District Basketball-Central Virginia Dominance 