Nova matchup of the week: Top performers
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Two northern Virginia powerhouses faced off Friday as Bishop Ireton took on PVI. Bishop Ireton was missing a few key players, but the game was still absolutely loaded with talent. PVI picked a comfortable win, but there were still some…
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Continue ReadingTwo northern Virginia powerhouses faced off Friday as Bishop Ireton took on PVI. Bishop Ireton was missing a few key players, but the game was still absolutely loaded with talent. PVI picked a comfortable win, but there were still some eye-opening performances from both sides.
With Bishop Ireton missing a chunk of their offense, most of the points had to come from two places. One was aforementioned Washington, and the other was senior guard Abigail Cooch Abigail Cooch 5’7″ | PG Bishop Ireton | 2023 State VA . Cooch has an excellent in-between game finishing over bigs with floaters and short jump shots. She has a nice handle and uses it to get by defenders to get in the paint and find an open teammate by either kicking it out or dumping the ball down to a big. She tends to speed herself sometimes and turn the ball over, but with a healthy and whole squad, less responsibility would help resolve that issue.
Bishop Ireton’s Sophmore G/F Kayla Washington Kayla Washington 5’10” | SF Bishop Ireton | 2025 State VA was the best shooter on the court for either team. She pulled shots from 5 feet behind the 3-point line and made them more often than not. Her shooting form has no wasted motion, and it’s about as smooth of a jump shot as you could imagine. Washington did most of her damage behind the arc but could get into the paint and draw fouls when she decided to put her head down and get to the rim. I was impressed with Washington, and her ability as a scorer is polished for a senior, let alone a sophomore.
Laura Williams Laura Williams 6’2″ | PF Paul VI | 2024 State VA is the highest-ranked player in Virginia in the 2024 class, and just by watching her move, you can tell why. She has the physical tools and defensive instincts that can’t be taught. She’s 6’2″ and uses every inch of her frame. She blocked or altered many shots in the paint and even got her hands on a few jump shots. Williams was great all night, sealing opponents off to get deep into the paint for easy post-turn-arounds and lay-ins. Her touch around the basket needed improvement over the summer. She improved that drastically over the year. She has cemented herself as one of the best juniors in the state.
The most impressive player of the day was senior forward Louis Volker Louis Volker 6’0″ | SF Paul VI | 2023 State VA . What makes Volker’s game so special is she is a swiss army knife. She can guard multiple positions, and she’s a super-disciplined defender. She contests shots without fouling in the paint and can stay in front of guards when forced to cover them. What impresses me about Volker is her ability to pass. She created a lot of open layups by simply standing at the top of the key, finding cutters and shooters. She was efficient around the rim and was the most complete player on the court.
The matchup between Riley Hamburger Riley Hamburger 6’0″ | SG Paul VI | 2025 State VA and Nyla Brooks Nyla Brooks 6’2″ | SF Bishop Ireton | 2025 State VA they were two of the top three best players in the 2025 class in Virginia. Unfortunately, Brooks didn’t play, but Hamburger did and showed why she’s so sought after. Hamburger was active on defense getting her hands into passing lanes which was the theme for PVI all night. She moved well without the ball and is an excellent cutter. Hamburger set the tone early with her intensity and overall aggressiveness. She did a lot of the little things well, and it was something I loved to see from someone so early into their high school career.