District preview: Patriot district

The Patriot district is deep and has a lot of talent to look out for. This is how I think it will play out.     Alexandria City In last, I have Alexandria City. Alexandria City wasn't bad last year and played a couple of good teams pretty competitively. But Alexandria City's defense was poor all year, putting them behind the eight ball a lot. They struggled mightily in district, and with how good the patriot district is, there's no shame in that.     Fairfax In 7th, I have Fairfax. Fairfax and Alexandria City were neck and neck last year, so these spots are interchangeable. They had the same record in the district and were virtually identical out of conference, and they split their season series. Fairfax struggled to score last year, and it really cost them. They should be a competitive squad, but I still have them finishing 7th.     South County In 6th, I have South County. South County is an exciting team to watch this year. They finished last last season, and there is a possibility they struggle again this year. They also lost one of their best players, Talia Astorga, as she transferred to Bishop O'Connell. South County can improve significantly this year because they are returning two fantastic players, [player_tooltip player_id='722607' first='Laila' last='Tull'] and Leila Carter. They also bring in two freshman guards, [player_tooltip player_id='732202' first='Natalya' last='Wooten'] and [player_tooltip player_id='602383' first='Peyton' last='Baines-Trapp']. These freshman guards are some of the better players in the 2027 class and will be impact players soon. If Wooten and Baines-Trapp play well early, this team could finish even higher than 6th.     Woodson In 5th, I have Woodson. Woodson is a well-rounded team, and in their last handful of games, they looked pretty good to me last year. They have [player_tooltip player_id='718370' first='Emma' last='Komaily'], who is fantastic on both ends and should do a lot for this team. People look at Woodson going 9-15 overall and underrate how competitive they were. They were 6-8 in this fantastic patriot district, and a few close losses and difficult out-of-conference games make their record look a little worse than what they were last year. This should be a solid team that hovers around .500.     West Springfield West Springfield is a tremendous defensive team and should be a good team this year. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='743899' first='Lilia' last='Mellor'] is a player that will be a fantastic player. Lilia is super long and is an outstanding defender, like most of this team. She should run their offense well and do a lot as a scorer. Freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='443365' first='Charisma' last='Hall'] is another player to watch on this team. Her ball handling and passing are great, and she creates her shot well. There are a handful of other impact players on this team as well. West Springfield lost a terrific player, [player_tooltip player_id='615165' first='Eva' last='Robertson'], as she transferred to Bishop O'Connell. They will be able to overcome this and still be a solid team.     Lake Braddock I have Lake Braddock finishing third, and it wouldn't shock me if this team finishes higher. They were 13-13 overall and 9-5 in the district. That overall record is deceiving for two reasons. Lake Braddock played some fantastic teams out of conference last year, and they were a very different team as the year went on. Lake Braddock lost some outstanding players in Tina Vaughan, who graduated, and [player_tooltip player_id='923070' first='Sovay' last='Reid'], who transferred to Bullis. They still have [player_tooltip player_id='260610' first='Sarah' last='Pritz'], a double-double machine and an overall terrific basketball player. They have a lot of other players, too, worth checking out, like [player_tooltip player_id='239421' first='Bella' last='Horvatinovich'] and many others. This team will be better than .500 this year and should be a very good team.     West Potomac In Second, I have West Potomac. West Potomac is a fantastic offensive team, and they'll be better this year. I was tempted to pick this team to win the district because they returned so much of their roster. [player_tooltip player_id='644092' first='Abby' last='Beddis'] is a terrific two-way player, and she has a super high IQ. She can shoot and is just solid all around. They return [player_tooltip player_id='755782' first='Olivia' last='Jones'], who is in for an excellent season, and freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='962746' first='Tina' last='Copty'] has game for days. They were 12-2 in the district and 19-10 overall. I see them eclipsing 19 total wins and having a fantastic year.     Robinson Robinson was first last year, and I see them edging out West Potomac to win this district this season. Robinson's style of basketball is a big reason why I see them finishing first. They always provide effort and stifling defense. Those things never go away, making them a tough team to beat. Robinson went 26-4 last year, and their only loss in the district was a 3-point loss to West Potomac. Yes, they lost some significant contributors, but they still have the best player in the conference in [player_tooltip player_id='389125' first='Georgia' last='Simonsen']. Georgia is a double-double machine and an outstanding defender. Many other gritty and talented players on this Robinson team are worth checking out.