Conference preview: Dominion district

The top half of the Dominion district is as good as any district in the state and is must-watch basketball. They have 2 of the 5 best players in the state and have loads of talent outside of them. This is how I see the top 7 playing out.   Powhatan In 7th, I have Powhatan. Powhatan is not a bad basketball team, but they found life hard playing against the upper half of this league last season. There's no shame in that because the teams at the top of this district are some of the best in the state. They had trouble stopping the offense of those teams, and it made life difficult for them. There are a couple of solid players to watch on this Powhatan team, but again, the top half of this district is phenomenal, and it'll be hard to take many games from them.   Cosby In 6th, I have Cosby. Cosby went 12-12 overall and 10-8 in the district last season. I have Cosby dropping one spot from last year because of some of their departures. They lost one of the best players in the 2025 class in [player_tooltip player_id='304790' first='Seimone' last='Newton'], as she transferred to James River Midlothian. They also lost senior guard Malia Bullock, who graduated. Cosby will still be a solid squad, and they have some fun players to watch, like Junior Forward [player_tooltip player_id='304786' first='Hailey' last='Schaaff'] and Senior guard Kaelin Smith.   Midlothian In 5th, I have Midlothian. Midlothian was middle of the pack last year, going 12-12 overall and 8-9 in district. The intriguing thing about Midlothian this season is they are returning a lot of their production from last year. Their top five scorers from last season are all seniors and should have their best seasons this year. I would be surprised if they don't win at least a few more games this year.     Monacan I have Monacan finishing 4th this season. Monacan was terrific last year and should be even better this year. Monacan won 16 games overall and went a more than respectable 13-5 in district. What makes me so optimistic for this Monacan team is that they return their top 3 leading scorers from last year. Amirah Richardson is in for an outstanding season. She led Monacan in points, assists, and steals last season. Amirah is a tremendous defender and can score on all three levels. [player_tooltip player_id='255926' first='Trinity' last='Jones'] is another player to watch on this team. Trinity is great when she gets to her left and is super hard to stop around the rim. She is a tenacious rebounder, and the tandem of her and Amirah will be fun to watch.   L.C. Bird L.C. Bird is a terrific team, and I see them finishing 3rd again this season. L.C. Bird lost leading scorer Kyah Smith and leading rebounder Justice Hicks as both moved on to college. The good news for L.C. Bird is they returned one of the best guards in the district in [player_tooltip player_id='255921' first='Trinity' last='Dale']. Trinity is a solid defender and is fantastic as a distributor. Trinity is quick and has a jump shot that is improving by the day. Combo guard Aliyah Elliot should have a breakout year. Aliyah is strong and athletic and does a great job finishing in the paint. L.C. Bird was the only team to defeat district winner and state runner-up Manchester in the district. They should be a great team again this year.   James River Midlothian In second, I have James River. James River argues for being one of Virginia's five best public school teams this season. They obviously have an offensive juggernaut in [player_tooltip player_id='239496' first='Lanie' last='Grant'], who may be the best player in the state. She will average 30+ again and lead this team to another great season. They also added a top 10 player in the 2025 class, [player_tooltip player_id='304790' first='Seimone' last='Newton']. The Cosby HS transfer is a great all-around player and will add much to this James River squad. James River went 18-4 overall and 15-3 in the district. They could improve on that, and it wouldn't shock me if they took first place. They undoubtedly got better this year, and after losing three competitive games against Manchester last year, you know that something they're looking to get back. They play their first home game against Manchester, so everyone should keep an eye on that.   Manchester At number 1, I have Manchester. I think Manchester is still slightly better than James River because they return their three best players from last year. [player_tooltip player_id='254975' first='Mia' last='Woolfolk'] is one of the best players in the state and should give you somewhere close to 20 and 10 again this season. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='304787' first='Rayne' last='Wright'] has excellent size and can play either guard position effectively. Senior PG [player_tooltip player_id='421802' first='Leah' last='Hampton'] can do everything on the offensive end, and she is a huge key to what this Manchester team does. Talented sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='392204' first='Keileen' last='Edwards'] and sharpshooting [player_tooltip player_id='376327' first='Finley' last='Weaver'] should add to this stacked roster. This is my pick as Virginia's best public school team, and they should be fun to watch all year. And again, they go on the road for their second game of the year against James River, which should be one of the best games in the early season.

The top half of the Dominion district is as good as any district in the state and is must-watch basketball. They have 2 of the 5 best players in the state and have loads of talent outside of them. This is how I see the top 7 playing out.