Who’s Built for a State Title Run in Each NOVA District (4-1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the district tournaments kicking off, I want to focus on the team from each NOVA district that has the best shot to win states. This is ranked in order of who I think has the best chance to win in their class, not the best teams in order.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Teams with a chance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potomac District: </strong>Potomac Falls<br><strong>Cedar Run District:</strong> Gainesville&nbsp;<br><strong>National District:</strong> Edison&nbsp;<br><strong>Patriot District:</strong> West Potomac&nbsp;<br><strong>Concorde:</strong> Chantilly&nbsp;<br><strong>Concorde:</strong> Oakton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Liberty District: Langley</strong><br>Langley went undefeated in the Liberty district, and they have exceeded my expectations this season. They are an excellent defensive team, led by their Sophomore Star guard/wing, [player_tooltip player_id='1201271' first='Mariah' last='Armah']. Defense travels and their slower style of play should travel well. Langley is 20-1 with some outstanding wins this season. The reason I don't have this team higher with some of their wins and record is I don't know if this Langley squad has enough shot creation and go-to scoring needed to win the close games you get come postseason. Langley is a Class 6 school, so you know the competition is tough at that level in NOVA, but this team has excellent coaching and the play style to give teams postseason trouble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Dulles District: Heritage  </strong><br>Heritage is the defending Class 4 champs, and I think they can do it again. Heritage still has a lot of that production from last season, and this is still a good defensive squad. [player_tooltip player_id='985809' first='Alyssa' last='Stanford'] is a star and a walking double-double. Keira Stanford is a huge piece who deserves more praise, and [player_tooltip player_id='1213227' first='Riley' last='Makitka'] is the type of player who thrives in big games. Makitka has a couple of near triple-doubles and will get the matchup of the opposing team's best perimeter player. Heritage has a real shot to repeat, and their style is one that carries over to big games and tough environments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2 Patriot District: South County&nbsp;<br></strong>South County is one of, if not the most complete, public school team in NOVA. South County's guards are high-level, and all of them do a lot on both sides. [player_tooltip player_id='732202' first='Natalya' last='Wooten'] is one of the best on-ball defenders in the state and has elite hands. [player_tooltip player_id='722607' first='Laila' last='Tull'] is a star, and [player_tooltip player_id='675370' first='Adriana' last='Mayorga'] has been a nice addition. Their ability to turn you over and frazzle ball handlers makes up for their lack of size. South County beat West Potomac twice, who are an elite team themselves, and South County hasn't lost a game since early December. I feel like Osbourn Park and South County are the cream of the crop in Class 6 for NOVA, and they could both make state runs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. Cedar Run District: Osbourn Park</strong><br>Reigning Class 6 champions Osbourn Park feels like the favorite again this year out of all the Class 6 teams in NOVA. Osbourn Park's record doesn't look as shiny as it has in previous years, but you have to attribute a lot of that to the high-level competition they have played. OP also arguably has the best win for any NOVA public school by beating a terrific PVI early in the year. They continued their dominance over Gainesville this year and have just torn through the rest of the Cedar Run district. OP is down two starters from last season, and the really big one for me is losing [player_tooltip player_id='749391' first='Payton' last='Walters'] for the year after she tore her ACL. They still have Keyarah Rainey, who could be the best player in Class 6, and have a plethora of guards and wings who fit around her well. [player_tooltip player_id='448324' first='Samia' last='Snead'] and [player_tooltip player_id='376331' first='Jayel' last='West'] have been big-time contributors to this program for a while, and they have additional younger players who could make an impact in their potential run to another state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->