After picking up their third win in a row over Catholic High School on Saturday afternoon, the Hargrave Tigers remained as the #7 team in the latest VISAA poll.
The Tigers had a successful week on the court, earning a pair of wins over New Covenant (78-60) and Catholic High School (77-64), and are starting to come into their own as a team. Zion Russell ’21 stole the show on Thursday evening as he poured in a season-high 31 points, which included a four possession stretch in the second quarter where he nailed four consecutive three pointers.
On Saturday afternoon, Hargrave’s production was much more balanced across the board as the Tigers had four players in double figures. Mazae Blake ’20 led the Tigers with 20 points, IJ Ezuma ’21 added 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks in his 10th double-double of the year, Brehon Lambert ’20 chipped in a season-high 15 points and 6 rebounds and Russell rounded out the top performances with 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Overall the Tigers now sit at 13-4 as their schedule continues to become more difficult down the stretch. Six of their last nine games are against teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the VISAA Division 2 Boys Basketball State Poll, including four remaining VIC Conference games. “This is why you come to Hargrave as a basketball player,” states head coach, Ben Veshi. “We play an extremely competitive schedule and our guys need to be prepared for that grind. Throughout our daily life at Hargrave, our kids learn what it takes to be successful on and off the court, so we do our best to apply that to big games.”
There’s no bigger test for the Tigers than their game on Tuesday night, as they host #8 Miller School, a VIC Conference opponent. Both teams are eager for a win as they look to finish up January strong. “This is a big week for us,” says Veshi. “We have three big time games this week, including two against (VISAA Division 2) state tournament teams. We’re slowly starting to put things together and we are continually getting tougher. I’m excited to see how we perform starting on Tuesday night against Miller.”
VISAA Division 2 Boys Basketball State Poll (1/28/20)
#1–Blue Ridge School (108)
#2–Norfolk Collegiate School (94)
#3–Middleburg Academy (87)
#4–Highland School (77)
#5–Steward School (75)
#6–Nansemond-Suffolk Academy (61)
#7–Hargrave Military Academy (57)
#8–Miller School (48)
#9–Norfolk Christian School (31)
#10–Virginia Episcopal School (28)
#11–Atlantic Shores Christian School (16)
#12–Seton School (11)
RV–North Cross School
RV–Peninsula Catholic High School
