Going into the season the boys basketball team had no expectation of making it to states, only to play their best. “As we start going to start playing, I think we held a high expectation for ourselves so go as far as we can go,” said head coach Mark Alexander. 

According to Alexander, our basketball team didn’t have the best size, but the effort replaced it when it came down to rebounds. “One of our best rebounders is our point guard Jimmy Daughtrey, but guys stepped up and did an incredible job,” Alexander said. 

The team faced challenges on the way to their first-ever state championship game appearance.

“One of our hardest game leading up to the state championship was E.C. Glass. They were incredibly athletic,” Alexander said.

The Captains never gave up hope, even when they were losing. Alexander will always tell his team to stick to the plan and never panic, and it will work out. This was especially true when pandemic challenges hindered the basketball season. 

Whether it was players being out for an illness or out for the season, senior guard Brendan Boyers said, “We just had to step up as a family and come together.” 

According to Alexander, he and some of his players caught COVID during the season. With COVID, Alexander said, it’s impossible to know how long, and when, players will have to be out and missing games.

The team even had some close calls with cross-county rival Loudoun Valley. Boyers notes that the semifinal game against Valley was especially challenging. “We were tied two to two with them for season,” Boyers said. “And this was a winner go home type of game. And we pulled out the victory.” 

Despite some close calls, the team managed to make it all the way to states with a 23-6 record. Alexander and his team say they will always remember their appearance in the state championship game on March 10 in Richmond, where they faced the Varina Blue Devils. 

Junior guard Jack West recalls the state championship game being among the most notable of the season. “Even though we lost, it was really cool playing at VCU,” West said. 

“It was the farthest that any County team has made it in history so that’s a really good accomplishment,” said junior forward Nick Alexander.