Ready for States

Nothing will be official until later today, but the Madison County and Orange County boys basketball teams have an idea where their state tournament runs will begin.

Both the Mountaineers and Hornets qualified for their respective state tournaments by advancing to the regional finals this weekend. Madison improved to 27-0 with a victory over Dan River and claimed a No. 1 seed in the Group A, Division 2 state quarterfinals. The Mountaineers will play Northampton, the runner-up in Region A.

The game is tentatively scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Saturday at Monticello High School in Charlottesville.

Orange advanced to the state quarterfinals in Group AA, Division 4, despite a regional final loss to Charlottesville on Saturday. The Hornets face a stiff test against Battlefield District champion Courtland, a team that has already beaten Orange twice by an average of 16 points.

The Hornets and Cougars are tentatively scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Saturday at the Siegel Center in Richmond.

Quarterfinal victories would give the Hornets and Mountaineers a spot in the state semifinals, which are scheduled for the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Division 4 semifinals are set for Tuesday, March 10 and the Division 2 semis are Thursday, March 12.