Northern Region Basketball: Madison, Marshall Play Monday

While some will take Monday off for Presidents' Day, members of two Vienna basketball teams will be taking the court in the first round of the Northern Region playoffs.

The Madison High School girls basketball team and Marshall High School boys basketball are coming into Monday's games with some significant momentum: both won the Liberty District championship game on Friday.

For the Warhawks, Friday marked the fifth such title in six years — this season, they battled for the crown without starters Megan Henshaw and Kelly Koshuta, both of whom are battling ACL injuries.

And for the Statesmen, the victory — in which Marshall easily outpaced McLean 60-45 — was their first Liberty District crown in the program's history.

On Monday, the Warhawks (17-8, 10-4 Liberty) will face Robinson (7-16, 1-9 Concorde) at 7:30 p.m. on Madison's home turf.

Robinson fell to Centreville in the Concorde District semifinals last week.

The Warhawks are emerging to be a favorite in the tournament, along with powerhouse and rival Oakton High (20-4, 9-1 Concorde), who lost to Centreville in the Concorde District Championships last week; Concorde District Champion Centreville (22-2, 9-1 Concorde), who Madison beat earlier this season; and Mount Vernon (21-2), who went undefeated in the National District this season before clinching the division title.

It's been almost a fairy-tale season for the Marshall Statesmen, who in previous years, often saw early tournament losses or no bid at all.

But under third-year Coach Dan Hale this season, Marshall blazed through the Liberty District looking for a fight. The Statesmen (17-7, 9-5 Liberty) not only handily won the district title for the first time in the school's history, it also upset longtime cross-town rival Madison High by a point in the semifinals.

The team has won eight of its past 10 games. 

It faces off against Chantilly (17-7, 5-5), who lost to Herndon in the Concorde District semifinals, at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Marshall High School.

In an email to students, parents and staff on Sunday, Marshall Principal Jay Pearson said he "could not be more proud of Coach Hale and the boys for their success."

"I know our crowd made a difference on Friday night so we need to fill the gym to show our support for the team," he wrote.

Will you be at Vienna's tournament games? Share your pictures with your neighbors in our Pics&Clips gallery.

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