Consensus Top-10 And Defending AAA State Champion Norcom Headlines Virginia State Basketball Championships

Defending Class AAA Virginia champion Norcom looks to repeat Friday behind Virginia Tech-signee Dorian Finney-Smith, whose 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in the state semifinal helped the team rebound from a 13-point deficit to win its final four game.

Norcom will play L.C. Bird at the VCU Siegel Center in Richmond.it will be a 9 p.m. start.

At 28-1, Norcom, located just outside of Norfolk, avenged its only loss by defeating Washington of Norfolk in the Eastern District title game. Norcom is ranked in the top 10 of several national polls, including USA Today, ESPN Rise and MaxPreps.

L.C. Bird (25-5) needed needed a fourth-quarter comeback and overtime to dispatch of T.C. Williams in their semifinal matchup. Junior forward Christian Smith led Bird with 23 points. About 20-minutes from Richmond, Bird could have the equivalent of a home court advantage heading into the final.

In the Division 4 final, defending champion Potomac Falls, located 30 miles from Washington, D.C., will look to finish the most successful season in school history with a victory over Hidden Valley of Roanoke.

Leading Potomac Falls is Lukas Mihailovich, who contributed 21 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the semifinal round. Mihailovich hopes to finish his career with a second state championship and a shot at playing college ball with a win on Saturday.

Hidden Valley is making its first-ever final appearance after being bounced from the final four the past three seasons. In the semifinal, the team squandered a nine-point lead before shutting out its opponent in overtime. Senior Carter Wright led the way with 20 points.

Virginia at a Glance - All times ET


Friday, March 11

3:45 p.m. - Division 1 championship (T.C. Williams vs. Highland Springs)
9 p.m. - AAA championship (Norcrom vs. L.C. Bird)

Saturday, March 12

1 p.m. Div. 3 championship (Brunswick vs. Waynesboro)
5 p.m. Div. 2 championship (Radford vs. James River)
9 p.m. Div. 4 championship (Hidden Valley vs. Potomac Falls)