It’s girls basketball postseason time, which invariably means it’s Princess Anne time. The unbeaten Cavaliers, a consensus top-10 team nationally, begin their quest for a 16th state championship in the Class 5 Region A quarterfinals Monday.
Other area teams join the Cavaliers in a quest to win their region semifinal and reach the championship game, thereby advancing to the Virginia High School League state tournament. Below is a look at the region tournaments in Hampton Roads.
Class 6 Region A
Grassfield’s Lauren Priester shoots the ball against Western Branch’s Martaysia Stevenson during the first half at Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va., on Jan. 20, 2026. (Peter Casey / The Virginian-Pilot)
Tuesday’s semifinals: #5 Grassfield at #1 Manchester, 6 p.m.; #3 L.C. Bird at #2 Thomas Dale, 6 p.m.
Championship: Thursday at higher seed.
The buzz: It might feel like No. 5 Grassfield (16-6) is the odd team out in a region where No. 1 Manchester (22-1), its semifinal opponent, No. 2 Thomas Dale (20-1) and No. 3 L.C. Bird (17-4) have better records. But the Grizzlies, who beat J.R. Tucker in 71-25 the quarterfinals, won’t be a pushover. They played Thomas Dale closely in a 52-45 regular-season loss and pushed Beach District runner-up Salem to overtime. They possess three reliable scorers in Lauren Priester (16.8 points per game), Khadijah Rashid (15.0 ppg) and Ellery Giddens (11.5) — the latter a state champion with Princess Anne last year. The Grizzlies have added motivation as Alan Jones is retiring as coach following the season.
Class 5 Region A
Monday’s quarterfinals: #8 Cox at #1 Princess Anne, 5:30 p.m.; #5 Great Bridge at #4 Kellam, 6 p.m.; #7 Indian River at #2 Salem, 5:30 p.m.; #6 Green Run at #3 Deep Creek, 6 p.m.
Semifinals: Wednesday at higher seeds.
Championship: Friday at Kellam, 5:30 p.m.
The buzz: Princess Anne, No. 3 in one national ranking, is of course favored. ESPNW ranks junior Micah Ojo in the top seven nationally in her class and senior Tristan Rickenbacker in the top 100 in hers. They can pretty much do it all, while their teammates — including fellow All-Tidewater selection Jizelle James — defend ferociously like them. Kellam, led by the talented Spain twins — Mia (18.0 ppg) and Kate (14.7 ppg) — would be a handful for anyone else in Hampton Roads, but the Cavaliers (22-0) beat the Knights (18-5) by 25 in an earlier meeting and should advance from their semifinal to another state tourney. A probable semifinal between Salem (19-4) and Deep Creek (19-4), also with a state tournament berth on the line, should be competitive. Alaya Monroe-Sutton leads (15.2 ppg) leads Salem, while All-Tidewater pick Morgan Herbert (18.4 ppg, 9.3 rebounds per game) spearheads Deep Creek.
Class 5 Region B
Menchville’s Navaeh Reid (4) drives down the court under pressure from Hampton’s Zuriel Pendleton-Morant (14) during a game at Hampton High School on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot)
Tuesday’s semifinals at Norview: #4 Maury vs. #1 Menchville, 6 p.m.; #3 Warwick vs. #2 King’s Fork, 7:30 p.m.
Championship: Friday at Norview, 6 p.m.
The buzz: There is absolutely no mystery about the semifinals, where No. 1 Menchville (22-1) should beat No. 4 Maury (16-4) easily, and No. 2 King’s Fork (21-2) should handle Warwick (18-4) with no problem. A Menchville-King’s Fork championship game could be one of the best matchups in Hampton Roads this season. Menchville standouts include Maddie Leach (24.8 ppg), TaNya Henson (16 ppg, 9 rebounds per game) and Nevaeh Reid (14 ppg, 7 assists per game). King’s Fork counters with a quality lineup where Brittany Evans, Rylie Hite and Kenzie Cooper can score more than 20 on a given night, while Kennedi Young and Jazlyn Hubbard can join them in double figures. The loser probably would play Princess Anne in the state quarterfinals. The winner could reach the state championship game, where Princess Anne would probably await.
Class 4 Region A
Tuesday’s semifinals at Grafton: #4 Hampton vs. #1 Grafton, 6 p.m.; #3 Warhill vs. #2 Manor, 7:30 p.m.
Championship: Friday at highest remaining boys seed, 7:30 p.m.
The buzz: Manor is seeded No. 2 but is a big favorite in this region. The speed and scoring power of freshman Jha’Ziya Babb (23.3 ppg), Ca’Asia Brown (19 ppg) and company will be a lot for the others to overcome. No. 3 Warhill (16-4) has had a nice season, led by school-record-setting senior D’Shela Walker (21.7 ppg), but will be a massive underdog in the semifinals. The battle for the second state tournament berth between No. 4 Hampton (18-5) and No. 1 Grafton (22-1) should be close. Grafton spreads its scoring among All-Tidewater first-team forward Taylor Ragland (19.8 ppg), sharpshooter Katherine Wenger (16.7 ppg) and point guard Mya Napoleoni (15 ppg). Hampton has a standout on the wing in junior Zuriel Pendeleton-Morant (16.4 ppg) and a rising star in freshman forward Candace Puryear (13 ppg, 6 rpg).
Class 3 Region A
Tuesday’s quarterfinals: #8 Tabb at #1 New Kent, 6 p.m.; #5 Lakeland at #4 Lake Taylor, 5:30 p.m.; #10 York at #2 Hopewell, 7 p.m.; #6 Colonial Heights at #3 Petersburg, 6 p.m.
Semifinals: Thursday at higher seeds.
Championship: Friday at higher seed.
The buzz: Hampton Roads does not offer a state championship threat from this region. However, the winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal between No. 5 Lakeland (9-12) and No. 4 Lake Taylor (10-8) should be competitive enough in a semifinal against No. 1 New Kent (17-3) to vie for a state tournament spot. Janae Carter (13.2 ppg) leads Lakeland.
Class 2 Region A
Tuesday’s quarterfinals: #8 Randolph-Henry at #1 Prince Edward County, 6 p.m.; #5 Greensville County at #4 Arcadia, 6 p.m.; #7 Lunenburg Central at #2 John Marshall, 6 p.m.; #6 King William at #3 Bruton, 6 p.m.
Semifinals: Thursday at higher seeds.
Championship: Friday at higher seed.
The buzz: Bruton (12-9) has won back-to-back games entering the postseason, and a quarterfinal win likely would put the Panthers in a semifinal against a John Marshall team that was a state runner-up last season.
