The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Region 2B Championships

2/28/26, Winchester VA- The Region 2B Championships invade Shenandoah University for tonight’s coverage of girls and boys basketball on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app starting at 5:45 pm thanks to the Hike Kidz Foundation c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill.

The girls championship game will tip-off first at 6 pm and feature Clarke County against Strasburg.

Clarke County has looked like a team with a clear mission all season long under 1st year Head Coach Shadd McCaw and that mission is win a State Championship.

The Eagles dominated regular season competition again and finished 23-2 with an astounding average margin of victory at 35.7 points per game.

Clarke County is led by District Player of the Year and future Shippensburg University athlete Alainah McKavish.

McKavish has the ability to takeover a game and averages over 20 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 4 steals, but the Eagles have enough talent to make the opposition pay if they try to focus on the senior.

In the Region Semifinal, Alainah was held to 10 points, but her sister Paige, Savannah McCaw, and Paige Stemberger balanced the scoring sheet with 11 points each.

Clarke County also had a dominant team performance on the glass and outrebounded Central 38-18 (14-3 for offensive rebounds) on the way to a 59-34 win to set up a Bull Run District Championship rematch with Strasburg.

The Rams are coming off an impressive 49-35 win on the road against Stuarts Draft in the Region Semifinals.

Strasburg saw Emily Gorrell and Jayden Stinnette return to action after suffering injuries in the BRD Championship game loss to Clarke County and missing the entire second half.

Both seniors looked to be close to 100% in the Semifinal win with Gorrell leading all scorers with 22 points followed by Stinnette with 16 to secure Strasburg’s 5th State Playoff appearance in the last 7 years.

While falling to Clarke in the BRD Championship game about a week ago, the Rams should still feel confident in their ability to play with the Eagles as they are the only team in Virginia to defeat them this season.

In the win, Strasburg limited Alainah McKavish to just 3 points through the first three quarters while Stinnette and Gorrell combined for 31 points and connected for the game winning basket.

Clarke County would love nothing more than to prove that loss was simply an off-night and another Region Championship.

Clarke County’s defensive pressure led by the length and athleticism of the McKavish sister’s and the tenacity of Paige Stemberger will be the difference maker to keep Strasburg under 50 and give the Eagles the 61-49 win.

Following the girls championship game, the boys from Strasburg and Central will take the floor for a rubber match with the Region 2B trophy on the line.

Strasburg and Central split the regular season matchups with each team winning on the road and silencing rowdy home crowds.

If tonight’s matchup is anything like the first two, it could come down to who makes the better halftime adjustments.

The third quarter essentially decided both previous games with Strasburg going scoreless in the 3rd quarter while Central went on a 14-0 run and forced 5 turnovers, then Strasburg turned the tides in Woodstock with a 19-4 run to close the 3rd quarter and led by at least 17 the entire 4th quarter.

These two rivals are so familiar with each other and matchups like this often turn into chess matches between head coaches Larry Fox and Jeff Whittle.

During the final regular season matchup, I predicted the first team to 50 would win but tonight it might be the first team to 40.

With each basket coming at a premium tonight, Strasburg’s Gavin Dellinger could be the game changer with his quick release from deep and ability to get open off the ball.

Dellinger led the Rams through the regular season with about 15 points per game while Jasiah Warner has gotten better and better as the season has gone along and is coming off a career high 27 points against Page County in the Region Semifinal win Friday night.

The Rams had to fight off a furious comeback and three point barrage from Page County to reach the Championship game while the Falcons needed overtime to finish the job against Fort Defiance.

Central had to over come a double digit deficit after Fort Defiance put together a 19-2 run in the second quarter.

Last year’s District Player of the Year and All State selection Dereck Batiz-Lugo continues to play at a high level for Central and led the way in the Region Semifinal with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.

Jonathan Akasa has been a force on the boards this year and had 9 rebounds to go with 8 points in the Semi and he led the Bull Run in rebounding through the regular season with 7.4 per game.

This game is truly a coin-flip in my mind and could come down to the final shot and I think the Rams get that final shot with the defense keying in on Dellinger before he drops it off to Warner for the game winning basket, Rams 49-Falcons 47.

For more local sports coverage, listen to the Sports Dogs Podcast here.

The Duke’s Region 2B Championship Preview: Strasburg vs Stuarts Draft

11/28/25, Strasburg, VA- The Region 2B Championship provides the stage as Strasburg hosts Stuarts Draft in the Dave’s Diversified Services Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app starting with the Tana Hoffman-Sager Realty Pregame Show at 6:30 pm, 7 pm kick-off.

Strasburg will look to defend last year’s Region Title and go back to the State Tournament while Stuarts Draft will try for another upset after knocking out the #2 seed last week.

This year’s Rams include many contributors from last year including the offensive and defensive lines which should be a huge difference maker today.

Stuarts Draft does not post the height and weight of their athletes on the roster, but based on the “eye test”, Strasburg should have a massive size advantage.

The Rams have one of the largest lines in Class 2 and they match that size with talent which helped secure a First or Second Team All District selection for every single offensive lineman this year.

In the Regional Semifinal win over Central, the interior of the o-line led by Center Gage Gutierrez and Guards Jacob Britton and Jacob Stickley wore down the Falcons and helped Linkyn Bosworth to one of his best outings of the season with 23 carries for 137 yards.

Defensively, the Rams will need to shift their focus from a balanced attack with big play wide receivers to a running game that can produce explosive plays without putting the ball in the air.

Stuarts Draft is led by the ground attack of quarterback Derrick Moore and running back Baylor Graber.

Operating primarily out of the shotgun, the Cougars use a lot of pre-snap motion to try to force the defense out of position and open up lanes for Moore and Graber.

The duo has similar rushing stats with both adding 16 touchdowns each and Moore totaling 1,177 yards on 125 carries while Graber followed with 1,165 yards on 156 carries.

Moore can also pass when he needs to and is 39/69 with 719 yards and 3 TDs on the year.

The Rams will need to be prepared for a fake punt at any point as the senior QB is also their punter.

Defensively, Moore and Graber are also 1st Team All District selections at DB and LB.

Senior DL Landon Shifflett can also be a game-wrecker for the Cougars and has 69 tackles.

Three of the last four years, Stuarts Draft’s season has come to an end at the hands of a Bull Run District / Shenandoah County team and that trend should continue tonight.

Strasburg’s massive advantage upfront should help the Rams control the line of scrimmage and time of possession while an early lead will take the Cougars away from their run oriented gameplan.

Strasburg pulls away in the second half and heads back to the State Tournament, final score: 34-6.

For a look back at last week’s playoff matchup and a preview of both Strasburg and Skyline Regional Championship Games, click here.Â