Two of Virginia’s top-ranked boys’ basketball teams will square off in downtown Staunton on Saturday, Feb. 8, when Stuart Hall School hosts St. Michael the Archangel Catholic High School.
Stuart Hall (11-2) is ranked No. 1 in the Virginia Independent School Athletics Association’s Division IV, while St. Michael (13-6) of Fredericksburg is ranked tops in VISAA’s Division III.
“It is remarkable being in this position while having only three returning players from last year’s state quarterfinal team,” Stuart Hall coach Jeff Lafave said. “This group is talented and coachable. We have been developing our depth as the season has progressed, and that has become a strength of this team, too.”
As a boarding and day school in downtown Staunton, Stuart Hall’s basketball team includes students from Staunton and other local towns, as well as from New York, Bermuda and England.
“What makes our team special is the love we all have for the game of basketball,” junior Tiberius Fields, a guard from Harrisonburg, said. “Usually on a high school basketball team there are people who just play on the team for a hobby, but with this team, everyone loves the sport.”
Stuart Hall and St. Michael will tip off at 3 p.m. on Feb. 8 in the Stuart Hall gymnasium on the school’s main campus at 235 West Frederick Street. Admission is free to watch two of the state’s best teams.
Stuart Hall School is a day and boarding school for students in grades 6 through 12. Stuart Hall has educated students from Virginia and around the world since 1844. The school’s mission is to prepare students for engaged lives of intellectual curiosity, creativity and contribution.