Local high school girls’ basketball teams recently wrapped up their winter season with a pair of all-star games as part of the recent 20th annual Northern Virginia Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (NVWBCA) Suburban Classic.
The contests, preceded by a three-point shootout, consisted of seniors from high schools throughout the area. The afternoon classic on Sunday, March 16 was held in front of a sizable crowd at Oakton High School.
“It served as an end to a season with player and coach recognitions and a wide array of talented players,” said Oakton head coach and event organizer Fred Priester, who also serves as the president of the NVWBCA.
One of the games pitted players from Fairfax and Arlington county schools in the 6D North Region against a squad from Loudoun County. The Fairfax and Arlington players won 55-39.
The Fairfax County players on the North Region team, which was coached by Chantilly High School’s Josh Regan, were:
- Centreville’s Kennedy Parrott
- Chantilly’s Emerson Mustard and Anjali Borra
- Langley’s Anya Rahman
- Madison’s Sara Becker
- McLean’s Alyssa Evans, Allyson Hodder and Tatum Olsen
- South Lakes’ Kaila Ketelhut
Frances Shapiro of Arlington’s Washington-Liberty was named the Most Valuable Player for the North Region, with Woodgrove High’s Val Blankenship earning MVP for Loudoun.
The other game had Prince William County players going against those from Fairfax’s Occoquan Region. Occoquan won 46-37.
Coached by West Potomac’s Joe Petrucelli, players on the Occoquan team were:
- Edison’s Sarah Chawki and Shannon Heiner
- Falls Church’s Ainsley Phillips
- Thomas Jefferson’s Kaiden Kerkulah
- Mount Vernon’s Natalie Turner
- Robinson’s Georgia Simonsen
- South County’s Juelle Lisenby and Savannah Simmons
- West Potomac’s Olivia Jones
- C.G. Woodson’s Valli Swaminathan
Phillips was chosen the MVP title for Occoquan, with Cheyenne Sweeney of Patriot High earning the same recognition for Prince William.
Between games, Priester presented NVWBCA awards for the season:
- Concorde District: Parrott (Player of the Year); Regan (Coach of the Year)
- Liberty District: Rahman and Olsen (co-Players of the Year); Langley’s Amanda Baker (Coach of the Year)
- National District: Kerkulah (Player of the Year); Hayfield’s Jason Kirby (Coach of the Year)
- Patriot District: Simonsen and Laila Tull from South County (co-Players of the Year); Robinson’s T.J. Dade (Coach of the Year)
Winners of NVWBCA scholarships ($500 each) were Lisenby, Kaila Ketelhut (South Lakes), Gabrielle Woodham (South County) and Bailey Zimmerman (Oakton).
The three-point-shooting contest that opened the Suburban Classic had 27 participating players. Centreville’s Parrott emerged as the champion, receiving a plaque for her efforts.
“The afternoon was a success on and off the court,” Priester said. “The play of the Class of 2025 was emblematic of their highly-decorated high school careers, and a great way to complete their final games in Northern Virginia.”
