Liberty girls basketball team will begin defense of state title Tuesday

Three Fauquier County high school basketball teams will begin play in the Region II Division 3 tournament Tuesday.

The Liberty girls, Liberty boys and Fauquier High boys will all host quarterfinal games. The No. 1 seed Liberty girls (22-1) will play No. 8 Brentsville, a team they twice beat during the regular season (54-11; 59-15), while the No. 2 Liberty boys (17-5) will play No. 7 Monticello (no prior meetings) and the No. 4 Fauquier boys (13-11) will play No. 5 Charlottesville (met in preseason scrimmage).

Find the complete Region II D-3 pairings and schedule below.

Teams that advance to the region finals by winning a quarterfinal and semifinal game will qualify for the Group AA D-3 state tournament, which will begin March 2. Last season, the Liberty girls won the AA D-4 state championship after finishing as the Region II D-4 runner-up.

“I definitely think we can” repeat, Liberty senior Liz Wood said recently. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but...the way we’ve been playing lately, even against really good teams, we can.”

The Liberty boys were also the Region II D-4 runner-up last season and they advanced to the AA D-4 state semifinals, in which they lost to Hidden Valley in overtime. The Fauquier boys lost to Briar Woods in the Region II D-4 quarterfinals.

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REGION II DIVISION 3

QUARTERFINALS
Tuesday

Boys
No. 8 Warren County at No. 1 Fluvanna, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Charlottesville at No. 4 Fauquier, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Woodgrove at No. 3 Handley, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Monticello at No. 2 Liberty, 7:45 p.m.

Girls
No. 8 Brentsville (5-16, Evergreen) at No. 1 Liberty (22-1, Evergreen), 6 p.m.
No. 5 Tuscarora (16-8, Dulles) at No. 4 Warren County (11-12, Evergreen), 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 Handley (14-7, Northwestern) at No. 3 Monticello (13-10, Jefferson), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Charlottesville (11-14, Jefferson) at No. 2 Woodgrove (22-3, Dulles), 6 p.m.


SEMIFINALS
Thursday (Higher seeds host games; times TBD)

Boys
Fauquier-Charlottesville winner vs Fluvanna-Warren County winner
Handley-Woodgrove winner vs Liberty-Monticello winner

Girls
Warren County-Tuscarora winner vs Liberty–Brentsville winner
Monticello-Handley winner vs Woodgrove-Charlottesville winner


FINALS
Saturday (Times TBD)

Boys and girls
Low-seeded semifinal winner at high-seeded semifinal winner