Everyone know that Dorman would do well, but I bet no one thought that they would finish 10-0 and be the #1 seed in the playoffs. This is only the second time since 2005 that a team has gone a perfect 10-0 in the prelims. That other team, Georgetown Day School, ended up finishing tied for fifth in the 2009 HSNCT. While they have a great initial seed, they still have a lot of tough competition to face.
State College and LASA, the two favorites coming into this tournament, both finished 9-1. State College’s only loss was to Dorman, while LASA fell to Bellarmine. LASA and Dorman never played, so it will be interesting to see what happens if they meet in the playoffs.
Bellarmine, Stevenson, Richard Montgomery, Ladue, Seven Lakes, DCC, Thomas Jefferson, Maggie Walker, Centennial, and LASA B are your 8-2 teams. Most of these should not come as a surprise, though Ladue had a very impressive run. And of course, who would have thought a B team would go 8-2?
George Mason quickly established themselves as favorites coming into the small school playoff on Sunday. They are the only small school to finish 7-3, while Russell, Danville, and Beachwood are right behind them at 6-4.
LASA had already set a record by sending four teams to the HSNCT, but what’s truly amazing is that all four of them managed to make the playoffs! And not only that, LASA B managed to finish 8-2. It’s an amazing feat and Coach Jason Flowers must be very proud of his kids right now.
I don’t know how they did it, but NAQT managed to run 70 game rooms over 16 rounds with barely any issues. I sincerely applaud them for their logistical achievement.
Some people wore t-shirts and jeans, others wore stuff a bit more formal, and quite a few people wore team gear. Webb School sported some cool bow-ties, but the prize must go to Richard Montgomery for wearing shirts that said “swag” on them. We’re now just one step away from a Rene Magritte reference.
The Official Blog of the 2013 NAQT HSNCT 
What is this magritte reference you speak of?
Comment by Sean Manners — May 28, 2011 @ 10:01 pm |
Some interesting potential matchups:
If Treasure Valley (ID) and Grand Junction (CO) win their initial matches, there’ll be an all-western battle to advance in the loser’s bracket.
Walton and IMSA were the top two teams at 6-4. If they win their initial matches, they’ll face some of the first-round losers from the winner’s bracket in what should be interesting matches. The Bellarmine/Northmont loser would then likely face Walton while the Stevenson/Play-in loser would face the wrath of IMSA.
If the seeding holds, LASA A will play Maggie Walker A in Round 20 for a shot at potentially playing State College if the seeding holds. Dorman, in contrast, may have to tangle with Bellarmine and then Seven Lakes or Stevenson, a comparatively easier (but by no means assured) feat.
Comment by Chris C. — May 28, 2011 @ 10:10 pm |
Raynell Cooper will not stop until Lil B is a household name.
Comment by Brendan — May 28, 2011 @ 10:48 pm |
I love you, Brendan, whoever you are. Keep cooking. swagswag
Comment by Raynell Cooper — May 28, 2011 @ 11:33 pm |
State College’s attire of formal shirts/ties on top and pajamas/swimming trunks/sweatpants on bottom surely deserves some sort of accolade (or maybe vitriol).
Comment by Nikhil Desai — May 28, 2011 @ 10:50 pm |
They dressed semi-formally.
Comment by Harry — May 28, 2011 @ 10:51 pm |
One dramatic storyline is Ladue playing Cistercian in their first playoff round, as this will be a matchup between two star sophomores (Vimal and Max) who also have strong teammates who will be graduating, so they are similar teams. On top of that, as all who are up on their meta will know, Max is the one who made the “Schindler’s List” joke that sent Schweers into a bannable frenzy about anti-Catholicism, so there is honor at stake here.
Comment by Charlie Dees — May 29, 2011 @ 12:31 am |
It seems the brackets have been changed, so alas, this will not happen.
Comment by Max Schindler — May 29, 2011 @ 6:16 am |
Never mind it actually did.
Comment by Max Schindler — May 31, 2011 @ 12:14 pm
One more note:
By my count, Seven Lakes A has a 71-7 Power-to-neg count for a 10.1 Power-to-neg ratio. That’s…absurd. The best previous ratio among top teams (if not all teams) that I could find was 3.6 by last year’s winner, Maggie Walker. Even the fabled 2005 TJ A team had a 2.5 ratio. Perhaps Seven Lakes needs to get a bit more aggressive?
For comparison, Dorman A has a 74-20 count, LASA A 76-19, State College 75-34. None of those, by the way, top 2005 TJ A’s mark of 82 powers total in 10 prelim rounds, but they’re still some of the highest ever.
Comment by Chris C. — May 29, 2011 @ 3:07 am |