LYNCHBURG, Va. – It’s a level of success that’s been years in the making ... and now E.C. Glass is hoping to keep its quest for state gold intact. The Hilltoppers have been near perfect this season ... on what they have called a revenge tour.
E.C. Glass lost in the state quarterfinals in 2022 and they have played with a chip on their shoulder this season. The hard work has the Hilltoppers among the best in all of Class 4, winners of 14 straight. They have a deep, senior-laden squad that plays complementary, unselfish basketball – a group that Coach Best said is playing on borrowed time.
“We don’t have next year, there is no next year for these guys and I think a lot of them are starting to feel like that. I think early in the season we were being lackluster and beating teams feeling like we were better. Now we’re starting to see we’re just on borrowed time. Our game and time together could be cut short,” Hilltoppers coach DJ Best said.
“I really thrive off my teammates because once I get going, my teammates get going. Or like my teammates are going and they tell me to get my head in the game and that’s when I really start thriving, " Hilltoppers senior guard O’Maundre Harris said.
E.C. Glass will host John Handley at 7:30 Friday Night at Heritage High School.
On the girls side, The Fort Chiswell girls captured the program’s first-ever region title on Saturday night in thrilling overtime fashion over Eastern Montgomery. The Pioneers are 20-8 overall and are led by a quartet of seniors that are displaying all the right stuff.
“We have outstanding senior leaders. who very much are servant leaders. It’s not necessarily about scoring points it’s about doing what’s best for the team, and I think our seniors have set a good example, and all the rest of the team has followed along, and we’ve had out some outstanding play from a lot of different individuals this year,” Pioneers head coach Howard Mayo said.
”I think we went through a lot of hardship you know with and we’re very close team so even though we’re not my might not play the best, we always come together and we all love each other very much and I think that really helps us out on the court,” senior guard Meagan King said.
Fort Chiswell will take on Eastside Friday night at Carroll County high school in the Class 1 State quarterfinals.