gwloyal

Agree with both of these statements.
Congrats Honaker! 

Region C at Fries!!!
 

Agree. The Bland team in 90ish 91 with Patrick Smith and I think Chad King could flat out play. I knew Patrick well. We hung out some partying on Wilderness Road. Patrick could jump out of the gym as they say. Thise teams in the late 80s and very early 90s were very good, but just not deep due to small numbers. If consolidated back then, that extra depth would have got them over the hump against Lebanon in my opinion. I watched them play at Richlands around 1990ish and couldn't believe the fans they brought. I'm telling ya, they must have brought 1000 people to Richlands. Completely backed their side. I simply don't know where all the people came from.

Man, she keeps that thing ready like a pissed off fella chasing a fly in his living room with a fly swatter too lol!
Our girls played them the night before she went off for the triple double against Grayson, and I asked some Bland coworkers about her the next morning. That's when I found out she was Stiltner's granddaughter. I was not surprised at all that she did what she did that night. We definitely reminisced about some of those Bland teams you had mentioned as well. The one I distinctly remember was the Patrick Smith lead team that fell short in the regionals. I believe Lebanon clipped them in the Regional semis that held them back from a GW/Bland matchup in the final. Lebanon went on to win a state championship that year with Scott Allen setting a state tourney record for assists. If Bland and Rocky Gap were consolidated at the time, I have no doubt they would have been capable of winning a state title that year. Truth be told, Bland was capable even without Rocky Gap in 90/91. They were right on par with Lebanon, GW, and Cumberland, who were the clear top 3 teams that season. 
Pretty sure that same bunch also went to the state tourney in 89/90 as well, but I could be mistaken.

Just read the write up about Danielle Sanders in the Roanoke Times.  14 blocks?  Who in the heck blocks 14 shots in one basketball game?  For the love of God, all Bland County opponents, STOP shooting the basketball in the paint when she's around.  After 3 or 4......or 7.....or maybe 10 blocks......the picture should be kind of clear.  The NBA record for most blocks in one game is 17.  14 blocked shots is way, way beyond the norm.  It would be in the realm of scoring like 75 points in a basketball game.  It's actually that rare.

So happy to hear this good news.  Man, her granddaddy was something special as was the entire county of Bland in basketball in the 60's and 70's.  Most on here just don't know about how popular basketball was in Bland County in the 50's ,60's,and 70's and even up until the late 80's with guys like Pat Sutfin, who played at Rocky Gap and Radford University, and guys like Patrick Smith at Bland High.  It was basically a county that belonged in the state of Indiana in the 50's,60's, 70's and for a part of the 80's.  What got Bland County was population loss like most of SWVA counties, and Bland had little room to spare to take a population loss to begin with, but they were breeding basketball players over in that county in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Really pleased to hear this about young Danielle Sanders. Kudos to her.  I had no idea Joe Stiltner still had relatives left in Bland.

For the first time in Bland County basketball history, Danielle Sanders (granddaughter of the Joe Stiltner, Bland Rocket basketball standout in the 70s) set the record for most blocks in a girls' game with 14. The previous record was 10 set by her.  She also achieved the first triple double in the history of BC basketball with 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 blocks in a victory against Grayson County.  Bland plays Galax tomorrow night. She's a junior who's probably about 6' 4".  I think Joe Stiltner was somewhere around 6' 9" tall. Congratulations to this young lady! 

Yeah, undoubtedly they did the same with the D-B game and have them listed as home games. 
I have bad sources, guys lol! My mistake

Yeah, undoubtedly they did the same with the D-B game and have them listed as home games. 
I have bad sources, guys lol! My mistake

Unfortunately, I'm watching from home or I absolutely would.
And I feel their pain lol! Today was our 6th in 10 days, and that Mentor game last night should count for two 😂 We looked like we were wearing it a little bit in the early going. Noah is the truth, but it sure did feel to me like Carter was the difference today...He was a tough matchup for us today, for sure. 

That’s exactly what it seemed like. GW expected a shot from either at the line or a 15 footer and we’re not expecting them to try to get to the bucket. It’s risky but it paid off for them. You guys should still be insanely optimistic going forward, damn near made the semis in the winners bracket beating two much more regarded teams. Go beat Harlan and keep going. 

I appreciate you saying this so I didn't have to 😂
Helluva game. 
Tough way to lose, but in no way disappointed in our guys a single bit. 

Listening to the Dorman broadcast was entertaining. George WY-th. Smoky Mountains. Also them saying “this isn’t the typical team Dorman would lose to.  We are bigger and more athletic on each position on the floor. I can’t believe it. We would normally blow a team out like this one.” 

A few simple things from CityData.com tell the story. 
The Town of Wytheville has a population of 8,241 as of 2021. An increase of 5.6% since 2000. One of the few localities expanding in southwest Virginia. The median age of a Town of Wytheville resident is 47.2 years.  The median age of a Virginia resident is 38.8 years. Wytheville, much like Galax, has seen an influx of transplants from outside the area over the past two decades. People moving to the area after retirement rarely (if ever) have children in tow. In short, the 20-somethings leave the area and raise families someplace else while retirees from Maryland, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut move into Wytheville. The population rises slightly, but so does the median age of the residents.
 

We've always had a fair amount of folks who move here after retiring.
US Census has us at 8,177 as of July 1, 2022. 25.3% are 65 or older. Only 19.5% are Under 18.
That 19.5% averages out to about 89 kids a year, and not all of those kids will be enrolled at GW. Some of them have Wytheville addresses but are closer to RR or FC so will go there. Some are homeschooled. Some enroll in one of two small private Christian academies here.
 
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wythevilletownvirginia/PST045222

They also must have some Augusta County level line drawers! Lol

I’ve always wondered something. How has gw remained in class 1 when there’s a population of ~8,000 in wytheville. Some counties barely have that amount in our area and still have schools in the county that are class 2. Always seemed odd to me

Yes, it's that big of a deal.  GW with around 400 vs a small university in size, nearly 4,000 if I read correctly Dorman and Dorman won the South Carolina 5A state title last year and GW is Class 1 in Virginia.  Dorman is also ranked number 1 in 5A in SC by Maxpreps and the 80th ranked overall school in the United States.  
What happened is something just completely unheard of.  I know GW is good and is a frontrunner to win the Class 1 title, but this is completely absurd folks.  Just absolute insanity that GW could pull this off.
1st Samuel 17, Verses 49-50 
49 He reached into his bag. He took out a stone. He put it in his sling. He slung it at Goliath. The stone hit him on the forehead and sank into it. He fell to the ground on his face. 50 So David won the fight against Goliath with a sling and a stone. He struck the Philistine down and killed him. He did it without even using a sword.

Well I was wrong. Waaaaaaaay wrong. 
Congratulations G-Dub. Easily one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Arby's. Unbelievable. I'd say anyone playing the Arby's bracket pool has a busted bracket now. 

So happy for you guys. I was standing and cheering for y'all from my seat. 

Not gonna lie. I’m speechless 

I'll have my crow served over easy. With BBQ sauce. 
Congratulations G-Dub on one of the biggest upsets in Arby's Classic history. Unbelievable performance! 
 

Kenny Wayne was my dads HS coach at Rye Cove.  He still talks fondly of the person and coach he was.  He follows Carroll on NFHS to keep up with his granddaughter.  

You serious??
Never would have made that connection. Not only does she get it from her dad, but she get's it from her grandpa Kenny. Kenny is the real baller lol

I know some of you are on the naughty list! I'm currently accepting cash & gift cards to put in a good word with the big guy on your behalf, lol! 🤣 Seriously, I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and fantastic 2024!