Chantilly, Langley set up clash for Northern Region title

Stationed just a few feet from the basket on Saturday night, Mount Vernon's Dylan Bischoff started to move forward, hesitated for a beat and thought about his next move during the AAA Northern Region boys' semifinals.

A few more steps and Bischoff would have to contend with the formidable wingspan of John Manning, Chantilly's 6-foot-11 center. Though he was conceding more than half a foot in size, Bischoff tried to drive. His shot, though, was sent in the other direction -- nearly into the Chargers' cheerleading squad.

Despite posting only six points the last time these teams met, Manning's fingerprints were all over Chantilly's 69-57 victory, as the junior finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 12 blocks before fouling out with a little more than a minute to go.

The Chargers will face Langley at 7 p.m. Monday to try and win the school's first region title since 1991. Langley, meanwhile, has never won a region title.

"I've gotten into some foul trouble this season," said Manning, who has worked with his personal coach, Alex Harris, on standing tall while blocking shots instead of forcing his arms into the opposing player. "I just tried to play smart tonight, go straight up and not let them get into my body."

Manning helped the Chargers (18-7) avenge a quarterfinal loss in this tournament last season and further erased the sting from an upset loss to Oakton in last week's Concorde District championship.

Mount Vernon (20-4) saw its 10-game winning end just shy of earning a state tournament berth. Deontre' Ferguson led the Majors with 24 points, while Niagara recruit Skylar Jones had seven points and 11 rebounds. Jesse Konadu added 13.

Chantilly opened with an 11-0 run and pulled ahead by 13 after a dunk by Manning early in the second quarter. But the Majors answered with a 14-4 spurt of their own, thanks to three three-pointers from Ferguson.

In the second half, Chantilly put together a 12-2 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth to pull away for good. Kethan Savage had a game-high 17 points for Chantilly, and Adam Fridy added 16.

Kriz, Kiffe propel Langley

No. 16 Langley also turned to a strong inside presence: 6-6 senior Austin Kriz.

To integrate Kriz and 6-4 senior Joey Kiffe into the team's traditionally guard-oriented offense, Langley Coach Travis Hess bought a series of instructional videos this offseason from Austin Peay University.

Though Yorktown used a zone for most of the night, limiting Langley's low-post options, Kriz asserted himself inside, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds during a 46-39 win over the Patriots. Kiffe added nine points and eight rebounds.

"We had to adjust our style," said Hess, who is 88-41 in his five years at Langley, including a 22-3 mark this season. "There's no sense playing four guards when you have two forwards that can score the basketball."

The teams were tied at 13 after one, but Langley put together an 8-0 run early in the second period that culminated with Kriz's scooping layup.

Langley's defense held Yorktown (13-11) scoreless in the third quarter until Jack Earley made a reverse layup with 2 minutes 15 seconds left in the period and completed the three-point play to trigger a 10-1 run.

Yorktown crept to within three following a three-pointer from Daniel Pietropaoli (13 points) with less than a minute to go, but Langley made late free throws to seal it.