Behind strong defense, Covenant survived a third-quarter surge to preserve a 73-61 win over North Cross Tuesday night.

D’Alessandro’s message was not lost on his players as the Eagles came out and played near-perfect basketball on both sides of the court, throttling the Caissons 72-43.

The Patriots’ swim teams pulled off a sweep at the City/County Challenge, with the boys team running away with a victory while the girls squad held off a strong challenge from Western Albemarle to come away with the title.

However, Cronk’s victory wasn’t enough to take down the Patriots in the team standings. Western had a strong start to the night, but Albemarle crept back out in front to win by 27 points at UVa’s Aquatic and Fitness Center.

Maybe Covenant junior Sam Dale should have an off night more often.

Covenant got exactly what it wanted on the defensive end in the fourth quarter against Heritage-Lynchburg in the consolation bracket of The Daily Progress NBC29 Holiday Classic.

The junior came off the bench to score 37 points, including six 3-pointers, in leading Charlottesville (5-1) past Covenant 75-66.

It’s that time of year again. The holiday season is upon us, and that means area basketball teams are gearing up for the NBC29/The Daily Progress Holiday Classic.

Blue Ridge got a nice tune-up before today’s game against Atlantic Shores Christian on Friday, taking care of Covenant 74-51 despite a huge game from the Eagles’ Brian Clarry.

Across Central Virginia, a great number of stars return this year after strong 2007-2008 campaigns.

With the majority of its starting lineup returning, the Covenant girls basketball team is poised for a repeat of last season’s performance in which the Eagles captured their third straight League of Independent Schools Division II championship.

Across Central Virginia, a great number of stars return this year after strong 2007-2008 campaigns.

It’s official now — Central Virginia is a powerhouse region for private school girls cross country.

Colberg is listed as a wide receiver and defensive back on the roster, but fills myriad other roles. In fact, he has played some at running back, handles the kicking duties and even played a little bit at quarterback in the team’s previous meeting against STAB. But more important to the team are his leadership qualities.

Covenant made quick work of visiting Virginia Episcopal on Tuesday, dismantling the Bishops 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-12) to advance to the state semifinals.