After trouncing James Monroe by 17 runs earlier in the day, the Orange County baseball team had to work a little harder to pick up a 5-2 win against another non-district rival in Madison County on Saturday afternoon.

Madison County’s fourth-quarter meltdown in a 57-54 loss to Dan River brought an unbeaten season and a march toward the state title game to a screeching halt Thursday night in the Group A, Division 2 semifinals.

Today, coach Tim Taylor and his Madison County team head to Richmond and the Siegel Center, a much bigger venue for their Group A, Division 2 semifinal game against Dan River — and the whole town is hoping to join in.

The Miller School’s VIS Division 2 championship on Saturday was especially sweet for the Mavericks, as they avenged an earlier loss to top-seeded Atlantic Shores Christian en route to their first state title.

The Mountaineer faithful made their presence felt at Monticello High, and their team didn’t disappoint as Madison held off a fourth-quarter rally from Northampton to win, 66-57.

The Mountaineers’ trio of varsity assistant coaches played on three different state championship or state runner-up squads at different times during Madison’s storied basketball history.

Madison County junior forward David Falk finally has taken the upper hand in at least one of the never-ending debates about basketball he engages in with his father, former Madison center Aksel Falk.

David Falk’s 15 points led Madison to a 56-48 victory over Dan River for the title.

The Mountaineers, who trailed for most of the game, finally secured the lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to some critical adjustments on the defensive end and hit their free throws down the stretch to hang on for a 65-58 win.

But as it has all season, Madison rose to the occasion. With the outcome on the line, Jerel Carter hit three of his four free throws in the game’s last minute to stave off the Eagles for good, 56-49.

The Mountaineers struggled in the first eight minutes of their Bull Run District semifinal against Manassas Park, but went on a tear in the last three quarters to win 64-38.

Stutzman will head to Palo Alto, Calif. next fall to race for the Cardinals, whose cross country team is now coached by former Virginia coach Jason Dunn.

Western Albemarle point guard Ryan Hughes is the steady hand that has helped put the Warriors in contention for the district title. But in a must-win game against Charlottesville, Hughes couldn’t help Western much, stuck on the bench with an injury he suffered early in the first half.

Hosting George Mason, the Mountaineers jumped out to a 16-0 start, and dominated on both sides of the court, winning 61-34.

On Friday, the Mountaineers dispatched Manassas Park 58-38, but committed 19 turnovers in the process — something Taylor will not accept.