Power rankings: Boys basketball Feb. 9

Daily Staff - sports@nvdaily.com

The Northern Virginia Daily sports staff collaborated to create a basketball top 10 list. Each staffer voted, with 10 points being awarded to the top ranked team, nine to the No. 2 team and so on. Numbers in parenthesis indicate where each team was last week.

1. Handley (2) 15-4, 6-2 Northwestern -- The Judges finished the regular season with a flourish, bumping off Sherando by 10 points and then downing James Wood by 10 to secure the district's regular-season championship and a spot in the Region II tournament. Handley awaits the winner of today's district tournament play-in game between Skyline and James Wood for a semifinal matchup next week.

2. Sherando (1) 10-11, 6-2 Northwestern -- The Warriors fell short of a regular season district title with their loss to Handley, and a late-season meeting with West Virginia power Martinsburg didn't do much for momentum. The Warriors are the No. 2 seed in the district tournament and face visiting No. 3 Millbrook in next week's semifinals.

3. Millbrook (3) 15-5, 5-3 Northwestern -- The Pioneers closed the season in solid fashion, beating Skyline twice and James Wood. The third-seeded Pioneers must take on No. 2 Sherando on the Warriors' home floor in next week's district tournament semifinals, and Millbrook is hoping to be back to full strength by then as starter Cody Taylor continues to recover from an ankle injury.

4. Clarke County (5) 14-8, 9-5 Bull Run -- The Eagles picked a bad time to serve up a dreadful outing, losing their regular-season finale on their home court, 83-53 to Madison County. The Eagles face Strasburg in tonight's opening round of the Bull Run District with the very real possibility of missing out on the Region B tournament for the first time in more than a decade if Clarke County loses.

5. Skyline (4) 12-8, 2-6 Northwestern -- The Hawks staggered to the end of their regular season, falling fast in the district regular-season standings. That last setback, 62-51 to Millbrook on Tuesday, gave Skyline coach Sonny Dyke some cause for optimism even in defeat as he saw a much better outing from his squad. The fourth-seeded Hawks face No. 5 James Wood in the district tournament play-in game tonight at Sherando.

6. Strasburg (6) 11-10, 7-7 Bull Run -- The Rams have had their ups and downs this season, and will need to be on the upswing tonight when they face fourth-seeded Clarke County in the opening round of the Bull Run District tournament. Strasburg, the No. 5 seed, will have to knock off the Eagles for the first time this season in Berryville to advance.

7. James Wood (7) 10-12, 1-7 Northwestern -- The Colonels finally broke through for a Northwestern District victory last week against Skyline, which bodes well for James Wood as it once again faces the Hawks. This time it's in the postseason in an elimination game, as the fifth-seeded Colonels face No. 4 Skyline in tonight's district tournament play-in game at Sherando.

8. Warren County (9) 6-13, 3-5 Evergreen -- The Wildcats have to wait to find out their opponent in the Evergreen District tournament semifinals. Third-seeded Warren County hits the road to face the loser of a regular-season playoff between Liberty and Fauquier in next week's semifinals.

9. Central (8) 5-17, 3-11 Bull Run -- The Falcons picked up a bit of momentum by thrashing Rappahannock County, 90-47, and now await their next opponent. The seven-seeded Falcons will travel to face the loser of a Bull Run District regular-season playoff between George Mason and William Monroe.

10. Stonewall Jackson (10) 1-20, 0-14 Shenandoah -- The slate is clear for the Generals as they head into Shenandoah District tournament play, but Stonewall Jackson's regular-season struggles earned it the toughest road through the tournament field as it opens at No. 1 Luray on Friday night.