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Woodberry Wins Basketball Tournament
Woodberry dominated the competition in the inaugural Shootout at the Forest, putting up 90 and 91 points in their games against Rise Academy and the Lynchburg Patriots. They also had two players named to the all-tournament team: CJ Rissmiller ’27 and Eli Simmons ’25 (MVP). This is the first-ever basketball tournament hosted by Woodberry.
“We've always gone to other places for early-season tournaments, but I thought to myself, wouldn't it be cool to have something that we could host here,” said Head Coach Craig Dawson, “So I talked to the athletic administration about it, and they were all for it. This year, we started small with only four teams, but I thought it would be something that would be great for our guys and great for the community to be excited about.”
The first inaugural Shootout was also fun for Woodberry students, giving them an opportunity to cheer on the Tigers.
“I thought it was a great way to start the season,” said Peter Hentermier ’26. “The more games we have, the more opportunities we get to cheer on the Tigers. Woodberry played really well, and hopefully it is an indicator of how our season will go.”
Assistant coach and former player Truett Wason ’19 appreciated having the team’s first games being in the Jungle.
“Basketball games are a big deal at Woodberry, and it’s really fun when the Dick Gym gets packed. When the place is rocking, it’s one of the Prep League’s hardest environments to play in.” he said.
Dawson supported the team beginning their season in a tournament.
“Playing in a tournament is a good way to play our first games, especially playing back-to-back days early on,” he said. “We've only had 16 practices up to this point, and luckily before we left for break, we were able to scrimmage Orange County High School, and I think that helped a lot to tell us where we were at that point, but I know the team was excited to play against someone else. And playing for tournament titles at the same time, I think it is a big deal.”
Rissmiller led the team with 29 points in the two games.
“It was a good experience, and it felt good to play some basketball out there. I had a great time with my boys. Great camaraderie and atmosphere,” he said.
Every team has its identity and this year Dawson wants Woodberry’s to showcase a strong commitment to defense.
"I think it starts on defense for us, and that requires great communication and ball pressure,” said Dawson. “We have this thing that I keep telling them — we want relentless and ruthless aggression on defense. We wanna make people uncomfortable, and then when we get a steal and get a rebound, we are going to push the pace. So if we can take shots, take care of the ball, and play with that kind of pressure, I think we can be successful.”
Woodberry rolled to a 90-43 victory against Lynchburg in the semi-final, shooting 47 percent from the field, scored 46 points in transition (37 points off turnovers), and assisted on 24 field goals with only 11 turnovers. The Tigers held the Patriots to 33 percent shooting, forced 27 turnovers, and out-rebounded them, 51-26.
In the championship game against Rise Academy, Woodberry won 91-57. Woodberry shot 47 percent from the field, 14 of 24 from three-point range, and had 29 assists (with only 12 turnovers). The Tigers held the Guardians to 29 percent shooting, 16 percent from three-point range, and out-rebounded them, 53-42.
“I think being able to play in front of a bunch of people from different places is exciting. If you can win a championship like this early in the season, it can give you a lot of confidence going forward,” said Dawson.
>> Reporting by Ry Cobbs ’26
>> Reporting by Ry Cobbs ’26
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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