Haddock explodes for game-high 28 points off the bench
By Randy Arrington
BUCKINGHAM, Feb. 27 — After falling behind early, the Luray Bulldogs scored 31 points in the second quarter and 30 in the final frame to run away with a 91-71 road win at Buckingham Thursday night in a Region 2B semifinal. With the win, the Bulldogs (19-7) have earned a ticket to the VHSL Class 2 state tournament and now advance to the region championship for a second-straight year against No. 1 seed Central of Woodstock (24-3) Saturday, March 1 at Shenandoah University.
Luray got a game-high 28 points from sophomore Ayden Haddock off the bench, including six three-pointers and 14 points in a huge second quarter run. The Bulldogs hit a dozen triples as a team and shot 51 percent overall from the floor.
Buckingham got 11 points in the first eight minutes from James River District Player of the Year Will Motley. The Knights held a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, as the Bulldogs only hit 27 percent from the floor.
The momentum quickly changed as Luray went on an 18-2 run. After going through five lead changes in the first 10 minutes of action, the Bulldogs took firm command of the game after hitting six shots from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Four of those were consecutive, and three of those were by Haddock. Luray hit 67 percent from the floor during the frame and went into halftime up seven, 43-36.
The third quarter was a dead heat, 18-18, as Buckingham hit a trio of triples, including two late in the third from first team All-James River selection Amare’ Jones. Luray lead 61-54 heading into the fourth.
The Knights would never get closer than five points, despite hitting four three-pointers in the fourth. The Bulldogs would do most of their work at the line, going 12-of-16 from the stripe in the final five minutes. Junior Matthew Owens got six of his 13 points on the night in the final 3:41, going 6-for-6 at the line. Luray closed out a 20-point win in the region semifinal with a 30-17 run in the final frame.
Haddock lead all scorers with 28, while junior Connor Hilliard put up 21 points for Luray and senior Blake Jenkins added 19. The Bulldogs committed only eight turnovers during the game, compared to 17 for the Knights.
Buckingham seniors Motley and Jones combined for 41 points, with 23 and 18, respectively. The second-seeded Knights end the season at 16-6 and fall short a second time in the postseason after winning the James River District regular season title.
Luray now has a fourth meeting with Central of Woodstock scheduled for Saturday night. The Bulldogs dropped all three previous matchups with the Falcons, but narrowed the margin each time. Luray lost to Central by 22 points in Woodstock on Feb. 4, but then only fell by six points four days later at home. The margin was only four points in the Bull Run District championship in Woodstock on Feb. 20.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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