Page closed seven-point deficit in 4th to force extra period
By Randy Arrington
SHENANDOAH, Jan. 27 — On Saturday evening, Page County and Luray delivered one of the region’s most thrilling games this season in front of a capacity crowd at Page County High School. The Panthers overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, where the lead then changed five times during the four-minute extra period. The Bulldogs would go a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 22 seconds of overtime to secure a narrow 67-65 Bull Run District win over their county rival.
Page County sophomore Caden Coombs lead all scorers with a season- and career-high 32 points, including five three-pointers and hitting 70 percent from the free throw line (7-for-10). Coombs would hit the Panthers first and last baskets of the night — both from beyond the arc.
Luray jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind a three-pointer from sophomore Connor Hilliard and two free throws from junior Blake Jenkins, before Combs answered back. Jenkins would end up leading the Bulldogs in scoring with 19 points, including three three-pointers. The Panthers got going early with the long ball, hitting three of their eight triples on the night in the first quarter (two from Coombs). Luray didn’t score over a four-minute stretch in the opening frame and only hit a third of their shots. Page held a 17-13 lead after the first quarter.
Page proved more productive in the second quarter as well, getting 10 of their 13 points from Coombs to outscore Luray 13-10. However, Luray freshman Ayden Haddock hit a three-pointer a couple minutes in that brought the Bulldogs within one at 19-18 with 5:40 left in the half. Three free throws and a basket by Coombs would drive Page’s lead back up to 24-18. The six point-lead would be seven by halftime, 30-23.
The intensity of the capacity crowd began to pick up in the second half. PCHS Athletic Director Bill Sims said he thought it was the biggest crowd the school had ever hosted, with standing room only.
Luray went on a 10-0 run to open the second half and dominated the third quarter 21-7. The Bulldogs hit three triples, shot 7-for-11 from the field, and hit four of seven free throws. After trailing by seven at the half, Luray lead by as much as three, 33-30, midway through the third. The Panthers went scoreless for nearly five minutes until senior Seth Cloude hit a basket — one of only two for Page in the quarter. Seven different Luray players would score in the third to take a 44-37 lead into the fourth.
The home team flipped the script in the fourth, as Page made five straight trips to the foul line to open the quarter. Despite getting LHS 6’4″ senior forward Christian Lentz to commit his fifth foul with 6:15 still remaining in the game, the Panthers only went 8-for-14 from the free throw line in the fourth, after hitting only hitting 3-of-8 from the charity stripe in the third. But another seven points from Coombs fueled a 17-10 run for Page to close a seven-point deficit and force overtime. It was 54-54 at the end of regulation.
It was Combs who hit a basket at 2:10 that brought Page within one at 50-49, a three-pointer at 1:40 that tied the game at 52-52, and a layup (off a steal and assist from sophomore Brandon Wright) that tied the game at 54-54 with 36 seconds left. Luray got their final two clutch baskets from Hilliard and senior Ryder Liscomb in the final two minutes of regulation.
The four-minute overtime featured a tie and five lead changes (after four ties and only two lead changes through the previous four quarters). Combs hit a free throw to put Page up by one, followed by a shot from Hilliard to give Luray the lead. Then each team traded three-pointers, and traded the lead, again. Wright then hit a free throw with 58 seconds left in overtime to tie the game at 59-59.
LHS sophomore Matthew Owens hit a big time jumper to put Luray up 61-59, followed by two clutch free throws from Jenkins. Cloude cut the four-point lead down to one with a three-pointer, 63-62, with just 15 seconds on the clock. The difference in the final 22 seconds was that Jenkins went 4-for-4 from the line, while Owens went 2-for-2. A last-second three-pointer by Coombs was too little, too late, and the game ended with the visiting Bulldogs holding on for a 67-65 district win. It was Luray’s second overtime win this season (85-79 OT win at Warren Dec. 5).
While both teams hit eight three-pointers, Luray hit 71 percent from the line (15-of-21) and 49 percent from the floor. The Panthers only hit 38 percent of their field goals and 53 percent of their free throws. In addition to Coombs’ game-high 32 points, Cloude finished with 11, while sophomore Issac Foltx added eight. For Luray, following Jenkins’ team-high 19, Hilliard had 14 and Owens posted 13.
Since the county rivalry was the only Bull Run game played on Saturday, Luray’s win allows the Bulldogs (6-3, 10-5) to move up one spot and leap frog Rappahannock (6-4, 10-5) into third place. Luray had a huge week, winning three-in-a-row, including a big win, 74-62, over Madison on Tuesday. Not only was it the Bulldogs’ second-biggest point total this season, but they also handed the Mountaineers their first district loss of the season — and they did it on the road. Luray only lost to district-leading Madison by one point at home on Dec. 21, 45-44, after a controversial call ended the game with free throws. Luray has now won five of their last seven, and next up the Bulldogs travel to Central on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
With the loss, Page County falls to 3-6 in the district and 4-14 overall. Next up, the Panthers travel to Clarke (6-2, 10-5) on Tuesday before hosting Madison (8-1, 11-6) on Wednesday.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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