Four young Bulldogs in double-digits during district win
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Jan. 2 — The Luray Bulldogs evened out their early girls basketball season record at 4-4 after capturing a Bull Run District win over visiting Madison County, 62-34, on Friday night. Seven different Bulldogs put up points and four hit double-digits in a true team win.
For an 11-man roster featuring four sophomores and four freshmen — and no true superstar — Luray head coach Joe Lucas knows that teamwork will be the key to any successes this season.
“I think that’s huge,” Coach Lucas said after Friday’s district win. “We know where we want to get the ball to and who we want to get going, and that opens up everyone else. I think everyone knows that we want to play through Emily Benson, and they’re getting her the ball and she’s either getting a shot for herself or shots for teammates.”
Benson, a sophomore who spends most of her time in the paint, lead Luray with a game-high 14 points on Friday. As one of the most improved players on the Bulldog squad from last season, Benson plays tough underneath the basket and is one of Luray’s top scoring threats.
Fellow sophomore Caroline Donovan had 12 points on the night and complimented Benson’s play from the backcourt with a pair of three-pointers and a 4-for-4 performance at the line. Donovan also played tenacious defense, recording seven steals on the night. The two sophomore captains both earned postseason accolades during their freshman campaign, and now they lead a young Luray squad.
That young squad has picked up a couple of freshmen who are contributing immediately.
In the first quarter of Friday night’s game, freshman Brylee Painter scored five of her 13 points, including the first of two three-pointers. Her basket midway through the first put Luray up 10-1. Madison went 2-for-13 from the floor in the opening frame, and Luray jumped out to a 18-5 advantage after eight minutes.
“Brylee … we call her little Ella… she’s just non-stop, plays really hard, does everything right,” Coach Lucas said. “You only have to ask her once… so, she’s just like a coach’s dream.”
The Mountaineers came alive in the second frame after only two baskets in the first. Senior Tristen Weaver, who hit those two baskets, also hit Madison’s only three-pointer of the game during the second period. Weaver ended the game with nine points, tying junior Allyson Cave for a team-high. Madison hit almost half their shots in the second quarter, as Luray only connected on 20 percent from the field. However, the Bulldogs still maintained a 10-point lead at halftime, 27-17.
Luray freshman Makenzee Owens recorded four of her 10 points on the night in the third quarter. While going perfect at the line, Owens also chalked up three steals on defense.
“Makenzee is a gym rat…she’s one of the best shooters on our team,” said Coach Lucas, commenting on his emerging freshmen duo of Owens and Painter. “Two different kids, but they both are really important and playing huge minutes as a freshman.”
The Mountaineers would commit 11 of their 16 turnovers of the night in the second half, mostly due to an aggressive Luray defense. Both the third and fourth quarters mirrored the lop-sided opening frame, and the Bulldogs ran away with a 28-point district win, 62-34.
“I just told them in the locker room… any time we can get a district win, it’s a big win,” Coach Lucas said on Friday night. “Every team in the district was playing tonight…so it’s huge for our kids… especially for our young kids build some confidence.”
Overall, the Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the floor — hitting 50 percent or more of their shots for three of four quarters — and went 10-of-15 from the stripe. Luray committed a dozen turnovers (six in each half). The Mountaineers hit only 25 percent from the floor, 61 percent from the line, and gave away 16 turnovers. While eight different Madison players recorded points, only two had above four.
Up next, Luray (4-4) will host the Falcons of Central at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6. On the same night at 7:30 p.m., Madison County (1-6) will host neighboring Rappahannock.
Just after Christmas, the Bulldogs split two games during a holiday tournament — beating Class 4 Sherando, but losing to a top-shelf Class 1 George Wythe. Coach Lucas sees something building with his young squad, and he wants to start “stacking” successes all the way through January.
“We had a really good few days of prep for George Wythe and played really well against them and had a chance to beat ’em,” Coach Lucas said. “We just need to keep learning how to respond to bigger, older, better teams … East Rock, [we] played them really well the second time. So, I think being able to put losses or mistakes behind us is big, especially with kids that need to develop some confidence.”
At halftime of Friday night’s matchup with Madison, Luray High School welcomed back the members of the 2021 state championship team — the school’s first state title in girls basketball.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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