Both games at Louisa HS; boys start at 5:30 p.m., girls 7 p.m.
Luray 60, Brunswick 49
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Feb. 25 — The Luray Bulldogs advanced to the Region 1B championship after an 11-point win on Wednesday night over the Bulldogs of Brunswick County (Southside District), 60-49. The region semifinal win also secured Luray a spot in the VHSL Class 1 state tournament next week.
“That was like a region championship caliber match up right there as the No. 2 and the No. 3 seed,” LHS head coach Matt Huff said after Wednesday night’s victory. “Those guys are really good. I’m just proud of our guys and how they fought.”
In the region semifinal, the Bulldogs won the tip and didn’t stop pouring it on for the first five minutes of the game. With 2:52 left in the first quarter, Luray lead 15-2. The home team hit four triples in the first frame — two by senior Connor Hilliard and two by sophomore Cole Hilliard — and shot 50 percent from the floor. Brunswick only hit three of its 13 shots and trailed 20-7 at the end of the first.
“We knew we wanted to come out and have a fast start, because it takes them four hours to get down here, we knew they were going to have some ‘bus lag’ and all that,” Coach Huff said. “So we said if we can get a fast start, we feel like we gotta a chance because those guys are really good.”
Brunswick junior guard Jamir Roberts (No. 10) fueled a 13-9 run in the second frame to cut Luray’s lead to 29-20 at the half. Roberts had 11 points in the first half and posted a team-high 25. The visiting Bulldogs kept Luray scoreless in the final 4:05 of the first half, and held senior Matthew Owens to 10 points on the night.
However, as the defense focused on the Division I, JMU commit, Luray had another weapon to unleash. Senior Connor Hilliard scored in every quarter and put up a game-high 26 points in the region semifinal.
“They were doubling and tripling Matthew and forcing him to take some tough shots and Connor just kept going, and kept going, and kept going,” Coach Huff said. “I said all year…he’s on any other team, he’s a district Player of the Year caliber kid, you know, he’s that good…so to have two kids on the same team that are that good … that’s kind of been the secret to our success over the last few years.”
Brunswick outscored Luray 19-17 in the third, but that opening deficit was too big to overcome. Luray knocked down three triples in the third and went 4-for-6 at the line, which helped maintain a 46-39 lead heading into the fourth.
Roberts lead Brunswick in every quarter and had 14 points in the second half. He lead the surge in the second and third quarters that put the visitors back in the game. With 3:42 left in the third, Roberts stole the ball and scored to bring his team within seven (37-30), but that’s as close as they would get. Luray used the foul line to their advantage and iced the victory at the line, going 6-for-8 in the final 3:28 of the game.
In addition to Hilliard’s 26 and Owens’ 10, junior Will Judy scored 10 points, Cole Hilliard had seven and Ayden Haddock added five.
Overall, Luray hit 42 percent from the floor, 56 percent at the line, and committed 10 turnovers. Brunswick shot 42 percent from the floor, 54 percent from the line, and committed 13 turnovers.
Now, Luray (20-6) will face Rappahannock (14-8) for the third time this season at 5:30 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 27 at Louisa High School in the Region 1B championship. Luray posted a 21-point victory at home over Rapp on Jan. 9. They won by seven on the road Feb. 3.
“The first [meeting with Rapp] was early in the season, the second was coming back right off of the snow, and this one will be in the region championship…the second one was obviously a really good game,” Coach Huff said. “Hopefully, we can jump out early and take care of business like we have in the past.”
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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Luray 56, Riverheads 33
STAUNTON, Feb. 24 — In a season that started off 3-3 and included a 3-5 stretch in January, the Luray Bulldogs now find themselves among the top eight teams in Virginia. On Tuesday night, No. 3 Luay upset No. 2 Riverheads, 56-33, in a Region 1B semifinal on the road. The win secures a spot in the Region 1B championship at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 at Louisa High School…and next week’s VHSL Class 1 state tournament.
“So proud of this group!” LHS head coach Joe Lucas posted on social media after the game. “Withstood a brutal regular season schedule, got better and better, and now are in the final 8 and playing for a region title. Thankful for these kids and coaches.”
The Bulldogs won all four frames on Tuesday night in front of a spirited Riverheads crowd. The first quarter proved close, as freshman Makenzee Owens hit a pair of three-pointers and sophomore Caroline Donovan added another, but Luray still trailed 11-9 after the first eight minutes.
Freshman Chesney Dunlap scored all seven of Riverheads points in the second quarter, while four Bulldogs fueled a 15-7 run. Owens and Donovan combined for 11 of those 15, and Luray took a 26-16 lead in the half.
The third quarter was a 14-13 battle that Luray edged out behind six points from both sophomore Emily Benson and Owens. Riverheads got six from Dunlap, who would score the home team’s last bucket with 6:30 left in the game. The Generals trailed 40-29 heading into the fourth and would be outscored 16-4 over the final eight minutes, while shooting 2-for-14 from the floor.
Owens recorded a game-high 25 points, followed by Donovan with 12 and Benson with eight. Overall, Luray shot 43 percent from the floor and 73 percent at the line, while committing 13 turnovers.
The Generals were lead by Dunlap with 15 points. Overall, Riverheads shot 25 percent from the floor, 60 percent from the line, and committed 13 turnovers.
Now, No. 3 Luray (15-10) will face No. 1 Surry for the Region 1B championship at 7 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 27 at Louisa High School. The Bulldogs also received word that they should be hosting a quarterfinal matchup in next week’s state tournament.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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