Luray advances to Region 2B championship at 8 p.m. Saturday at Shenandoah University and earns ticket to next week’s state tournament
By Randy Arrington
MADISON, Feb. 23 — Fifth-seeded Luray lead the top-seeded Mountaineers the entire first half. However, the second half of the Region 2B semifinal would be knotted up four times and produce 14 lead changes in a barnburner that literally went down to the final seconds.
There’s a lot of parity on the top tier of the Bull Run District and it showed during the second round of the regional tournament on Friday night in Madison. The Mountaineers and the Bulldogs split during the regular season, with each team winning road games. Madison entered the region semifinal winning five-in-a-row, while Luray had won three of their last four — both teams receiving their last loss at the hands of Clarke, who advanced to Saturday’s Region 2B championship after defeating seventh-seeded Strasburg. The Rams made the cut to the region’s “final four” after defeating No.2 Buckingham, 73-54, on the road Tuesday.
On Friday night, Luray jumped out a 7-0 lead quick, as Madison started out 0-for-4 from the floor. Sophomore Matthew Owens sunk two of his five three-pointers on the night in the opening frame. Madison senior Billy Acton Jr. posted seven of the Mountaineers nine points. The Bulldogs went on a 16-9 run during the period and took a seven-point lead into the second quarter.
Madison flipped the script in the second by going on a 15-9 run — 10 of those points coming in the final two minutes of the half, including a triple from freshman Thomas Knight. The Mountaineers only committed three turnovers in the first half, but shot 10-of-30 (30 percent) from the floor in the opening 16 minutes. Luray struggled in the second quarter and committed nine turnovers in the first half. However, the Bulldogs held a narrow 25-24 lead going into halftime.
No more than three points would separate the two teams for the remainder of the game. The lead flip-flopped six times in the third quarter and eight times in the fourth. Both teams struggled offensively in the third, knotting up at a 9-9 tie over eight minutes. Luray picked up timely buckets in the paint from senior Ryder Liscomb and junior Jae Frye. Madison got four straight baskets and eight of its nine points from senior Maxwell Lohr, but still trailed by one heading into the fourth, 34-33.
The two teams almost literally traded baskets all throughout the final frame. Owens would hit two more three-pointers, recording all five buckets from beyond the arc for Luray during the game. The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the floor and went 5-of-8 from the line in the final eight minutes.
Madison senior Seth McLearan scored all seven of his points in the crucial fourth quarter, including a triple with 1:15 on the clock that gave the Mountaineers a two-point lead, 47-45. Owens answered with his final three-pointer to put Luray up, 48-47, just 15 seconds later. The sophomore added a free throw with :37.3 to put the Bulldogs up 49-47.
Madison’s final point came at the free throw line with :17.5 seconds left to draw within one at 49-48. Luray sophomore Connor Hillard hit two free throws with just 15 seconds left to give the Bulldogs their final lead, 51-48. The Mountaineers had the final possession and a chance to tie, but couldn’t get the ball to drop.
Luray was lead by Owens with a game-high 16 points, followed by Hilliard with 13 and senior forward Christian Lentz added 11. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 41 percent from the floor and 8-of-15 (53 percent) from the line.
Madison was lead by Bull Run District Player of the Year Bryce Breeden with 13 points, while Lohr posted 12 points and Acton had 10. The Mountaineers shot only 32 percent from the floor for the game, and went 4-of-11 from the charity stripe. Madison ends a strong season at 19-8.
With the win, Luray advances to the Region 2B championship at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Shenandoah University. The No. 5 Bulldogs (17-7) will face No. 3 Clarke (20-7). Luray’s last two losses came at the hands of the Eagles, both road games, including the last one in the Bull Run tournament semifinals.
Clarke’s only losses in its last 12 games were to Madison in the Bull Run championship, 62-44, on Feb. 16…and to Luray, 62-57, on Feb. 2.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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