No. 4 Bulldogs headed to No. 1 Clarke Monday night for Bull Run semifinal
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Feb. 12 — On Thursday night, the Luray girls basketball team ended the regular season with a dominating 65-42 win over rival Page County. The Bulldogs will now travel to Berryville on Monday night to face the Eagles of Clarke County in a Bull Run District tournament semifinal.
“I’m feeling okay,” LHS head coach Joe Lucas said after Thursday’s district win. “I enjoy the postseason because you get a few days of practice and just try to prep and game plan to beat one team at a time. I thought we ended the season on a high, and hopefully string together two or three days of practice to get ready for whoever we are going to play.”
Luray ended the season on three straight wins and had three Bulldogs in double-digits against Page in the finale. Sophomore Emily Benson lead the way with a team-high 15 points, including nine in the second quarter.
“She shoots the high percentage…she’s really good on the offensive glass…she gets the other team in foul trouble because she’s so aggressive on the glass, so she does a lot of stuff,” Coach Lucas said of Benson. “She just plays so hard. She’s hard to contain.”
The Bulldogs also got a double-digit performance from a pair of freshman who bode well for the future of the program. Both Brylee Painter and McKenzie Owens each posted 14 points in the rivalry game and each hit a three-pointer. But what may have been even more impressive was their tenacious defense.
While Painter seemed to contribute right out of the gate, Owens has been drawing more minutes as of late and has been making a bigger impact on the team’s success.
“She’s at her best when she’s aggressive, and I think we’re at our best when she’s aggressive,” Coach Lucas said of Owens. “And even if she’s not scoring, she’s setting up other people. The last few games she’s been more aggressive, so I’ve been proud of her.”
On Senior Night, lone LHS senior Ella Parlett posted nine points, while sophomore Caroline Donovan added seven.
Page County senior Ali Purdham ended the regular season with a game-high 22 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Senior Kahlei Shifflett hit four three-pointers on the night for 12 points total, while junior Adi Caton added eight.
In Thursday’s rivalry game, Luray jumped out to an 18-10 lead in the first frame with five different Bulldogs scoring. The same trend continued in the second quarter as Purdham scored 10 of Page County’s 15 points in the first half. Luray lead 36-15 at the break. The Panthers only shot 22 percent from the floor and committed seven turnovers in the first half.
Page picked it up and made a 15-11 run in the third quarter behind three buckets from Purdham and a pair of triples from Shifflett. Despite two more three-pointers from Shifflett in the fourth, Luray would hit three from beyond the arc (Painter, Parlett and freshman Kynnly Lucas) to close out the 23-point victory.
The Bulldogs still have plenty to work on — like going 3-for-11 at the line against the Panthers, even though they shot 45 percent from the floor.
No. 4 Luray (13-9) travels to No. 1 Clarke (20-2) Monday night for a Bull Run District tournament semifinal. No. 3 Central (16-6) travels to No. 2 Strasburg (20-3).
“I was really excited for Ella’s Senior Night…and Ali [Purdham] for them has been really, really good,” Coach Lucas said after Thursday night’s rivalry. “I told our girls every game’s a playoff game right now. No steps backwards. Building habits. And after next week… the goal is to win six in-a-row.”
It appears Luray will be a No. 3 seed in the Region 1B tournament, which gets underway Friday, Feb. 20, when the Bulldogs hosts James River District champion Cumberland (9-8) in a region quarterfinal.
With only four teams invited, Page County (6-16) will not participate in the district tournament this week, but the Panthers should receive a seventh or eighth seed in the Region 2B tournament, which starts Feb. 24.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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