By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Dec. 7 — For the second time in a week, the Dragons of William Monroe defeated the Bulldogs of Luray in boys basketball on Tuesday night, 73-43. However, despite both games ending in double-digit margins, Tuesday night’s non-district matchup in Luray showed improvement by the Bulldogs as they closed the gap and played toe-to-toe with the more-talented 3A Dragons throughout the first half.
Luray jumped out to an early 5-0 lead on Tuesday behind one of two big three-pointers by junior Kenny Frye in the first quarter. The Dragons would answer back with a 19-9 run over the remainder of the period fueled by three shots from beyond the arc and the arial displays of senior Troy Jones. The 6-foot guard slammed down back-to-back dunks to give William Monroe a 19-11 lead. Frye’s second three-pointer closed out the first period and brought the Bulldogs back within five.
The home team built some momentum in the second quarter as the Dragons went cold from the floor and only hit one shot from the field until the final minute before the half. Senior guard Calder Liscomb distributed the ball well for Luray, as the Bulldogs had six different players score in the first half. About midway through the second period, Luray pulled even with William Monroe at 22-22.
Just before the half, junior Tucker Shifflett hit back-to-back three-pointers to close out the scoring and give William Monroe a 10-point lead heading into the locker room.
The Dragons put the game away in the third quarter, hitting five of their 12 three-pointers on the night — including four in-a-row. The visitors outscored the home team 22-11 in the third frame and held a 56-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
William Monroe went on a 17-8 run over the final eight minutes to close out its second win of the season, 73-43. Seven days earlier, the Dragons defeated the Bulldogs 75-35 in Stanardsville. On Tuesday night, the Dragons were lead by Jones with 25 points, followed by Shifflett with 18 and senior Ja’Quis Carpenter added 12.
Luray was lead by Liscomb with 16 points. The senior not only lead the offense from a shooting point guard position, but also scrapped hard in the paint on defense. Both Frye and sophomore Christian Lentz added six points. A total of nine Bulldogs scored during the game.
Tuesday’s loss was Luray’s third of the season after falling to Buffalo Gap on the road, 61-34, on Friday. Next up, the Bulldogs (0-3) will travel to Turner Ashby on Thursday, Dec. 9 before hitting the road again next Tuesday, Dec. 14 to face Rappahannock.
The Dragons (2-1) will have a few days off before hosting Mountain View next Wednesday, Dec. 15.
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The PVN Sports broadcast crew selected
Troy Jones
as the Blue Ridge Bank “Player of the Game“.
Jones, a 6-foot senior guard, lead the Dragons to their second win of the season with 25 points against Luray Tuesday night. Jones hit four three-pointers and rattled the rim on back-to-back dunks to end the first quarter.
The Bulldogs were lead by 6’3″ senior guard Calder Liscomb with 16 points.
For full schedules, rosters and standings — check out the Bull Run District website.
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