By Randy Arrington
BERRYVILLE, Feb. 14 — Luray played solid basketball for three quarters on Wednesday night at Clarke, but a devastating second quarter set the tone for the rest of the game in a 79-56 semifinal loss to the Eagles in the second round of the Bull Run District tournament.
During the eight minutes just prior to halftime, the Bulldogs would only hit two shots from the field and commit seven turnovers. Meanwhile, Clarke would go on a 25-5 run that included five shots from beyond the arc. The Eagles went into halftime leading 44-20.
Clarke’s backcourt duo of seniors William Booker and Caidan Broy combined for 25 points, but it was senior Louis Marino who had a game-high 18 points, including three of the Eagles’ 13 three-pointers (from six different players) during the game. Four players finished in double figures — Marino (18), Booker (14), junior Tanner Sipe (12 with 4 three-pointers), and Broy (11). Clarke’s defense also helped force a total of 18 Luray turnovers, compared to only seven for the home team.
Luray picked up things in the second half, outscoring the second-seeded Eagles 18-15 in the third quarter behind eight points from Blake Jenkins. The junior would finish the game with 13 points, 10 of those coming in the second half. While the Bulldogs matched up well with Clarke in the final two frames, they could not close the gap. Sophomore Connor Hilliard posted a team-high 16 points, with 12 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Senior Christian Lentz had 12 points on the night. The senior forward was one of the only offensive weapons working in the first half, as he scored eight in the first two quarters.
Overall, Luray shot 47 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the line (6-of-9). Clarke hit 48 percent from the floor and 83 percent from the line (10-of-12).
The Eagles (13-3, 18-6) now advance to the Bull Run tournament championship on Friday at Madison. The top-seeded Mountaineers (14-2, 17-7) defeated Rappahannock, 61-45, in Wednesday’s other semifinal. Friday night’s championship off at 7:30 p.m. The tournament’s top two seeds split two meetings during the regular season.
The Bulldogs now await their seeding in next week’s Region 2B tournament. Luray is likely to land around the third or fourth seed, which means they will likely host a first round, quarterfinal game.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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