Luray girls advance to district semifinals, 3 local teams fall in 1st rd

By Randy Arrington

LURAY, Feb . 14 — The Luray High School girls basketball team is the last local team standing after Monday night’s quarterfinal round of the Bull Run District Tournament. The top-seeded Bulldogs looked sluggish and vulnerable in the first half, but a 25-point third quarter fueled a 49-22 win over eighth-seeded Mt. View.

LHS senior Emilee Weakley lead all scorers with a game-high 32 points. Junior Jaidyn McClung added eight for the Bulldogs, while sophomore Maggie Foltz hit a pair of three-pointers.

Mt. View held Luray to only 11 points in the first quarter, as the Bulldogs shot 4-for-14 from the floor. However, Luray held Mt. View to only four points and forced nine turnovers in the opening eight minutes. The No. 1 seed would only carry a 20-15 lead over the No. 8 seed at halftime, but the third quarter changed the tone of the game.

After shooting 8-for-35 in the first half, the Bulldogs exploded for 25 points and hit over 50 percent of their shots in the third quarter. Weakley scored 19 points in the frame, including a 7-for-7 effort at the charity stripe. Luray outscored Mt. View 25-4 in the third and took a 45-19 lead into the fourth quarter.

Mt. View committed nearly 30 turnovers during the game, and with the exception of the second quarter, could not get a leg up on the home team. The Generals only posted four points in the first, four points in the third and three points in the final frame. Luray’s defense stymied Mt. View’s offense until their own shooting woes could get worked out.

With the win, the Bulldogs (16-1, 20-2) will host fourth-seeded Central (10-7, 15-8) on Wednesday after the Falcons defeated fifth-seeded Madison, 37-32, on Monday at home.

The sixth-seeded Panthers of Page County fell on the road Monday night, 48-41, at Clarke. The game was within one possession for Page at 44-41 in the final minute, but the Eagles held on to the lead and the win to advance to the semifinals. Clarke will continue to enjoy home court advantage on Wednesday, as seventh-seeded Rappahannock upset No. 2 Strasburg, 48-38.

Following Wednesday night’s two semifinal games, the Bull Run District Tournament championship will be played on Friday night at the higher seed. Page County will now await its seeding for the Region B tournament next week. The 2021-22 season has ended for Mt. View and East Rockingham. Below are Monday night’s results:

Bull Run District Tournament

Quarterfinals (Girls)

49 #1 Luray

22 #8 Mt. View

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48 #7 Rappahannock

38 #2 Strasburg

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48 #3 Clarke

41 #6 Page County

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37 #4 Central

32 #5 Madison

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SHENANDOAH, Feb. 14 — The Page County High School boys basketball team ran into the most underrated team in the district on Monday night. Madison County shot 73 percent from the floor in the first half and hit nine three-pointers on the night to capture a 67-37 quarterfinal round victory on the road.

The Mountaineers jumped out to a 21-6 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Three players accounted for most of their scoring, as 6’8″ senior forward Taylor Finchum posted 21 points, senior guard Jackson Taylor had 19 and sophomore shooting guard Bryce Breeden scored 16. Senior guard Dean Breeden added nine.

Taylor scored 12 points in the opening quarter, while Bryce Breeden posted 11 consecutive points in the second. Finchum took over the fourth quarter with nine points in the frame. Shooting proved to be the difference in the game as neither team committed many fouls or turnovers.

The Panthers were lead by senior Ricky Campbell with 10 points. Campbell was recognized prior to the game for surpassing 1,000 career points on the road Friday night at Luray in the regular season finale. Junior guard Jacob Williams scored nine points on Monday night, followed by senior Dylan Hensley with six and junior Hayden Plum with five.

With the loss, Page County (8-9, 9-14) will await its seeding for the Region B tournament next week. With the win, Madison (9-8, 12-11) will travel to top-seeded East Rockingham (16-1, 19-4) on Wednesday night for a semifinal matchup.

Wednesday’s other semifinal will feature No. 2 Rappahannock (13-4, 16-6) hosting No. 3 Central (14-3, 17-6).

The Luray Bulldogs (4-13, 4-18) ended their season with a 71-38 loss to East Rock in the quarterfinal on the road Monday. Mt. View (1-15, 1-20) has also concluded its 2021-22 season as well.

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The PVN Sports broadcast crew selected

Taylor Finchum and Ricky Campbell

as the Blue Ridge Bank “Players of the Game“.

Finchum lead the Mountaineers on Monday night with a game-high 21 points. Campbell lead the way for the Panthers with 10 points, including two three-pointers.

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Bull Run District Tournament

Quarterfinals (Boys)

71 #1 East Rockingham

38 #8 Luray

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55 #2 Rappahannock

40 #7 Clarke

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50 #3 Central

35 #6 Strasburg

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