Bulldogs upset No. 3 Strasburg in Tuesday’s quarterfinal, 33-29
By Randy Arrington
STRASBURG, Feb. 25 — The Luray Bulldogs entered Tuesday’s Region 2B quarterfinal as the sixth seed with a record of 8-13. Their opponent, No. 3 Strasburg, entered the postseason game with a record of 18-6. The Rams had beaten the Bulldogs during both regular season meetings by double digits — a 19-point margin on Dec. 17, and a 16-point win on Jan. 24. But in the playoffs, it’s not about what happened before…it’s about the outcome of a single game.
During Tuesday’s region quarterfinal, Luray came out of the gate scoring nine unanswered points and held a 12-1 lead until Strasburg junior Emily Gorrell hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to close the first quarter. The Bulldogs hit a trio of triples in the opening frame and held the No. 3 seed to a single free throw and a last-second shot from the floor. The early surge by Luray would prove to be the difference in the game.
After hitting 50 percent from the floor in the first eight minutes, the Bulldogs would only score one bucket and one free throw in the second quarter. The Rams won the segment 6-3 to close the gap to five points heading into halftime, despite only hitting 25 percent of their shots. Both teams only committed four turnovers in the first half.
Luray hit three more three’s in the third, but the quarter played out very even as both teams hit 40 percent from the floor. After two baskets early in the third from Strasburg junior Hannah Merriner, the Rams went on a 6-0 run and the score was 18-16 with 5:07 on the clock. The Bulldogs then closed out the quarter on their own 8-2 run and lead 26-20 heading into the fourth.
Following a second three-pointer from second team All-District selection Caroline Donovan, Luray went up 31-23 with 4:35 left in the game. However, Strasburg went on another 6-0 run fueled by back-to-back baskets from senior Addison Morgan. That brought the score back to within two points at 31-29 with just :35.4 second on the clock.
In the final seconds, Donovan hit two free throws to cap the scoring at 33-29. Donovan finished the night with a team-high 10 points, followed by junior Ella Parlett with seven and freshman Lakin Vile with six, including two big three-pointers.
The Bulldogs shot only 34 percent from the floor and 33 percent from the line, but they spread out their 33 points among six players and their seven three-pointers among five shooters. Both teams eneded the game with 10 turnovers.
Gorrell lead the Rams with a game-high 11 points, followed by Morgan with eight. Strasburg hit only 24 percent of their shots from the floor and 62 percent from the line. The Rams end the season at 18-7 after a second early exit in the postseason. Strasburg fell, 40-34, to Central in the Bull Run District semifinals last week.
Sixth-seeded Luray (9-13) now travels to Augusta County to take on No. 2 Stuarts Draft (19-4) in a region semifinal matchup set to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. Luray split with Draft in two regular season matchups — losing 44-31 at Draft on Dec. 9, and winning 46-44 at home Dec. 19.
The other Region 2B semifinal tips-off at 6 p.m. in Berryville, as No. 1 Clarke County (21-4) hosts No. 4 Central (15-10). The Falcons defeated No. 5 Buckingham, 46-27, during Tuesday’s quarterfinal, while top-seed Clarke beat Page County, 94-32.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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