Bulldogs to host Region A runner-up Tuesday night in state quarterfinal
By Randy Arrington
LOUISA, Feb. 27 — Following a sluggish first half, the Luray Bulldogs used a surge in the third quarter on Friday night to secure a 38-33 victory over top-seeded Surry to claim the Region 1B championship.
“Our kids are so resilient, so coachable and they let me coach ’em,” LHS head coach Joe Lucas said after the win. “They responded to a tough game, and I’m really proud of them.”
After knocking off No. 2 Riverheads by a margin of 23 points on Tuesday, the third-seeded Bulldogs faced another tough challenge in No. 1 Surry, who entered Friday’s region championship with a record of 22-1. The two teams looked similar on paper — Luray has eight underclassmen on an 11-player roster with four freshmen, while Surry has nine underclassmen on an 11-player roster with six freshmen.
However, for all of the build up to Friday’s title game…little of the action in the first half resembled a championship bout. Both teams shot a combined 7-for-45 (15.6 percent) from the floor and committed a total of 21 turnovers. The championship was knotted up 10-10 at the half.
However, in the third quarter Luray went on a 16-7 run fueled by eight points from sophomore Emily Benson and five points from freshman Makenzee Owens.
“I feel like me and Mackenzee’s connection on the court had a powerful effect tonight,” Benson said after the game.
Benson would lead the Bulldogs with a team-high 17 points, while Owens recorded nine. Luray hit its only two three-pointers in the third quarter — one from Owens and another from freshman Brylee Painter — while they won the game at the line in the fourth, hitting 60 precent of their shots.
Surry’s talent was concentrated in mostly one player — freshman Dabria Newby (No. 10), who lead the Cougars with a game-high 21 points. Newby scored all six of Surry’s points in the opening quarter, six of seven in the third, and nine of 16 in the fourth.
“It was pretty tough fighting her because she is really tall and a great athlete,” Benson said, “but in the end you just have to use your moves to get around her and do your best.”
Luray lead 26-17 heading into the final frame, but Surry made its own surge and went on a 16-12 run in the final eight minutes. With 4:35 left in the game, the Bulldogs held a 31-22 lead, but just two minutes later Surry sat within a single bucket of the lead at 31-29.
Freshman Makayla Drew hit key buckets during that run, and sophomore Jazlyn Warren hit the Cougars only three-pointer of the game. The title matchup would stay within one or two possessions the rest of the way. Owens went 3-for-4 at the line in the final 17 seconds to help secure the victory, and the region championship.
“It was stressful…I just stayed in the moment and trusted in God because he knew the outcome, and we just had to stay clam. We had to be telling each other to settle down, and you can’t get up tight and play our game,” Owens said. “This means a lot…it’s crazy, it’s so surreal. We worked so hard to get here, and we came out and did it.”
While starting off the season a little slower as a freshman, Owens has come around to play more like a veteran during the postseason. The point guard put up 52 points in the three games of the region tournament, including 43 points in the first two games.
“She wants the ball, that’s the first thing. She wants the ball, especially at the foul line, or to hit a big shot,” Coach Lucas said. “She’s one that had a slow start, but she just kept working and kept working, and her work is showing right now. She’s doing a great job.”
Overall, Luray shot 28 percent from the floor, 45 percent from the line, and committed 16 turnovers. Surry shot 29 percent from the floor, 38 percent from the line, and committed 19 turnovers.
This is the first region crown that Luray has earned in girls basketball since the senior season of Emilee Weakley in 2022. Weakley would end her career at LHS as the all-time leading scorer in basketball with 2,606 points, and later go on to lead NCAA Division II women’s basketball in scoring for three-straight years at Frostburg State.
This season’s Bulldog squad had no standout talent being recruited by Division I or Division II colleges, but they learned how to play together better and better as the season progressed.
“Really tough practices, coach never letting up on us, just constantly grinding us, staying in the gym for hours upon hours and watching film, and making sure we stay focused,” Benson said of the team’s postseason push.
“Our team chemistry, we play as a team…we stay together as a team. We don’t get down on each other and argue. We just go out and play one game at a time,” Owens added. “I mean we have a coach that cares about us so much. He’s always doing whatever is best for us.”
After a few lean seasons following the Weakley years, Coach Lucas is building a competitive, youthful squad that doesn’t want to wait until next season, or the next, to reach success. These freshmen and sophomores believe the time to win is now.
“Resilience, toughness, we talked all year about our habits…you know even when we’re losing games, just keep the right habits, even in blowouts, having the right habits,” Coach Lucas said. “We just kept practicing and kept practicing, and I think they are made of the right stuff and we’re able to see it.”
On Tuesday night, March 3, Luray High School will host another double-header, with both the boys and girls teams hosting a VHSL Class 1 state quarterfinal. Both teams are awaiting the outcome of Saturday night’s Region A championships to see who their opponent will be (Region A runner-ups).
Whether it’s West Point or Middlesex, or later on in the state tournament if they face George Wythe or Galax, the Bulldogs have a strategy for the state tournament, regardless of the opponent.
“That’s going to be really fun,” Owens said of hosting a state quarterfinal. “We’re gonna see where it goes from there, just live in the moment and take it one game at a time.”
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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