Luray wins Bull Run with 62-48 victory over Clarke in title game

By Randy Arrington

LURAY, Feb . 18 — The Luray High School girls basketball team took top honors in the Bull Run District for a third-straight year, as they captured the regular season title, the tournament championship and had their standout senior once again named the district’s “Player of the Year.”

The Bulldogs defeated Clarke County, 62-48, at home Friday night in the Bull Run title game behind 34 points from senior Emilee Weakley, who was named the district’s top player for a third-consecutive season. Weakley scored all nine points for Luray in the first quarter of the championship, posted 21 second-half points and went 20-for-22 at the free throw line on the night.

The Eagles hung tough with the No. 1-ranked team in Virginia’s Class 2 for the first eight minutes. Both teams struggled to score in the opening frame, as Luray only lead 9-8 after the first quarter. The Bulldogs then went on a 17-7 run in the second period to extend their lead to 26-15 at the half. The Eagles made only three shots in the second quarter (3-for-16 from the floor) and committed 15 turnovers in the first half.

LHS head coach Joe Lucas rotated a deep bench into the game all night and wore down the limited Clarke roster that had only seven players dressed out. Junior Haley Evans kept the Eagles in the game with a 24-point performance in the title game. However, once Luray started to pull away midway through the second quarter they never looked back.

The Bulldogs lead by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter, but with Luray’s starters on the bench Clarke was able to outscore the home team in the final frame, 21-17, and narrowed the final margin to 14 points.

Behind Evans’ team-high 24 points, Clarke also got solid performances from senior guard Ellie Brumback and junior forward Willow Oliver. Brumback was named a first-team, All-District selection after the game.

Following Weakley’s game-high 34 points, Luray saw another consistent night from junior Jaidyn McClung, who posted 12 points in the championship. McLung, along with Weakley, earned first-team, All-District honors following the game. Senior Avery Alger, who hit a three-pointer in the second quarter, received second-team, All-District honors. Sophomore Maggie Foltz came off the bench to add seven points on the night, including one shot from beyond the arc.

Luray reached the Bull Run District Tournament championship after defeating Central of Woodstock, 68-44, in Wednesday’s semifinal, and Mt. View, 49-22, in Monday’s quarterfinal. Throughout the district tournament, Weakley scored an average of 32.3 points per game with a total of 97 points over three games.

The Bulldogs (22-2) will again be the No. 1 seed when the Region B tournament kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 22. Luray will host eighth-seeded Stuarts Draft (6-11) from the Shenandoah District for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. Other Region B quarterfinal matchups include:

#7 Page County (9-13) at #2 Buckingham (19-0)
#6 Madison County (13-8) at #3 Clarke County (15-8)
# 5 Central of Woodstock (15-9) at #4 Strasburg (15-8)

Semifinal rounds will be played at the higher seed on Thursday, Feb. 24, with the Region B championship slated for Saturday, Feb. 26.

•••

The PVN Sports broadcast crew selected

Emilee Weakley and Hailey Evans

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

Weakley lead the Bulldogs in Friday night’s championship with a game-high 34 points, including a 20-for-22 effort at the free throw line. The LHS senior was also named the Bull Run District Player of the Year for a third time following the title game.

Evans lead the way for the Eagles with 24 points.

•••

Bull Run District Tournament

Quarterfinals (GIRLS) — Monday, Feb. 14