Boys win 65-58 on the road, while girls post 10-point victory at home
By Randy Arrington
SPERRYVILLE, Feb. 3 — The game at Rappahannock on Tuesday night stopped with :27.7 seconds left in the first half to mark a major milestone that occurred about a minute earlier. Senior guard Matthew Owens hit four consecutive three-pointers to close out the first half — the third making him the all-time leading scorer in boys basketball at Luray High School.
The last time the torch passed, it was Craig Tutt breaking Jimmy Arrington’s record during the 1993 regional tournament against Prince Edward. Tutt had held the record at 1,482 career points for 33 years going into Tuesday night, and he even made the trip to Rapp to witness the history firsthand.
Not only did Owens break the record before halftime (he needed 14 points), last season’s Region 2B Player of the Year would put up a game-high 30 points against the Bulldogs’ toughest competition in Region 1B this season.
When the two Bull Run District teams fist met on Jan. 9 in Luray, the Bulldogs got out to a 25-9 lead in the first quarter en route to a 69-48 win over the then-No. 1 Panthers. This time, it was much closer.
Tuesday night’s matchup between the region’s No. 2 Luray and No. 4 Rapp produced 10 lead changes, including two in the fourth quarter. The first period went back and forth, with Luray at one point holding a five-point lead, only to see Rapp come back to within one. The Bulldogs were up 15-14 after a pretty even eight minutes. Luray ended the quarter on three consecutive three-pointers by Owens, senior Connor Hilliard, and junior Aiden Cook.
A total of 23 three-pointers would find the bottom of the net in this game — 11 from Luray, a dozen by Rapp. The Panthers hit five triples in the second period to go on a 19-16 run and take a narrow 33-31 lead into halftime. Three of those deep shots came from senior Mason Comer, who had five on the night and ended the game with a team-high 17 points.
Luray flipped the script in the third quarter as the Bulldogs went on a 19-11 run fueled by seven points from Owens and five from Hilliard. The Panthers went 4-for-11 from the floor during the frame and committed eight turnovers in eight minutes. However, Rapp got a gutsy eight points from junior Jason Deal, who finished the night with 16. Luray regained the lead heading into the fourth, 50-44.
Rapp made an 11-3 run to open the final period and retook the lead, 55-53, with 5:22 left in the game. LHS junior Will Judy‘s two triples early in the fourth were the only points the Bulldogs would put up from the floor (due to 20 percent shooting in the period). When Judy hit his second three-pointer to give Luray a 56-55 lead with 4:10 remaining, the Bulldogs starting playing keep away — forcing fouls that ended the game at the line. Luray went 9-of-12 from the stripe over the final minute to secure a 65-58 win.
Behind Comer’s 17 and Deal’s 16, freshman Malcolm Christian put up 10 points for the Panthers, and senior Shawne Christian had nine. Overall the Panthers shot 47 percent from the floor and went 2-for-3 at the line. Rapp (4-5, 10-5) will host Clarke County (2-7, 3-15) on Wednesday before traveling to top-ranked Central (8-1, 14-3) on Friday.
Behind Owens’ game-high 30, Hilliard finished with 16 and Judy had nine. Overall, the Bulldogs hit 38 percent from the floor and 82 percent from the line. Luray committed nine turnovers. Next up, the Bulldogs (7-2, 13-3) host Central at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4 and Strasburg at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6.
At Friday’s game, all 12 of the 1,000-point scorers in Luray High School boys basketball will be on hand for a special recognition during Luray’s matchup with the Rams.
Bulldogs beat Panthers, 38-28
Benson leads the way for Luray with 10 points
LURAY, FEB. 3 — Luray’s girls basketball team rode an 11-0 run in the second quarter to a 10-point Bull Run District victory against visiting Rappahannock on Tuesday night. Sophomore Emily Benson lead the way with 10 points, while both junior Chloe Gochenour and freshman Brylee Painter added eight.
Despite a game-high 17 points from Rapp senior Chloe Jenkins, the Panthers only hit 19 percent of their shots from the floor and went 8-of-19 at the line, while committing a dozen turnovers.
However, the young Bulldogs only shot 34 precent from the floor and went 4-of-13 at the line, while committing 16 turnovers.
The first period ended in a 10-10 draw after Luray went 0-for-4 at the stripe, but an 11-0 run in the second frame created the separation that would remain. Rapp went 0-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-4 from the line over those eight minutes. Luray took a 21-10 lead into halftime.
The Bulldogs only hit two buckets in the third, as the Panthers roared back with a 12-5 run behind Jenkins and Carmen Pond. The two seniors accounted for 26 of Rapp’s 28 points during the game. The script flipped again in the fourth with a 12-6 Luray run — fueled by triples from Painter and Gochenour — to finish off the district win, 38-28.
Up next, Luray (6-3, 9-7) will travel to Central on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Heading into Tuesday, the two teams were tied for third place in the district. Rapp (2-8, 5-13) will travel to No. 1 Clarke (8-0, 15-1) on Wednesday.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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