Photo courtesy of LB Basketball
To the victors go the spoils and the Lord Botetourt girls cleaned up when the Virginia High School League All-State Basketball Team was announced last week. The Cavaliers had two girls named to the first team and LB coach Renee Favaro was named the Class 3 Coach of the Year.
Seniors Madilyn Winterton and Maddie Caron were both first team selections on the All-State team. Both are headed to Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., to continue their basketball careers in the fall and the Bears will be glad to have them.
“The best thing about these two is that they are exceptional people and leaders on and off the court,” said Favaro
Winterton was a tall point guard for the Cavaliers who not only distributed the ball but scored over 1,500 career points. She finished second all-time at LB in steals while playing only three seasons for the team and she’s fourth all-time in assists over that time. Madilyn scored 18.2 points per game this season while shooting 50 percent from the floor. She averaged 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 4.8 steals.
Winterton was first team All-Blue Ridge District all three years on the LB team and BRD Player of the Year in 2023 and ’25. She was first team All-Region 3D from 2023-25 and was second team All-State for two years prior to being named to the first team this season.
“Madilyn is such a dynamic player who can create for herself and others,” said Favaro. “She can play anywhere and do anything on the floor. By necessity, she had to move to point guard for the first time in her career and handled it well, setting the tone for us on both offense and defense.”
Caron came to LB after earning second team All-BRD honors at Franklin County High her freshman and sophomore years. She made first team All-District the last two seasons at Lord Botetourt and was first team All-Region 3D both years.
Maddie scored over 1,000 points in her high school career and also grabbed over 700 rebounds as a post-player. This season she averaged 16 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free throw line.
“Maddie is a very steady presence who knows her strengths and can turn in either direction in the post,” said Favaro. “She is very calm and efficient inside and makes very few mistakes. Maddie plays much bigger inside than she is and is a smart, underrated defensive player.”
In her sixth season as head coach, Favaro led Lord Botetourt to a 26-3 record and the Class 3 State Championship. She took over the program during the COVID-19 2019-20 season and shared the state title with Spotswood when the championship game was cancelled the week of the scheduled final due to the pandemic.
A former Cavalier player and assistant coach under legendary Chuck Pound, Renee saw her team trail by double digits in the state final against James Monroe before her Cavaliers rallied for a 49-44 win and the school’s fifth girls basketball state championship. Favaro’s teams are 117-29 over her six seasons, including two state championships.
Abingdon junior power forward Annsley “A.J.” Trivette was named the Class 3 Player of the Year. A repeat All-State first-team selection as a sophomore and junior, the 6’3″ Trivette averaged 20.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per game this season for the Falcons.
