The Lord Botetourt boys saw their basketball season come to an end in Abingdon last week but not until the Cavaliers gave it all they had in an overtime thriller. The host Falcons took a 75-70 double-overtime victory in the Region 3D basketball quarterfinal game.
“It was a great high school basketball game and a heart-breaking loss for us to end the season,” said LB coach Andrew Hart. “Abingdon has size, starting 7’0”, 6’9”, and 6’4” across the front line. That’s something we haven’t seen all year.”
It was a tight game all the way. LB led 13-12 after one period and it was tied at 31-31 at the half. Abingdon held a one point lead after three quarters, 49-48, but the game went into overtime at 58-58 after regulation. One overtime period didn’t settle it but the Falcons pulled away in the second overtime period and held on for a hard-fought win.
Senior Tyler Meade went out with his season high of 29 points, hitting five of six three-point attempts and 12 of 21 overall. He also had six steals.
Jackson Crawford ended an outstanding high school career with 16 points and six assists and Conner Dowdy scored a dozen.
“We are extremely proud of our senior leaders Jackson Crawford, Tyler Meade and Logan Terry,” said Hart. “They have been incredible leaders and teammates for our program. They made us better every day and will be missed.”
The loss ended Botetourt’s chances to make the state tournament while Abingdon advanced to a semifinal game at Northside, where they were hammered by the then undefeated Vikings, 82-50. On Saturday defending Class 3 state champ Cave Spring gave the Vikings their first loss with a 65-60 win to capture the crown in a very strong Region 3D tournament. Cave Spring and Northside both advance to the state Class 3 tournament this weekend.
Lord Botetourt finished the season at 14-11 playing a very strong Blue Ridge District.
“Our coaching staff is proud of our season,” said Hart. “We knew that every game was going to be a battle. We lost a few along the way that we wish we could get back, but we also stepped up big and won some games against tough competition.
“We certainly didn’t reach our goal of playing in the state tournament, but advancing in the playoffs comes down to some very small margins and we were right there. Our returning players will have a great offseason and look forward to being back in the position again next season.”
