The first of two intra-county boys’ basketball games went to the Cavaliers last Friday. Lord Botetourt defeated James River, 70-59, in front of a good crowd in Springwood.
This one went back-and-forth before LB pulled it out. The Cavs led 19-8 after the first quarter but River won the second quarter to cut the lead to nine, 33-24, at the half.
River then came out strong in the third quarter, taking the lead at one point. The Knights outscored LB in that period, 23-16, and it was 49-47 heading into the final stanza. Botetourt then finished strong for the win.
“The kids played hard but we just fell short,” said River coach Mike Goad. “We had some key shots in the fourth quarter that just didn’t go in. We had all the momentum up to that point.”
“James River is tough and scrappy and gave us all we wanted,” said LB coach Andrew Hart. “They got after it on the glass, but we made enough plays to win the game. We had several players step up and make some big plays down the stretch. It was nice to finish the fourth quarter strong and earn the W.”
Logan Bramblett led LB with 17 points, hitting six of 11 from the field including three of six from behind the three-point line. Tanner Selkirk had 15 points while Luke Hale had nine and Matthew Oliver and Conner Tilley had eight each. Selkirk had nine rebounds and four assists, Owen Prince had four assists and Oliver had four steals.
Patrick Clevenger led four Knights in double figures with 14 points. Isiah Moran had 11 points for River and Ryan Steger and Jacob Alderson had 10 each. Moran had seven rebounds and Everett Bowman had six assists.
The loss dropped River to 0-3 on the season. The Knights lost a home game to Parry McCluer last Wednesday, 39-31. Steger had 15 in that one to lead the team.
“They were very patient and they hurt us inside,” said Goad.
With the win LB improved to 2-1. The Cavaliers lost to Salem in Daleville last Thursday, 82-63.
“Salem is a really good team,” said Hart. “They drove the ball well and shot the ball efficiently from the perimeter. We struggled on defense, but we will continue to improve. We played and battled to the very end with them and we are proud of our team’s effort.”
Bramblett had 14 to lead LB and Dylan Salvi scored 11 points. Selkirk had eight rebounds.
This week LB was scheduled to host Cave Spring on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Alleghany on Thursday. The Cavaliers will also get some football players back this week.
“The only three football guys I can say for sure are Mason Wheeling, JR Salvi, and Kyle Arnholt,” said Hart. “They are returning varsity basketball players from last season. We will have a couple more, but they will be going through a tryout process.
“Any of the football players who are ready to contribute will be mixed in the lineups immediately. They will all be big factors for us this season, but it will take some time to get all of them acclimated,” he said.
James River was scheduled to host Covington on Tuesday and they’ll be at Staunton River tonight.
