Photos by Jon Fleming
The Lord Botetourt boys basketball team got the season off to a good start with two wins last week. The Cavaliers won a road game at Blacksburg then won their home opener against Alleghany.
Against Blacksburg the Cavaliers took a 74-66 win. LB used a 20-10 second quarter to jump to an 11-point halftime lead. Blacksburg cut the lead to seven in the third quarter but the Cavaliers finished strong for the win over a solid Class 4 team of Bruins.
“Ethan Ikenberry really sparked us with some hot shooting,” said LB coach Andrew Hart. “We put four guys in double figures and we played well. We had some first-game mistakes as expected, but I was proud of our effort.”
Brayden Wells led the Cavaliers with 18 points, shooting six-for-11 from the field. Evan Bannwart had 15 and both Ikenberry and Blake Lovern had 14 each in a balanced LB attack. Carson Edwards had 10 rebounds and five assists to lead the team in both categories.
On Thursday the Cavaliers had their home opener and took a 76-65 win over visiting Alleghany. Wells was eight-for-14 from the floor and scored a team high 19 in this one as Botetourt put four in double figures again. Lovern and Daniel Kidd had 11 points each and Conner Dowdy had 10. Edwards had 10 rebounds and Lovern had five assists.
“It took a total team effort,” said Hart. “A lot of players stepped up and made big and small plays throughout the game. It was great to get a win at home.”
The Cavaliers were scheduled to host Blacksburg on Tuesday of this week and Friday they go to Floyd.
