The Lord Botetourt girls saw their basketball season come to an end against an old nemesis last week. The girls lost to Broadway High in Broadway, 71-53, in the Region 3A West quarterfinal round.
Twin sisters Hannah and Sara Bane are two of seven seniors coach Chuck Pound will have to replace on the LB girls basketball team.
It was the fourth straight loss to the Gobblers in the past three years, including twice this year despite an overall record of 20-5 by the Cavaliers. The last time LB beat Broadway was in 2013 when the Cavs beat them in the regional after losing to Broadway by 36 points in the Cave Spring Christmas Tournament.
“They’ve been a thorn in our side,” said LB coach Chuck Pound. “They always have a good team and that’s a tough place to play. The gym was packed and it was very loud. It’s a great atmosphere.”
LB fell behind early and trailed by seven at the half. The Cavs cut into the lead in the third quarter and, with three minutes left in the period, Botetourt went on top.
“We went to our trap and zone and that helped us catch up, but a good team can figure that out after awhile,” said Pound.
Botetourt led 40-35 and had two good chances to increase the lead but couldn’t get one to go down. The game was back and forth in the final quarter and LB trailed by just three, 51-48, when Miette Veldman fouled out with 3:16 on the clock. Broadway then had a couple three-point plays and pulled away.
“The wheels fell off when Miette fouled out,” said Pound. “The game was a lot closer than the score indicated.”
Brooklyn Shelton led the Cavaliers with 15 points and Veldman had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Jenna Alam had 11 of her 13 points in the first quarter and had six assists for LB. The Cavs were hurt on the foul line, as they were just three for nine while Broadway was 23 for 36, a difference of 20 made foul shots in an 18-point loss as Botetourt outscored the Gobblers on field goals, 50-48.
“It was their home game,” said Pound. “We didn’t play bad but we didn’t play great. A few points here and there and we’d be going to Richmond, but that shouldn’t take away from our season.”
The Cavs ended the season at 20-5 with two losses to Broadway and one each to Hidden Valley, Magna Vista and William Fleming, all strong teams. Botetourt is the only team thus far to have beaten Brookville, who is 26-1 and playing in the Group 3A state tournament in Richmond this week with Hidden Valley, Magna Vista and Broadway.
LB will lose seven seniors, Maggie Quarles, Sara Bane, Hannah Bane, Mary-Hannah Jackson, Jasmine King, Hannah Leonard and Rachel Parker.
“It’s one of my favorite groups,” said Pound. “We had a lot of fun and they’re a great group of girls.”
Pound will have a strong nucleus coming back in Shelton, Veldman and Alam, and the jayvee team also had a good season.
“We have some good players returning but the seniors are going to be hard to replace,” he said. “They all had their roles and were hard working, tough kids.”