To the victors go the spoils, and the Lord Botetourt basketball team had its share of honors when the Virginia High School League Class 3 All-State girls’ team was announced this week. LB coach Renee Favaro is the state Coach of the Year and the Cavaliers had two girls named to the team.
Favaro led LB to a 25-3 record in her first year as head coach. The Cavs won 23 of their last 24 games and were poised to play Spotswood for the state championship in Richmond when the final game was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. LB and Spotswood were declared co-champs and Favaro will receive her second state championship ring, as she was an assistant on the 2018 state champs.
LB senior Miette Veldman repeated as a first team selection on the Class 3 All-State team, her third straight year on the team. Stephanie Ouderkick of Spotswood, also a senior, was the state Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Ouderkirk averaged 15.8 points and 15 rebounds per game while Veldman had 21 double-doubles this year, including five games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Most likely, the championship game would have decided the Player of the Year had it not been cancelled.
Senior Taylor Robertson of LB made the second team all-state. Veldman and Robertson were the only girls from the Blue Ridge District to make either the first or second team.
Each all-state selection committee is composed of eight coaches, with two from each of the four regions.