The Lord Botetourt boys and girls basketball teams are both playing in holiday tournaments this week to close out the old year.
The Lord Botetourt girls will play in the eight-team Smoky Mountain Winter Classic tournament in Gatlinburg, Tenn., at Rocky Top Sports World. The tournament begins today, December 27, and runs for three days.
The Cavaliers will open with a game against Riverside of South Carolina at 1 p.m. today. Other games find Lebanon, Tenn., against Ridgeview, Va., Rockcastle County, Ky., against Westside, S.C., and Gatlinburg-Pittman, Tenn., against Hardin Valley, Tenn.
Semifinals are Thursday and the championship is Friday, December 29. There is also a consolation bracket so every team is guaranteed three games.
“This will be a great test for us and allow us the ability to bond on and off the court,” said LB coach Renee Favaro.
Lord Botetourt is 6-1 after winning at Cave Spring last Thursday, 67-30. Taylor Orange and Madilyn Winterton had 14 points and three assists each for LB and Winterton also had eight rebounds. Ainsley Anderson had nine points and 10 assists.
Photo by Brian Hoffman
“We came out hot with a 29-5 lead after one quarter,” said Favaro. “I think we started to drop our intensity and competitiveness in the second quarter. We have to find ways to play by our standards at all times, regardless of the score or the lineup.”
The Lord Botetourt boys will play in a two-day event at Spotswood High School on Thursday and Saturday of this week. The Cavs will take on Staunton High on Thursday at 3 p.m. and Eastern Mennonite High on Saturday, December 30, also at 3 p.m.
The Cavaliers come into the Spotswood event at 4-4 after finishing second in Hidden Valley’s four-team Christmas tournament last week. Botetourt beat Magna Vista on the first night, 72-65, but lost to Hidden Valley in Friday’s championship game, 62-49.
Both the boys and girls will open the new year with Blue Ridge District games against Staunton River next Wednesday, January 3. The boys will be home and the girls will play at Moneta.
