A large crowd turned out in Springwood last week to watch the James River boys host Lord Botetourt in a preseason benefit basketball game. If the game is any indication of what’s to come it should be an exciting season, as the Knights pulled out a 38-37 win.
“The atmosphere for the Lord Botetourt game was what we all had hoped for,” said River coach Ethan Humphries. “The community and student support were stellar. It felt like March. We’re glad we were able to provide an entertaining game for all.”
It was close all the way. LB jumped out to an early lead but the Knights rallied and trailed just 24-21 at the half. River led 32-31 after three quarters and it was tight down the stretch.
“It was a great environment for a benefit game,” said LB coach Josh Aliveto.
Botetourt’s Landon Hayes was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points. Ryder Ward led River with 15 while Riley Carlisle had nine points and four rebounds, and Jack Beheler had seven points and a dozen boards. Jairdan Pennix had six points for LB and Landen Gray had five.
River was scheduled to open the regular season with two home games this week, Riverheads on Tuesday and Parry McCluer on Friday.
“We are excited to start,” said Humphries. “This is a really connected group and they enjoy being around one another. We have a good mix of returners and new faces to varsity. It’ll take some time for us to figure out how we can be most efficient on a nightly basis, but we do know it’ll have to involve a physical brand of basketball.”
The Cavaliers will open tonight, Wednesday, at Jefferson Forest followed by a trip to Pulaski on Friday. Coach Josh Aliveto feels the benefit game was a great way to prepare for the regular season.
“We talk a lot about consistency and continue to work towards being more consistent in our overall play on both ends of the court,” he said. “On the offensive end, we need to continue to improve on execution and finishes, and on defense we need to rebound better to eliminate second chance points.
“Our goal is to be competitive in every game and continue raising the level of our program. We are going to need to show up every night to compete, especially in the Blue Ridge District, which has quality teams with quality coaches from top to bottom.”
