The Lord Botetourt girls’ basketball team was hoping to be playing for the state Class 3 championship when the paper went to press this week. The Cavaliers were scheduled to meet Booker T. Washington High of Norfolk in a state semifinal game at the Salem Civic Center Tuesday. Results were too late for publication, but the winner advances to Friday’s state championship game in Richmond.
Botetourt went into Tuesday’s game at 24-3 after defeating Turner Ashby in last Friday’s state quarterfinal at Roanoke College, 63-30. Booker T. Washington had a 19-10 record prior to Tuesday’s state semifinal game at the Salem Civic Center.
The other semifinal matched defending Class 3 champion Spotswood against Lakeland High of Suffolk. Lord Botetourt won the 2018 state championship, so if LB and Spotswood both won Tuesday it would pit the last two state champions in a “rubber game” on Friday. Spotswood eliminated LB last year in the semifinal round, 47-42.
The Class 3 state championship is scheduled to be played at the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Game time is 6 pm and it will be one of four state championship games for Class 3 and 4 teams on Friday. The Class 4 girls play at 12:30 pm, followed by the Class 4 boys at 2:30 pm, the Class 3 girls at 6 pm and the Class 3 boys at 8 pm. As of Tuesday Cave Spring was still alive in the Class 3 boys’ tournament.
The Class 1 & 2 state championship games are at the Siegel Center on Thursday while the Class 5 & 6 games are Saturday. Prior to Tuesday local teams still alive included the Auburn boys in Class 1, the Radford boys in Class 2 and the Patrick Henry boys in Class 5.
Botetourt was on a roll prior to Tuesday’s semifinal, winning 22 of their last 23 games with the only loss coming to William Fleming in the Blue Ridge District tournament. The Cavaliers put on a dominating performance against Turner Ashby at the Roanoke College Cregger Center last Friday. The Cavs were up 29-17 at the half despite having leading scorer Miette Veldman on the bench for an extended period due to foul trouble.
“Our bench stepped up and played some big minutes for us, specifically Ally Spangler and Brianna Wisseman,” said LB coach coach Renee Favaro.
The Cavs increased the lead to 15, 40-25, by the end of the third quarter then put it away by holding Turner Ashby to just five points in the fourth period.
“I loved our defensive effort,” said Favaro. “I thought we did a great job of slowing them down. Any time you can hold a team to 30 points, you have a great opportunity to win.”
Veldman led LB with 20 points despite the foul trouble and also had nine rebounds. Taylor Robertson had 15 points and a dozen boards and continued to play her best basketball of the season at the most opportune time. Meredith Wells had seven points, Spangler had six off the bench and all 11 girls on the roster got in the game.
“I thought we passed the ball very well,” said Favaro. “And it was great to have a student section and see so much community support.”
Seniors Veldman and Kenleigh Gunter will be gunning for their fifth state championship this week, as they were members of three girls’ volleyball championship teams and the 2018 hoops champ. Favaro points to their leadership and the LB team unity as a big reason for the success.
“Each member of this team truly wants the person beside them to be successful, and it shows,” she said. “They all have one goal in mind and that is to make a trip back to Richmond.”
