Balanced scoring highlights Botetourt’s second win over the Cougars

Pulaski County HS, Dublin,VA – Coach Andrew Hart’s Lord Botetourt Cavaliers extended their unbeaten streak to five games to start the season with a sound win, their second, over Pulaski County 77-60. Pulaski County played without arguably their leader and best player, F 5 A.J. McCloud, who was sidelined with a hand injury. McCloud accounted for eleven points in their first game. Coach Hart took notice of McCloud’s absence. “He’’s (McCloud) a great athlete and a great player. He gave us some problems in the first game (January 7) and he is going to give everyone problems. That definitely hurt them, certainly offensively.” Balanced scoring was the theme of the night for the Cavs as four players finished in double figures. F/G 15 Conner Tilley led the way with sixteen, F/G 11 Tanner Selkirk and Dylan Salvi both added fourteen apiece, and F 4 Kyle Arnholt contributed twelve.

This Cavalier team does a good job of drawing the defense and distributing the ball to the open shooter. Their ability to drop three pointers continues to be the reason why they are able to put distance between themselves and their opponents. Tonight they were 14 of 34 from outside the arc, just over forty percent.

First Half –
The first quarter was marked by Salvi’s ability to get to the basket and score. The 5’9” Junior scored three times driving the ball inside, and when he wasn’t finishing he was getting to the free throw line. That, in turn, opened up the outside looks. Hart wasn’t reserved in talking about his guard, “Salvi’s not the biggest, not the fastest, although he is fast.

He’s got the most heart of anyone we’ve got. We are normally better when he’s in the game. He finds a way to get loose balls. That’s why we can win. Because we’ve got guys like that. He is just one of several that do all the little things… goes about his business. It’s great to have him on our squad.“ Botetourt delivered on four-three pointers early on as well – Selkirk, Tilley, F 1 Tyler Meade, and Arnholt all made deep tres. That allowed the visitors to jump out to a 22-14 first quarter lead.
In the second quarter Botetourt extended their lead to twelve. Pressure defense, especially out on top, and continued good shooting afforded them the separation. F 4 Arnholt made his presence known in the quarter both inside and out with eleven points. G 2 Logan Bramblett nailed two three pointers from the left corner on dishes from G/F 11 Selkirk driving to the hoop and finding the open man. Selkirk draws a lot of attention when he has the ball.

Pulaski doubled their output of shots but lost ground on the score. The Cougars had seven different players score in the second but it just wasn’t enough firepower. Freshman G 14 Lane Nester scored five to lead Pulaski in that frame. LB’s lead was 42-30 at the half.

Second Half – After the break, Botetourt put more distance between themselves and the home team. This has been the Cavaliers M.O. this year. The third quarter has proven especially productive in their first five games. G/F 11 Selkirk really stepped up in the third with eleven of his fourteen points on the night. G/F 15 Tilley kicked in with eight. Rebounding is another often overlooked key to winning. LB seems to hold their own, game in and game out. Coach Hart likes his chances of coming up with the boards, but he doesn’t want any let up, “Our three guys that play down (inside) the most – Kyle (Arnholt), Tanner (Selkirk) and (Conner) Tilley, we are real comfortable with them. Between those three we feel like we can get most rebounds… I was actually a little disappointed in the second quarter (tonight) with our rebounding. But those guys usually clean the glass up (rebound) and that lets us run the court.

The final quarter saw a lot of Cavaliers get some playing time as the starters moved to the sidelines. Coach Hart isn’t shocked when those subs come in and stand out, “They go hard in practice every day. We could go one through fourteen (on the team) and really not miss much of a beat anywhere. And these guys have all played together for a long time. I don’t think twice about putting any of them in there. They play hard, work hard in practice and they score points, … and they play defense in practice just like everybody else. It’s no shocker when they come in and are productive in the games.”

One final reason for the Cavaliers success this year is the number of shots they put up versus their opponents. Tonight was fairly even, but most nights LB has a decided advantage. That fact lends itself to playing tough defense, turning opponents over and getting boards. In this game, Botetourt launched 34 three pointers, 28 field goals, and went to the charity stripe 11 times. Pulaski kept pace for the most part shooting 28 threes, 30 twos, and 13 free throws, but there is one more factor. Putting them up is one thing, making them can be quite another. So far, the Cavs have been winning the most important stat in games and that’s is in the “W” column.

Lord Botetourt, as it stands right now, will travel to play their next game at Radford this coming Wednesday. Radford is also unbeaten at 4-0 with wins over Giles twice, Floyd County, and James River.

Lord Botetourt– Tilley 16pts (2FG, 4-3ptrs) Selkirk 14pts (3-FGs, 2-3ptrs, 2/2 FT) Salvi 14pts, (5 FGs, 4/4 FT) Arnholt 12pts (3 FGs, 2-3ptrs, 0/1 FT) Meade 6pts (2-3ptrs) L Bramblett 6pts (2-3ptrs) N Prince 3pts (1-3ptr)       O Prince 2pts (1 FG) Lovern 2pts (1 FG) Harrison 1pt (1/2 FT)       Compton 1pt (1/2 FT)

Pulaski County – McDaniel 11pts (1-FGs,  3-3ptrs) Nester 8pts (2-FGs, 1-3ptr, 1/2 FT) O’Neal 8pts (1-FG, 2-3ptrs) Johnson 7pts (2-FG, 1-3ptr) Sealander 7pts (3 FGs, 1/1 FT) Bourne 6pts (2 FGs, 2/5 FTs) Gulley 3pts (1 FG, 1/2 FT) Crouse 3pts (1-3ptr, 0/2 FT) Underwood 3pts (1-3ptr) Sutherland 2pts (1 FG, 0/1 FT)

“Between those three…”