HARRISONBURG -- In 10 seconds, a smile and a laugh melted into a wail and a tear. Strasburg senior Jaclyn Ayers, beaming only seconds before tipoff, gathered her umpteenth steal of the season on George Mason's first possession of the Region B, Division 2 semifinals. Ayers shuttled toward the Strasburg basket; she launched for what should have been the kind of transition layup she's built a career out of.
SALEM -- Last weekend, a teary-eyed Colin Barnes stood alone at the edge of the mat.
He had lost the regional championship, falling for just the second time all season to Manassas Park's Issac Velasquez.
Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School was lit ablaze Friday night. Neither Strasburg nor George Mason, as far as qualifying for the Region B tournament was concerned, necessarily needed to win the Bull Run District championship game, as both teams have already guaranteed themselves No. 4 and No. 1 seeds, respectively.
FALLS CHURCH -- All the Strasburg Rams could feel was relief. Relief that they had beaten Madison County and secured a spot in today's Bull Run District girls basketball tournament final; relief that their final score of 40-25 wasn't too indicative of their rustiness on Thursday night.
MADISON -- Top-seeded Madison County had no trouble against upset-minded Strasburg in the Bull Run District boys basketball tournament on Thursday, as the Mountaineers routed the Rams 73-31 to advance to the championship.
BERRYVILLE -- The fourth-seeded Strasburg Rams continued their late season uptick, recovering from a two-point halftime deficit with a red-hot 17-2 third quarter to best fifth-seeded Manassas Park 55-34 in the Bull Run District boys basketball tournament play-in game on Wednesday.