Sports Dogs Podcast: State Championship recap and Bracket Bustin’

3/18/26- The Dogs take a bite out of their Tournament brackets, and look back at a great weekend at VCU for our area basketball teams including:

  • Clarke County’s girls claiming their second title in four years and record-breaker Alainah McKavish
  • Handley’s boys first program title in over 100 years
  • Luray’s boys fending off a record-setting performance to win in double-overtime
  • The valiant efforts by the Central boys, Skyline girls, and Luray girls

Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC. Visit the “Dave-Dog” at https://energywindowsllc.com and find out how to save money on those energy bills this Summer!

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The Duke’s Bull Run District Championship Preview: Strasburg vs Luray

2/19/26 Strasburg, VA- #1 seed Strasburg hosts #3 seed Luray tonight in the Bull Run District Boys Basketball Championship Game for the Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill with pregame coverage starting around 7:20 pm on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Strasburg swept Luray in the regular season, but both matchups were competitive with the Rams winning by 11 in Strasburg and by 5 in Luray.

Strasburg earned homecourt advantage tonight by winning the regular season Bull Run District title and finishing 17-6 overall.

The Rams had a massive improvement from last year when they finished under .500 at 10-12.

Luray has continued their winning ways and also finished 17-6 overall after claiming back-to-back Region 2B titles last year and advancing to the Class 2 state semifinals.

The Bulldogs will not have the chance to defend their title after dropping down to Class 1 but now have a better chance at finishing the season with a State Championship (in theory).

Luray is led by Matthew Owens, but the JMU bound Senior has taken a beating this season and missed Luray’s final two regular season games with an ankle injury.

Owens returned to action in the Bull Run Semifinals and finished with a game high 21 points in the win so he should be close to 100% for Thursday’s Championship game.

While Owens was out, senior Connor Hilliard took the lead and averages 13.5 points per game to go with 6.7 rebounds per game.

Hilliard will join Owens at JMU but will take his talents to the diamond at Veterans Memorial Park.

Strasburg limited the talented back court with great team defense and held the Bulldogs to over 20 points below their season average in both regular season wins.

Offensively, the Rams are led by sharpshooter Gavin Dellinger (15 ppg) and forward Jasiah Warner (11.4 ppg).

Warner led Strasburg with 16 points in the BRD semifinal win over Page County while Dellinger was limited to just 8 points, all in the 4th quarter.

The junior guard will need a full four quarters in the scoring column as the Rams will need his offense to go toe-to-toe with Owens, Luray’s All Time leading scorer.

I look for this game to trend towards a slower pace which would benefit Strasburg and the Rams size advantage in the paint with 6’4″ Warner and 6’3″ Jacob Britton.

Owens ankle injury could also limit his minutes with Luray needing to keep larger goals in mind and he might have to score 30 if the Bulldogs want a chance at upsetting the #1 seed on the road.

Ultimately, Strasburg’s defense will be the difference maker and help the Rams to their first District Title in over 15 years, Strasburg 52- Luray 48.

Color Commentator Josh Kirby spoke with Luray Head Coach Mat Huff before the game here.

For more local sports coverage, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here.

Sports Dogs Podcast: SB recap, RIP Sonny, and High School Hoops

While the R-Dog is away, the Sports Dogs still play!

The Duke is joined by Josh Kirby to recap the Super Bowl, look back on the legacy of Sonny Jurgenson, and review an INCREDIBLE high school hoops regular season as the playoffs begin next week.

The Sports Dogs are brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC…your go-to team for everything outside the home. Call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

For the latest episode, click here. 

Sports Dogs Podcast: Big Game = Big Pod

It’s a full dog bowl this week, as the R-Dog & The Duke preview The Big Game on Sunday (coverage from 2pm -8pm on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports Radio 1450 via Westwood One).

Plus, an exciting Wizards trade, Curling Olympics begin, and Duke’s Three-Pointer featuring three scorers in Handley’s Asher Mattison, Clarke County’s Alainah McKavish, and Luray’s Matthew Owens!

Get those meatballs and your seven-layer dip ready, and let’s roll with another Sports Dogs Pod, brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC…your go-to team for everything outside the home. Call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

Available now on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, or The River online here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

Sports Dogs Podcast: The Big Game Preview

It’s a full dog bowl this week, as the R-Dog & The Duke preview The Big Game on Sunday (2-8). Plus, an exciting Wizards trade, Curling, and Duke’s Three-Pointer!  Get those meatballs and your seven-layer dip ready, and let’s roll with another Sports Dogs Pod, brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC…your go-to team for everything outside the home. Call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

Sports Dogs: Championship weekend recap, DC in DC, and more

Not even Fern can keep the Dogs from barkin’ this week!

We’ll recap the NFC & AFC Championship Games, weigh-in on Handley alum Stephen Daly, Bill Belichick, the Commander’s new Defensive Coordinator… and of course, Duke’s Three Pointer focusing on local high school basketball including the Sherando girls team, Luray’s Matthew Owens approaching the school record, and the Douglas School game at Handley.

Click here to listen now.

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Luray vs Strasburg

1/13/26, Strasburg, VA- Strasburg hosts Luray in a boys basketball Bull Run bash for tonight’s Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week courtesy of Brickhouse Bar and Grill with coverage starting around 7:15 pm on Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Luray will take the court as the reigning back-to-back Region 2B champions but are unable to defend that title after dropping down to Class 1 this year.

Still competing in the Bull Run District, the Bulldogs are off to a strong start at 8-2 overall and are coming off a big win against fellow Class 1 front runner, Rappahannock County.

Luray led throughout and sprung to an early 25-9 lead with just one turnover in the first quarter.

Eighth year Head Coach Mat Huff’s squad continued to play clean basketball and dominate in turnovers 22-14 to secure the 69-48 win.

Luray is led by one of the best backcourts in Class 1 with Matthew Owens and Connor Hilliard.

Both JMU commits, Owens for basketball and Hilliard for baseball, fill up the stat sheet and can takeover a game.

Owens leads the way with 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.3 steals while Hilliard is just behind at 14 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 steals.

The seniors feed off each other and when teams focus their defense on Owens, Hilliard always seems to take advantage.

Strasburg’s defense will need to limit that duo and keep the game low scoring to defend homecourt.

In Strasburg’s 6 wins, the defense held the opposition to just 34 points per game.

The Rams defense feeds off the crowd and have been incredible at home this year going 5-2, compared to just 1-3 away from Millson French Court.

Junior guard Gavin Dellinger will need a big night to continue that trend.

Following up a strong sophomore campaign and a 1st Team All Bull Run selection, Dellinger leads the Rams in scoring and is one of the best three point shooters in the area.

Jasiah Warner also looks to have taken another step forward.

The junior provides great length at 6’4″ and can play inside or outside the perimeter.

If Strasburg can limit possessions and keep Owens and Hilliard in check, the Rams could pull off the upset.

Fatigue could be an issue for Strasburg.

The Rams will play their fourth game in seven days and are on the second night of a back-to-back after last night’s loss to Sherando while Luray has not played since Friday.

I look for that to play a role in the second half, allowing Owens and Hilliard some separation and they don’t need much; Luray pulls away late 62-49.

For more local sports coverage, check out the Sports Dogs Podcast.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

The Duke’s Region 2B Championships Preview

The Region 2B Basketball Championships takeover Shenandoah University in tonight’s Van Metre Homes Games of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and The River 95.3 app with coverage of the Girls Championship Game starting at 5:45 pm followed by the Boys Championship Game around 7:45 pm.

On the girls’ side, #1 seed Clarke County knocked off Page County and Central to advance to the title game while #3 seed Stuarts Draft took out Riverheads and Luray along the way.

Stuarts Draft avoided #2 seed Strasburg after the Rams were shorthanded against Luray in the Regional Quarterfinals before navigating past a Bulldog team that gave them their first loss of the season back in December.

Stuarts Draft enters the Regional Championship game on a nine game win streak and the Cougars are led by Shenandoah District Coach of the Year Chad Seibert and All District selections Ava Flippin, Augusta Seibert, and Madyson Mason.

The 19-4 Cougars have already well surpassed last season’s 12-11 performance that ended in a Regional Quarterfinals loss, but Clarke County will likely be the best team that Stuarts Draft has seen all year.

The Eagles have dominated Class 2 competition this year with just one loss coming against their peers, the other three came while playing higher classifications.

Clarke County is usually led by junior Alainah and freshman Paige McKavish with the elder sister recently being named District Player of the Year while both were named 1st Team All District selections.

Paige Stemberger earned 2nd Team honors and shined in our most recent coverage of the Eagles against Page County on Tuesday night.

Stemberger, a Paul VI transfer, led Clarke County in scoring for the majority of the evening and finished with a stat stuffing line of 23 points, 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.

When players like Stemberger, forward Devin Simmons-McDonald, and Eryn Demko contribute at levels like that to go along with the McKavish’s regular production, Clarke County will be a very tough-out for any team in the VHSL playoffs.

Clarke County’s team defense regularly wreaks havoc in their full court and half court zone pressures to build massive leads including a 36-0 start in Regional Quarterfinal.

When the boys take the floor, it will be another #1 vs #3 matchup with Central taking on Luray.

The Falcons and Bulldogs have already faced off three times since February 4th with all three going Central’s way, but each a bit closer than the previous.

The inaugural bout saw Central dominate the 2nd period and pull away to a 22 point win.

The second time the Bulldogs hosted the Falcons and actually led by 6 past the midway point of the fourth quarter before allowing an 18-8 run to lose 53-47.

Central and Luray’s most recent meeting also had hardware on the line in the Bull Run District Championship.

Luray limited Bull Run District Player of the Year Dereck Batiz-Lugo to just 5 points and led by as much as 10 in the 2nd quarter before the Falcons began their comeback.

Central led by just 1 with about 35 seconds left but Luray turned the ball over before getting a shot attempt and eventually fell 61-57.

The Falcons were led by Joseph Pan in that game with 26 points and 8 rebounds, and the junior is one of many Falcons who can lead the team in scoring on any given night.

Coach Jeff Whittle’s balanced approach landed four players on the All-District teams including 1st Teamers Batiz-Lugo and Luke Williams and 2nd Teamers Haiden Click and Maddox Davis.

Coach Matt Huff’s Bulldogs are led by one of the top backcourts in the Valley with Blake Jenkins and Matthew Owens.

The 1st Team All District selections combine for over 32 ppg and the junior Owens could potentially become the highest scorer in school history after already eclipsing 1000 points during the Bull Run District Tournament.

I predict Clarke County will continue to look ahead of the pack tonight but will begin to meet some similarly skilled foes in the State level.

Eagles win 86-67 with another 20+ point performance by Alainah McKavish.

The boys matchup on the other hand will come down to the final possession.

Not many teams can shoot the deep ball to keep up with Luray, but Central’s Haiden Click can help do just that and is coming off a career high 25 points including 5 three-pointers.

He will stay hot to lead Central and Luray’s buzzer beater rims off, Falcons win 51-49.