by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
There was only one team standing between the Red Devils and a return trip to the state championship—the Northumberland Indians—Lancaster’s district rival and the only Northern Neck team to beat LHS this season.
The two teams had split in their four meetings, each winning a regular season game. Then Northumberland won the district tournament championship before Lancaster rallied the following week for a last-second, 54-52, win in the Region 1A final.
So the tone was set for a barn burner at neutral site King William High School in the Group 1 state quarterfinal March 6. Some 1600 fans, equally split between the red and green teams, crowded into the gym for the game that would end one team’s dream of a state crown and send the other on the road to VCU Siegel Center and the big show.
After the two teams traded baskets for two ties in the opening eight minutes, Lancaster took the lead for good at the end of the first and went on to beat Northumberland, 53-42 in the semi-final game…
