MIDDLETOWN, Pa.- The Randolph men's basketball team played its second game of the Penn State Harrisburg Tip Off Tournament on Sunday afternoon. The WildCats picked up their first win of the season as they defeated Mount Aloysius 92-85.
The WildCats came out shooting as Landon Wagoner (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle School) and Danny Bickey (Charleston, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) both made three-point baskets to put Randolph ahead 6-0. Leading 14-8 with 13:18 to play in the first half, the 'Cats went on an 11-5 run, with Bickey making three three-point baskets, to lead 25-13 with 9:45 to play in the half. A 10-0 Mounties run, however, closed the gap to just one point, 28-27 with 4:10 showing on the game clock. Back-to-back threes from Mount Aloysius' Jason Coronade put the Mounties ahead 35-34 with 1:18 remaining. With the score knotted at 36-36, Bickey drained another trey to give Randolph a 39-36 lead at halftime.
In the second half, it was a two-possession game early on. Leading 49-46 just under the 15 minute mark, a 15-3 run by Randolph gave the WildCats gave them the biggest lead of the afternoon, 63-49, with 10:50 showing on the game clock. Mount Aloysius was able chip the lead down as it got to with five points, 78-73, with 4:45 left in regulation. It was a six-point game, 87-81, with 2:13 remaining but the Mounties could get no closer as the WildCats pulled away for the victory.
"Extremely proud of the bounce back from the guys," said head coach Pete Hamilton after the game. "We really got the air taken out of our sails last night and I thought we responded on our toes this afternoon. We talked for the past 24 hours about early season mistakes - and how those can only happen by being assertive. We still made plenty of errors tonight but they happened on our toes."
Randolph shot 45% from the floor overall and 40% from behind the three-point line. The WIldCats were also 18-of-24 from the free throw line.
The Mounties did lead in rebounds 41-37. The WildCats had a 19-13 advantage in point off of turnovers, 19-14 in second chance points and outscored the Mounties' bench 37-23.
"Our guard play was tremendous," stated Hamilton. "We talk a lot about using our guard depth as a strength and we did a great job of sharing it especially in the 2nd half. Having Bickey and Evan be threats on any catch and combining it with the pace Jordan and Jerry bring at the point can make a difference like it did today."
Jerry Goodman (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian School) led the 'Cats with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Bickey finished with 19 points and was 6-of-11 from behind the three-point arc. Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) also scored 19 points and came away with four steals. CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County) had a team-high seven rebounds.
"Bickey did a great job of getting us rolling early then Evan was able to find a rhythm in the second," noted Hamilton. "Jerry Goodman played one of his best today. His ability to attack pressure and make decisions with paint touches separated us late."
Randolph heads to Greensboro for its next game on Wednesday. Game time is at 7:00 p.m.
"Basketball is a game of runs and the story of this was certainly that," said Hamilton. "We've got a lot to learn and a lot to improve on before Wednesday!"
