RALEIGH, N.C.- The Randolph men's basketball team wrapped up the month of the December and the first half of the season on Sunday on the road at William Peace. The WildCats forced an extra period of play but the host Pacers would come out on the winning end as they won 90-81.
The WildCats started off strong in the first halt as they got out to a 9-2 lead. The Pacers would go on an 8-2 run to lead 11-10 with 14:21 showing on the clock. Randolph quickly built its lead up to eight points, 18-10, with a run led by Seth Hildebrand's (Evington, Va./Liberty Christian) five points with just over 12 minutes remaining in the half.
William Peace closed to within two points, 21-19, with 8:22 remaining. The Pacers would go on to tie the game up at 29-all with 3:21 left in the period. Randolph led 37-36 at halftime with Joseph Peters (Forest, Va./Jefferson Forest) providing six of the WildCats' eight points in the last 3:03.
In the second half, Randolph got out ahead 47-42 with a 10-4 run to start the period off. The WildCats built their lead up to six points, 61-55, with 8:30 to play in regulation. The Pacers rallied to tie to contest up 63-63 with 5:05 remaining. Both teams would exchange leads and ties in the final 4:43 of game time. William Peace led 70-69 with 54 seconds left. A free throw by Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) tied the game up at 70-70 with 43 ticks remaining. A jumper by the Pacers gave the home team a 72-70 lead with just 17 seconds showing on the clock. Randolph called a timeout with four seconds remaining. After a miss by Jerry Goodman (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian School), Landon Wagoner (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle School) took the rebound and scored on the layup with time expiring to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, William Peace got out ahead 79-72 with 3:15 left in the period. A pair of free throws by Wagoner cut the Randolph deficit to five points. The Pacers would on an 11-7 run, going 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, to pull away and claim the victory.
Overall, Randolph shot 32-of-67 (47.8%) from the floor but only 6-of-23 (26.1%) from beyond the three-point arc. William Peace was 32-of-69 (46.4%) and 6-of-25 (24%).
Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) was one of four WildCats to finish in double figures as he scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He dished out five assists while also coming away with two steals and three rebounds. Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) added 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Wagoner secured a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Peters scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds.
Randolph returns in the New Year as the WildCats resume conference play at Virginia Wesleyan on January 5. Game time will be at 5:00 p.m.
