VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team made an early week trip to the campus of Virginia Wesleyan to face the Marlins on Tuesday afternoon. Randolph had a lead just over midway in the second half but Virginia Wesleyan used a big run late to stop the WildCats and win 60-49.
The 'Cats got out to an 8-2 lead in the first half thanks to a pair of three-point baskets by Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) and Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson). The WildCats led by as much as nine points, 20-11, with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. The Marlins rallied with a 14-3 run to go ahead 25-23 with 4:09 remaining. Down 29-27 with 46 ticks showing on the clock, a three from Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) with 23 seconds left put Randolph ahead 30-29. With time winding down, a foul on the WildCats put the Marlins' Tim Fisher on the charity stripe for three shots and he made all three as Virginia Wesleyan went into the locker room up 32-30.
In the second half, the WildCats began to chip away at their deficit as they went on a 10-4 run to lead 40-36 with under 14 minutes to play. The Randolph lead was five points, 47-42, with under 12 minutes to play. A pair of Fisher jump shots closed the Marlin deficit to a point before Bickey's jumper at 8:41 put the 'Cats up 49-46. That would be the last basket made for Randolph as Virginia Wesleyan shut out the Wildcats the rest of the way with a 14-0 run to claim the win.
"We competed at a high level tonight against a really good team in our league," said head coach Pete Hamilton. "Unfortunately, another tough stretch in each half was the difference. Our guys battled on the boards and defensively, I thought we did a good job taking them out of their stuff. Fisher is an All-League player and showed it but I think our coverages were executed well by our guys."
Randolph shot 16-of-51 (31.4%) in the game and was 8-of-23 (34.8%) from behind the three point arc. The WildCats were effective from the free throw line as they converted a season-best 81.8% (9-of-11) of their attempts.
Makle scored 23 points to lead the WildCats. He added five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Bickey put up seven points and grabbed five rebounds. Phillips-McLoyd finished with six points and four steals. Landon Wagoner (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle School) grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
"The difference in the game was turnovers and offensive rebounding," said Hamilton. "We've got to take better care of the ball especially against a great defensive team. Small details and a little extra focus I think could get us over the hump tonight."
The WildCats travel to Ferrum this coming Thursday. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
