FERRUM, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team faced Ferrum in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference game on Thursday night at the Panthers' Swartz Gym. The WildCats saw their big lead disappear but held off Ferrum's second half comeback as they would win 86-81 for their first ODAC win of the season.
The victory snaps a 10-game winless streak for the 'Cats. Their overall record now stands at 4-11 overall and 1-6 in the ODAC. Ferrum drops to 5-8 overall and 0-5 in conference play.
"So proud of our guys," said head coach Pete Hamilton. "They have been playing some good basketball all month and we've just not been able to close one out - the guys earned this one. What a team win."
The WildCats started out hot as they led 8-0 just over three minutes into the second half. The Panthers closed to within two points of tying, 14-12, with 13:39 remaining in the period. Randolph then went on a 20-3 run to break the game open and jump ahead 34-15 with under eight minutes left in the half. The WildCat lead grew to as much as 21 points, 39-18, with 3:43 showing on the game clock. Randolph led 42-26 at halftime.
Evan Makle's (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) three-point basket in the second half gave the WildCats a 48-28 advantage with 18:02 on the clock and Randolph poised to run away with the game. The Panthers' 17-6 run closed their deficit to single digits, nine points, at the 12:27 mark and the score standing at 54-45. A three by Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) restored the Randolph lead back to double-digits. With the WildCats still ahead by 12, 59-47, with under 11 minutes remaining to play, Ferrum embarked on a 10-0 run to make it a one-possession game 59-57, with 9:19 left.
The WildCats built their lead back up to six points but the Panthers would come back and tie it up at 63-all with 6:23 showing on the clock. Ferrum tied the game up again after a brief lead by Randolph with 4:01 left. The 'Cats leapt ahead with a 7-0 run to make it 78-71 with 2:06 remaining. Ferrum would close to within two points, 81-79, with 37 ticks left and one point, 82-81, with 25 seconds left. The WildCats, however, made all four of their free throw attempts in the final 21 seconds to come out with the win.
Randolph shot well overall on the night as it was 27-of-59 (45.8%) from the floor and 13-of-31 from behind the three-point arc. The WildCats were also 19-of-27 (70.4%) from the free throw line.
Three players reached the 20-point mark for the WildCats led by Makle's 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He grabbed six rebounds in addition. Jerry Goodman (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian School) finished with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting to go with three rebounds and three assists. Bickey contributed 20 points and four rebounds. Jordan Phillips McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds.
"All season we've talked about how our guard play can really change games," noted Hamilton. "Look at the games from Jerry Goodman, Evan Makle, Jordan Phillips-McLoyd and Danny Bickey. We found those guys in their spots and it started with Jerry controlling the flow. It felt like all four of those guys hit a big jump shot when we needed a confidence booster - and the dangerous thing with that is our opponent can't choose just one to focus on. The stats might not show it but Ty Clingerman's leadership and selfless play are a huge part of tonight. Taking charges, diving on the floor, keeping the ball popping offensively to the right guys - he just plays the game the right way."
The WildCats hope to push their winning streak to two as they travel to Bridgewater this coming Saturday. Game time will be at 2:00 p.m.
"We've got to continue to learn, said Hamilton. "It feels great to get one - a road one at that - but we've got to turn our attention to Saturday now."
