BRIDGEWATER, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team traveled to Bridgewater on Saturday afternoon to face the Eagles. Bridgewater came out on the winning end as it defeated the WildCats 84-70
BC led by as much as eight points, 23-15, with 9:25 remaining in the first half. Randolph used a 14-4 run to go ahead 29-27 with 3:11 showing on the clock. Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) helped key the WildCat run as he attributed for eight of Randolph's points during that stretch. The Eagles went on a 9-0 run to jump ahead 36-29 with 45 seconds left in the half. Free throws by Bickey and Landon Wagoner (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle School) cut Randolph's deficit to five points, 36-31, at halftime.
An Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) layup to start the second half cut the WildCat deficit to three points. A Makle three tied the game at 42-42 at 14:31. Bridgewater scored six straight points to take the lead back but Randolph answered with a 7-0 run to go up 49-48 at 10:52. The Eagles' 18-7 run, however, staked the home team to its biggest lead of the day, 56-66, with 6:46 remaining to play. The WildCats were able to cut their deficit to single digits, 69-62, with 5:05 left. Randolph trailed by nine points, 77-68, with 2:46 remaining to play but Bridgewater closed the game out with a 7-2 run to come away with the win.
"All month - even through struggling results - we really did a nice job of starting games with great spirit and determination," said head coach Pete Hamilton. "Unfortunately a few things didn't bounce our way the first part of the first half and it felt like our spirit as a team was very deflated after. We regained it in spurts but just couldn't figure it out for the long haul."
Randolph was 22-of-51 (43.1%) from the floor overall. The team's 53.8% three-point shooting percentage was its second-best for the season to date.
Bickey led with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Jerry Goodman (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian School) scored 14 points and dished out three assists. CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County) added 11 points and five rebounds. Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) finished with 10 points.
"Jerry and Danny gave us a huge spark when we were struggling to start the game," noted Hamilton. "Those guys are tough to guard when they are playing free with a spaced floor. It was just hard for us to get enough stops to keep that going. Was glad to have CJ back tonight. He's obviously a big part of what we do and I'm glad we could work him back in. I know it's hard on him to have missed so much time but he's doing a nice job climbing back into the swing of things."
Randolph hosts cross-city rival Lynchburg this coming Wednesday at Giles Gymnasium. Game time will be at 7:00 p.m.
