WOOSTER, OHIO- The Randolph men's basketball team played the opening game of the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic on Friday night on the campus of the College of Wooster. The WildCats rallied from a double-digit deficit but were short in the end as they fell to Ohio Northern 88-81.
Randolph led early on in the first half as they were ahead 14-12 following a three-point basket by Ty Clingerman (Front Royal, Va./Skyline) with 13:40 showing on the game clock. The Polar Bears went ahead 18-14 with a 6-0 run. The WildCats grabbed the lead back, 22-20, at 11:21. ONU then went on a 30-15 run covering the last 10:27 of the game to take a 50-37 lead at halftime. Ohio Northern held Randolph scoreless for the last three minutes of the half.
ONU took a 15-point lead just over two minutes into the second half. Down by 14 points, 71-57, with 9:11 left to play, the WildCats clawed their way back as they used a 12-0 run to make it a one-possession contest, 71-69, with 6:21 remaining to play. The Polar Bears built their lead back up with seven straight points to go up 78-69 with 2:25 showing on the game clock. A Clingerman three cut the Randolph deficit to six points. After ONU sank a pair of free throws, Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) made two free throws of his own to again get the WIldCats to six points of tying at 1:29.
After ONU missed the second of two free throws, Cole Perry (Salisbury, N.C./Jesse Carson HS) went to the line and sank a pair to get the 'Cats to within five points. Randolph closed to four points with 38 ticks left and then three points with 24 seconds remaining. Ohio Northern made all four of its free throws in the end to secure the victory.
"Tough ending,"said head coach Pete Hamilton. "Felt like we kind of ran out of time after a poor first half. I thought we started to get things going in the second and the game started to flow at our pace. We didn't open with enough activity and physicality and I think ONU really capitalized. They had a lot of role guys make some really big shots throughout the game."
Randolph shot 30-of-65 from the field (46.2%) but Ohio Northern was just a bit better going 27-of-53 (50.9%). The Polar Bears went 10-of-19 (52.6%) from behind the three-point while the WildCats were 7-of-19 (36.8%). Randolph was efficient from the charity stripe as it converted 14-of-16 (87.5%) of its attempts.
Both teams had 31 rebounds. Points off turnovers slightly favored the 'Cats 18-16 as did second chance points 16-15. Randolph also had an edge in the paint 28-26.
Phillips-McLoyd led the WildCats with 26 points to go with five assists and three steals. Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) added 16 points and three rebounds. Clingerman finished with eight points. Landon Wagoner (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle School) scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds. Perry pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go with four points and two assists.
Randolph will play in the consolation game tomorrow afternoon at 2:15. They will face the loser of the Mt. Aloysius and Wooster game.
"We have another opportunity tomorrow and I'm excited to play another after a tough finish to this one," said Hamilton.
