LYNCHBURG, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team played its second game in as many days as the WildCats hosted Regent on Sunday afternoon. The WildCats came all the way back from a big first half deficit but ultimately fell short in the end as the Royals won 84-74.
The WildCats made the first basket of the game on a layup by Trey Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./Green Run HS) 42 seconds into the contest. The Royals then went on a 16-0 run to get out to a 16-2 lead. Elijah Cox (Galax, Va./Carroll County) ended the Randolph scoring drought with a layup at 14:27 to make it 16-4. Regent dominated the WildCats in the half as it increased its lead to 23 points, 33-10, with 9:05 showing on the game clock. Randolph showed some life in the final minutes as it cut its deficit to 15 points, 43-28, at halftime.
In the second half, Randolph started with a 6-0 run to cut its deficit to single digits at the 17:25 mark. Trailing 49-36 with 15:45 left to play, Randolph's 8-0 run closed the WildCat deficit to five points. The Royals continued to add to their advantage as they led 69-55 at 7:36. The Wildcats continued to attack as they made it a one-possession contest, 75-72, with 3:16 remaining to play. Both teams struggled for a basket in the next 1:45 of game time. Regent closed out the game with a 9-2 run with all nine points coming from the free throw line.
It was a tale of two halves as Regent led the first half 43-28 and Randolph the second half 46-41. The WildCats shot 8-of-36 (22.2%) overall in the first half but went 17-of-38 (44.7%) in the second half. The 'Cats led in points off turnovers 17-9 and in second chance points 15-5. Randolph led the rebounding battle 46-41.
Parson scored 20 points to lead Randolph and added six rebounds. Steven Burgess Jr. (Coeur d'Alene, ID/Coeur d'Alene HS) chipped in 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Miller came down with eight rebounds and finished with four points.
The WildCats are home again this coming Wednesday when they host Methodist. Game time from Giles Gymnasium will be at 7:00 p.m.
