RUHS Ends Season With #13 Seeding
By Cody Montgomery

The Randolph boys’ basketball team ended their regular season, Tuesday, on Senior Night against U-32, losing 61-45. The day before the Ghosts traveled to Montpelier to play a game that was originally scheduled for last Wednesday.

The Ghosts lost on the solon’s senior night, 63-55, after leading a good portion of the game. Randolph also traveled to Lamoille last Friday and came from behind to win by the score of 53-44.

Randolph will be seeded 13^th in the playoffs, and will most likely have to travel to take on fourth-seeded otter valley sometime next week. The Ghost boys finish with a 6-14 record for the year.

Senior Night vs. U-32

Randolph took on a much bigger U-32 team Tuesday, and was handed a 61-45 loss. Randolph seniors Ira Tillberg, Markus Farnham, Cody Montgomery, Derek Riley, and Mike Czok started in their final home game in a Randolph uniform.

The two teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes until U-32 went on a 12-2 run to lead 20-10 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Randolph came within nine, 25-16 after Thomas Jacobs scored inside, then sank two free throws. The Raiders extended their lead to 14, 32-18 at halftime.

White led off the third quarter with a three, but U-32 answered with five consecutive points to increase the deficit. Kyle Connolly and White scored on consecutive possessions to bring the ghosts within 12, but U-32 continued to match Randolph’s offense. The Raiders stretched their lead to 18, 51-33, after the third quarter. White scored 12 of Randolph’s 15 points in the quarter.

Connolly led off the fourth with a trey, and after the Raiders matched, Jacobs hit a jumper in the short corner. The Ghosts came within 13 after Tillberg nailed a trey from the corner, and Jacobs sank a pair of foul shots. Josh Ferris scored on the fast-break at the end of the game for Randolph, to close the gap to 16, 61-45.

White led the way for the Ghosts with 16 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter. Jacobs had 10 points and five rebounds, Tillberg had nine points, Connolly had six points and five rebounds, Czok had two points and six rebounds, Ferris had two points, Farnham had a point, and Montgomery had five rebounds.

The U-32 Raiders improved their record to 17-3, and clinched the number 2 seed in the Division II. U-32’s big center Marcus Haas had 27 points.

Montpelier Away

The Randolph boys nearly came away with the victory on Montpelier’s senior night Monday, but they lost 63-55.

Randolph took the first lead of the game when Tillberg followed his own miss with a make. Montpelier answered, but Connolly put the Ghosts up again with a jump-shot good for two points, then took matters into his own hands sinking back-to-back threes to put the Ghosts up by 10-9 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Randolph and Montpelier continued to trade baskets back and forth until the end of the quarter, where the Solons led 15-14.

After being down by two, 18-16, Farnham lit up the boards for three consecutive threes, two from the corner and one from the top of the arc, to put the Ghosts 25-20. The Solons retied it. Another long jumper put Randolph ahead by two with two minutes left in the half. Montpelier scored at the buzzer to go up by one, 32-31 at halftime.

Montpelier didn’t score their first hoop until midway through the third period, but made up for lost time, outscoring Randolph 14-6 the rest of the way. The Ghosts trailed 46-42 after three.

The Solons opened the final quarter on an 8-3 run to go up by nine early. Tillberg cashed in on the offensive glass, and White hit a free throw, but Montpelier scored on the fast break to go back up by eight, 63-55. There were 14 lead changes in the contest.

White led all scorers with 19 points, Connolly had 11 points and nine rebounds, Farnham had 11 points, all of which came in the second quarter, Jacobs had eight points and nine rebounds, Tillberg had four points and five boards, and David Cooch had a pair of free throws.

Senior center Thomas Passburg led the Solons with 16 points. Senior Guards Shayne Morrissey and Evan Brigham had 13 and 11 points for Montpelier, who improved their record to 14-6.

Lamoille Win

The Randolph boys came form behind to defeat the Lancers 53-44 last Friday.

‘The Lamoille Lancers came out with intensity on their senior night, putting Randolph down by nine with and 11-2 run. Cooch sank two from the charity strip and White sank a jumper to bring the Ghosts within five, 11-6 by the end of the quarter.

Tillberg and Jacobs brought the Ghosts within 13-12, but Lamoille answered with a 10-2 run. Farnham and White scored, closing the gap to seven at the end of the first half.

In the third, White’s fast-break hoop gave Randolph its first lead of the game. The Lancers answered with a pair of free throws to put themselves back up by one, 33-32 at the end of the quarter.

Jacobs put the Ghosts ahead by three with a hoop and the foul, converting the foul shot to complete another three-point play. The Ghosts then broke the game open with a 9-0 run to go up 45-35, with four minutes left. Randolph kept Lamoille down with clutch foul shooting and good defense as they prevailed 53-44.

Jacobs went seven for eight form the charity stripe, and led the way with 17points and 12 rebounds for the Ghosts, White had 14 points, Tillberg had six points and five rebounds, Connolly had six points and five steals, Montgomery had three, Farnham, Cooch, and Riley had two points apiece, and Czok had one. Everyone who played for Randolph scored.

JV

The JV boys lost to U-32, 46-26. Sam Lyons had nine points to lead Randolph.

Randolph also lost to Montpelier, who were undefeated in the season. Ferris had 11, and Jason Hicks had 10points.

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