The Randolph Boys Varsity Basketball Team pulled out a win in a battle against Jefferson at home, 64-58, on Saturday, Jan. 6.
The Rams battled back from a four-game losing streak and came into the game with a 4-5 record against a 4-1 Jefferson team. The Rams were hoping to break their losing streak with a big out-of-conference win and succeeded.
In the first quarter, Jefferson started the scoring with a free throw, but on the next possession, sophomore guard Tristan Durkin got the Rams on the board with a 3-pointer. Both teams attacked relentlessly, with the Rams led by Durkin and senior co-captain guard Rocco Albano, who both drained threes, along with senior center Jake Miller and freshman guard Andrei Nitulescu, who both made crucial layups. With their contributions, the Rams ended the first quarter with a 16-14 lead.
“Jefferson had a good game plan to faceguard Kress,” Rams Head Coach Nick Lavender said. “We really needed others to step up on the offensive end.”
The second quarter was dominated by the Rams, who played dominant defense and knocked down shots. Miller started the scoring, grabbing a rebound to continue the Rams’ possession, which led to senior guard Andrew Taurman scoring his first points of the season with a 3-pointer off an assist from Nitulescu. Junior guard Vincent Loverde scored his first points of the night on a baseline drive for a layup, and senior co-captain Ryan Kress drained two 3-pointers. The Rams came into halftime with a 30-17 lead.
“What we prepared for the most was their style of defense and how we were going to react,” Albano said. “We worked on getting used to the zone and being able to hit our shots.”
Jefferson came out hot in the second half as they started hitting more shots and putting more pressure on both the Rams’ offense and defense.
Jefferson started the third quarter with five unanswered points until three minutes in when Durkin scored another 3-pointer to give the Rams momentum. Miller was a huge presence in the paint for the Rams as he grabbed rebounds and made put-back layups. Taurman hit another crucial 3-pointer to keep the Rams ahead with a convincing lead, followed by another Durkin 3-pointer to give him four on the night and the Rams a 43-33 lead heading into the final quarter.
“We really excelled in handling the pressure especially when they started going on a run,” Albano said.
As the fourth quarter started with a 10-point differential, Jefferson’s shooters came alive and put pressure on the Rams defense. Jefferson scored first with a steal and transition layup to take the Rams’ lead to single digits. Nitulescu answered on the Rams’ next possession with his first 3-pointer of the game to take back the double-digit lead. Jefferson began utilizing a full-court press, forcing turnovers and causing the Rams to call a timeout to stop the momentum of Jefferson. Miller continued to be an asset to the Rams by making critical layups and steals. Both teams began going back and forth making shots, keeping the game close, and stretching the lead respectively. In the last two minutes of the game, Jefferson scored 11 points, but the Rams were able to hold off enough of the attack to keep a 6-point lead and get the 64-58 victory.
“Hopefully we can carry this momentum into two divisional games this week,” Lavender said. “Two tough games that we’ll need the same consistent energy from everyone out there.”
The Rams are scheduled to play Sparta at home tonight, Thursday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m.
