ASHLAND, Va. - Freshman Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding) scored a career-high 16 points, including nine points in the final two minutes, as the Randolph-Macon men's basketball team rallied to edge Hobart 59-57 Saturday afternoon in Crenshaw Gym in the championship game of the 2017 R-MC Coaches Tournament sponsored by Kay Jewelers.
The Yellow Jackets (8-3) trailed 55-50 with two minutes left. Anthony made three layups, the final one part of a three-point play, as R-MC took a 57-55 lead with 36.6 seconds left. Anthony sank a pair of free throws with 14.5 seconds remaining to give the Yellow Jackets a 59-55 edge. A follow by the Statesmen (6-3) with 4.7 seconds left make it 59-57. R-MC threw the ball in and avoided a foul as the final time expired, giving the Yellow Jackets the victory.
Anthony was 6 for 7 from the floor, hit his only three-pointer and went 3 for 3 from the free throw line. He was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player. Senior Daniel Noe (Fairfax, Va./Bishop Ireton) and junior Grayson Midulla (Glen Allen, Va./Glen Allen) both scored a dozen for the Yellow Jackets. Midulla joined Anthony on the All-Tournament Team.
A layup by Midulla capped a 6-0 start for R-MC. A one-hander by junior Jon Nowell (Riverdale, Ga./Blair Academy) extended the lead to 14-5 midway through the first period. A three-pointer by Anthony gave the Yellow Jackets their largest lead at 28-11 with just under four minutes remaining. The Statesmen cut the margin to 12 at 30-18 before a free throw by Nowell gave R-MC a 31-18 advantage at intermission. Midulla, Anthony and junior Luke Neeley (Orange, Va./Woodberry Forest) each had five points for the Yellow Jackets. Nowell topped R-MC with five rebounds.
Anthony hit a short jumper on R-MC's first possession of the second half to give the home team a 33-18 lead before Hobart scored 13 straight points to pull within two at 33-31 with 16:20 remaining. The Statesmen hit a trey with 9:38 left to take their first lead at 42-40. Hobart pushed its advantage to eight at 53-45 with five minutes left before a three-pointer by Midulla and a layup by Noe made it 53-50 with 2:40 remaining. After a pair of free throws by the Statesmen, Hobart held a 55-50 advantage.
The R-MC defense held Hobart to its lowest point total of the season. Nowell paced R-MC with five rebounds. Noe and sophomore Korey Turner (Midlothian, Va./Amelia Academy) both had three assists.
Others on the All-Tournament Team were Jamal Lucas of Hobart, DaRon Curry of Rowan and Daniel Alexander of Frostburg State.
Randolph-Macon returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 3 with a 7 p.m. home ODAC contest against Shenandoah in Crenshaw Gym.