On a snowy evening in Salamanca, the Cardinals visited the Warriors for a rematch of an exciting 76-75 win by Randolph two weeks earlier. Once again, when the two got together, the 3-pointers were flying...and falling. A total of 21 long-range bombs exploded in the game, with 10 going off in the third quarter alone. When the smoke finally cleared, there was a mob scene of fans storming the court and celebrating a win for the Warrior Nation.
Salamanca got double figure scoring from four different players and a big boost from a boisterous home crowd to defeat visiting Randolph, 68-64. The win gives the Warriors a league title in CCAA East I as the Class B2 school heads into sectional play.
After the lead changed four different times in the game's first two minutes, Salamanca's Damian Taylor connected from downtown to spark an 11-0 run that gave the Warriors an early 10-point lead. As it turned out, Salamanca never relinquished the early advantage, leading the game for the final 30 minutes. However, it hardly meant the game wasn't exciting, and the Warriors were certainly never comfortable with their lead until the final horn sounded.
Mason Bosley came off the bench for the Cardinals and got to work quickly, bombing in a trio of treys over the last four minutes of the opening quarter, to help cut the Warriors lead in half. At the end of the first quarter, Salamanca led, 21-16.
A sluggish start to the second quarter for Randolph saw the Warriors increase their lead back to 28-19 midway through the stanza. After a 6-0 run from Randolph made it a three-point game, the Warriors pushed their lead back to 10 points behind baskets from Jared Fish and a pair from Andy Crandall, including a '3'. Following a Cardinal free throw in the frame's final minute, Mitchell Maycock sank a 3-pointer late in the half for Randolph, making it 35-29, in favor of Salamanca at the break.
The third quarter was marked by the long-ball, as in 3-pointers flying on nearly every possession in each direction. In just the first two minutes of the stanza, the teams combined to knock down four treys, with Taylor and Tyler Siperek connecting for the Warriors, and Bosley and Bryce Morrison hitting them for Randolph. Six more 3-balls fell over the last 2:42 of the quarter, including a seires of five straight as the teams went back-and-forth. Siperek began the series, busting from the right side for the Warriors. Morrison answered from deep for Randolph. That cycle literally repeated over the next two possessions, making the score 51-50 in favor of Salamanca.
The final minute of the third quarter was the game's most crucial stretch. Andy Crandall popped off from deep with 52 seconds left, making it 54-50. After a steal, Crandall layed one in to make it 56-50. Then in the final seconds of the third, Taylor swished a '3' from the right corner, sending the locals into a frenzy, and the Warriors into the final quarter with a 59-50 advantage.
Randolph netted seven straight points to kick off the fourth, with another pair of treys coming from Maycock and Cody Oldro. Twice over the final three minutes and six times in the second half, the Cardinals pulled to within a point of the Warriors. But everytime Randolph was on the brink of taking the lead, Salamanca had an answer. Fish put the game away in the final minute for the Warriors with a basket and a pair from the charity stripe.
Fish led Salamanca with 18 points, Crandall scored 17 points, Taylor finished with 14 points, and Siperek added 13 points.
For Randolph, Morrison led the team with 18 points, while Maycock and Bosley chipped in 16 & 12 points, respectively.
-centercourt
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