Eastern Randolph coach Johnny Thomas gives instructions during Monday night’s game against Uwharrie Charter Academy. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record)
RAMSEUR – Eastern Randolph’s boys’ basketball team had a big collective answer when it came to a key matchup with Uwharrie Charter Academy.
It seemed like all the Wildcats were on board.
Using a sizzling second-half stretch, Eastern Randolph pulled away for an 83-63 home victory in Monday night’s make-up game, keeping alive an outside chance at sharing the Piedmont Athletic Conference championship.
“We found a way to kick it into gear,” coach Johnny Thomas said. “It has started to fall together.”
Eastern Randolph (12-7 overall, 8-2 PAC) trails only one-loss Randleman in the conference standings. UCA (16-7, 6-4) is alone in third place.
Timothy Brower scored 21 points and Julian Brooks notched 15 points for Eastern Randolph, which has a three-game winning streak. Aaron Smith’s 20 points and Braeden Lamb’s 14 points paced the Eagles.
Lamb’s 3-pointer gave UCA a 45-43 third-quarter lead before the Wildcats cranked out a 13-0 spurt capped by 3-pointers from Antwan Gatling and Camden Jones. Tyler Gee and Jones both finished with 12 points.
“When we’re playing fast, we’ll find open spots,” Brooks said.
That sure became the case. By the time Smith, who sat out earlier in the third quarter with four fouls, made two free throws with less than a second left in the third quarter, the Eagles were in a double-digit hole.
Then Eastern Randolph cranked out 27 points in the fourth quarter.
“As soon as one of us starts to make shots, we all do,” guard Cade McCallum said.
That part was particularly encouraging for Thomas. McCallum drained a first-quarter 3, Gatling’s 3 at the end of the half pushed the Wildcats to a 34-30 lead, and Gee and Jones hit clutch jumpers.
“A lot of those guys really stepped up and we’re starting to see that more often,” he said.
UCA received a spirited performance from Smith, whose work in the lane had him flexing after some of his power moves. Brooks countered some of that, though he said he knew he had a tough task on the boards.
But the Eagles were detoured in the first minute of the third quarter when Jaxon Mabe was hurt in a pile-up in front of the Eastern Randolph bench. He returned to the court hobbling and played sparingly the rest of the game.
It wasn’t a stellar performance, by his standards, for Brower, who Thomas said “didn’t have his best showing.” But the senior guard eclipsed the 1,500-point mark for his career and he said that’s something he takes pride in.
The game was pushed back from Friday night because of illness, so the Wildcats were on a different pregame routine.
“It all felt really weird and different,” Brower said.
