Yellow Jackets use team effort

-- A big effort from a trio of big players produced a big victory for Randolph-Macon's men's basketball team.

Starting forward Brandon Braxton delivered a boisterous double-double (16 points and 13 rebounds) and frontcourt reserves Billy Campion and Danny Jones combined for 15 points and 13 rebounds as Randolph-Macon pounded ODAC archrival Hampden-Sydney 79-59 last night in not-quite-full Crenshaw Gymnasium.

The Yellow Jackets (4-0, 9-3) seized control of the backboards and the paint early in the second half. This superiority ultimately permitted the home team to seize control of the game. R-MC led by only five with 7:16 remaining, but then shifted into high gear. A 20-1 run the next six minutes enabled the Yellow Jackets to secure their eighth victory in the past nine regular-season meetings between the two teams.

Guard Justin Short, a senior from Manchester High School, led Randolph-Macon with 14 points. Wing player Jordan Brown, a sophomore from L.C. Bird, added 13.

ODAC scoring leader Turner King led the Tigers (0-3, 5-7) with 15 points, seven beneath his average. He scored only five points in the second half.

The teams exchanged scoring spurts during an evenly -- and intensely -- contested first half. Randolph-Macon carried a 36-34 lead into intermission. But Hampden-Sydney left the floor with something of equal value -- momentum -- after finishing the half on a 7-2 surge.

Hampden-Sydney scored on its final three possessions of the half. The biggest of those baskets was a long 3-pointer from the left side by H-SC guard Ben Jessee, a freshman from Cosby. Jessee's shot was made possible by a dandy drive-and-dish by King.

The Tigers fared well in the early going against Randolph-Macon's trademark man-to-man defense. Hampden-Sydney shot 50 percent in the first half, thanks largely to lethal display of long-range shooting. Tigers marksmen connected on six first-half 3-pointers in nine tries.

King's harvest of 10 first-half points included two 3-pointers in three tries.

Braxton led Randolph-Macon with eight first-half points.

Both teams will return to conference competition Saturday. Randolph-Macon plays host to Eastern Mennonite, which entered last night's action as the co-owner of first place in the ODAC standings. Hampden-Sydney visits E mory & Henry.