The Randolph-Henry High School varsity boy’s basketball team lost a 42-40 heart-breaker in their opener against the Prince Edward Eagles last Wednesday in overtime. 

At halftime the score was knotted at 23-23 with both teams holding small leads at different times.

The Statesmen also had a hard time at the foul line in the first half. The Eagles built the largest lead of the game 35-30 with six minutes to go. The Statesmen rallied to tie the score at 39 to force the game into overtime.

R-H held a one-point lead in overtime before Eagle free throws put them ahead with less than a minute to go. The Statesmen got the final shot but were unable to connect.

The Statesmen were led by Tremaine Pugh with 13 points. Sam Williams followed with eight points. Others contributing points were by Jesse Redd (6), Nasheim Pettus (5), Billy Brantley (3), Daquan Wilson (3) and Damian Dixon (2).

Redd also led the team in rebounds with 11. The Statesmen turned the ball over 19 times to the Eagles nine.

“This was a game we should have won in my opinion. We beat ourselves with turnovers and this has been a concern of the staff from the beginning,” said R-H varsity coach James Graves.

“We must reduce that number. The team was also sluggish in running the offense. We are a very young team and improvements will be made as we gain varsity court experience. I’m proud of our comeback in the fourth quarter, our overall effort and our behavior. Our goal is to get better each and every day.”

The team will travel to Nottoway on Friday for a 7 p.m. district matchup.