An outstanding season for Randolph-Henry High School’s (R-H) varsity boys basketball team came to an earlier-than-desired close Feb. 21 as the No. 2-seeded Statesmen lost 62-57 to host No. 1 Goochland High School in the Region 2A tournament semifinals.

R-H Head Coach James Graves described the game as “close all the way.”

“We had a shot to tie with eight seconds to play, and the ball went in, rolled around inside the rim, then came back out,” he said. “Five (points) was the biggest lead of the game.”

The coach said he thought his team had opportunities to get a better lead at times.

“That would have taken the officials out of play,” he said. “Instead we got some questionable calls go against us late in the game. We didn’t shoot very well either, nor box out well on the boards.”

Statesmen senior guard Nasheim Pettus led his team with 18 points, senior guard Jordan Jones scored 16 and senior guard/forward Tremaine Pugh had nine.

It was the fourth time this season Randolph-Henry had faced the Bulldogs, and each team ended up earning a pair of victories against the other.

In their one visit to Goochland prior to Feb. 21, the Statesmen defeated the Bulldogs 57-51 on Jan. 22. On Feb. 2, R-H fell 46-36 at home against Goochland when Pugh, the James River District Player of the Year, was not at full health.

The teams’ most recent meeting before last week came Feb. 12 in the James River District tournament title game when the Statesmen won 73-55 at Prince Edward County High School.

Describing what he thought was the big difference between that contest and Wednesday night’s game, Graves listed several things, starting with the fact that his team was playing at Goochland.

“They played a zone,” he said, continuing the list. “Zones have given us trouble all year. We are a streaky outside shooting team. The game was officiated much differently than any of our previous games. Fouls called at Prince Edward were no calls tonight for us. We still had our chances from the field but couldn’t cash in.”

The Statesmen finished the 2017-18 season with an 18-7 overall record.

Graves said he thought his team was well represented among the All-Region 2A accolades. Both Pugh and Pettus made the first team.

Pugh averaged 13.8 points per game this season and 16.7 per game during the regional tournament.

“His consistency over his career and positive attitude helped him get the honor,” Graves said. “His offensive stats were not as good this year as in past years, but he always did the little things …”

Pettus averaged 13.1 points per game and 20.7 per game in the regional tourney, and Graves highlighted his intensity and defensive prowess.