by Morgan McLellan

The Landrum High School Varsity boys basketball team fell at home Friday, Feb. 7 to the Blacksburg Wildcats.

The Wildcats pulled away during the fourth quarter for an 81-68 victory.

Landrum trailed for the majority of the game but did not go down without a fight. Blacksburg led the Cardinals 44-37 at the half. The Cardinals made a 6-0 run early in the third quarter to bring the score to 44-43.

The Wildcats returned a strong 7-0 run. Senior Aaron Bryant’s basket brought the Cardinals back within a point late in the quarter. Blacksburg’s Daquan McNeil soon scored and brought their lead to 54-51 going into the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals kept the score within reach throughout half of the fourth quarter. Landrum trailed 64-61 with 3:25 left on the clock. The Wildcats used a 12-2 run to lock up the victory.

“It was a tough loss to a good team. We played good but could never get the lead and they closed the game well,” senior Trevor Walker said.

The Cardinal’s leading scorers were seniors Jonah Corn with 25 points and Aaron Bryant with 17.

“I was proud of the way our guys played,” Cardinals coach Lyn Smith said. “They came out and played a great game. Blacksburg came here and executed on both ends of the floor. They were well-prepared. They killed us on the offensive glass. We just couldn’t keep them off of it.”

Friday’s game brings the Cardinals to 10-11 on the season and 9-3 in Region 1-AA.

The Lady Cardinals saw a loss as well Friday night. The game was very close, finishing 43-41. The Lady Wildcats scored the game winner with only 14 seconds left in the game. The Cardinals took a chance on a buzzer beater but fell short.

Senior Taylor Jenkins led the girls team with 14 points.