SALEM, VA--The Roanoke and Wesley College men's basketball teams will meet at 3:00pm on Sunday afternoon in Salem, VA to play for the title of the 17th annual Salem Bank & Trust Tip-Off Classic hosted by Roanoke. Both teams were victorious on Saturday night in Salem, with Wesley defeating Ferrum 80-67 and the Maroons bettering York (NY) College 88-74. Ferrum and York will play at 1:00pm in the consolation game.
Josh Foster (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Valley Christian) scored 20 points, had four rebounds, and four blocks in his first game with the Maroons to lead the team to an 88-74 win over York (NY) College. Robby Pridgen (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary's) also tallied 20 points for the Maroons, who forced 22 York College turnovers. Also playing in his first game with the Maroons, junior Kenny Harrell (Chesapeake, VA/Menchville) scored 10 points and led all players with nine assists.
The Maroons led by 10 at the break (49-39), but watched the Cardinals close to within four points (58-54) with 14:03 remaining in the game. Sparked by a three-pointer from junior Mikal Townsend (South Boston, VA/Halifax County) the Maroons outscored York 13-6 over the next four minutes to push the lead back to double-digits. Roanoke, which took the lead for good with 11:50 to play in the first half, grabbed as much as a 17-point lead in the second.
The Maroon defense was led by Jaimar Mansel's (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary's) four steals. The Maroons also came within three blocked shots of tying the school record of 14. Roanoke, however, was dominated on the boards, as the Cardinals kept the game within reach by outrebounding RC 49-26. Roberto Tapia led the Cardinals with 19 points in the game while Dwayne Uriri added 16.
