HALL OF FAME CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS BUSY WEEKEND FOR STATESMEN

PETERSBURG, Va., (Feb. 5, 2016) – The Hall of Fame ceremonies for a pair of former Richard Bland College and Petersburg High School stars, Ron Harris and John Thomas, highlight a busy weekend of basketball for the RBC men's hoop team, which honors Harris and Thomas prior to its Saturday home game against Catawba Valley Community College at 3 p.m. On Sunday, the Statesmen take a quick trip to Bryant & Stratton for a 3 p.m. game

Richard Bland (12-10, 8-4, Region X Conference) is coming a 91-84 road victory over Vance-Granville on Wednesday night, its third straight victory. Catawba (15-8, 8-4) is coming off a 103-67 victory over Guilford Tech on Wednesday evening. The Red Hawks won the Dec. 5 contest against Richard Bland, 67-64. Both teams are currently 8-4 in Region X Conference standings. On Sunday, RBC heads to Hampton to face Bryant & Stratton (16-6, 10-1) in another key Region X game.

Opponent: Catawba Valley (15-8, 8-4) vs. Richard Bland (12-10, 8-4)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m.
Site: Petersburg, VA
Facility: Statesman Hall
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Opponent: Richard Bland vs. Bryant & Stratton (16-6, 10-1)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m.
Site: Norfolk, VA 
Site: Maury High School

PREVIOUSLY VS. CATAWBA: The Statesmen got a put back basket as the buzzer sounded from freshman forward Nikola Lakic to close out the first half with a 33-31 lead, but were upended by a late Catawba Valley Community College push and were clipped, 67-64. The Statesmen and Red Hawks played the lowest scoring contest of the season for both teams. It was a tightly-contested back-and-forth affair that saw neither team hold more than a four point lead throughout the contest. In the end, an aggressive Catawba team forced the issue and earned the victory with made free throws down the stretch.

PREVIOUSLY VS. BRYANT & STRATTON: Due to weather, the regular season game between RBC and Bryant & Stratton was cancelled … The teams met in the semifinals of the Region X Conference Championship, with the Statesmen winning, 74-69, en route to defeating Louisburg on its home court to win the championship.

NEW HALL OF FAMERS: On Saturday, RBC will recognize two new Hall of Famers in former Petersburg High School standouts Ron Harris and John Thomas, class of 1978. Harris is the all-time leading scorer in Richard Bland College history, tallying 1,124 points from 1978-80. A two-time team Most Valuable Player, Harris averaged 24.9 points a game as a freshman and increased that figure to 28.3 ppg as a sophomore … Thomas, who starred for the Statesmen from 1978-80, was named "Best Defensive Player" as a sophomore, the season he also showcased his scoring abilities with an 18.8 ppg average. He tallied a career high 30 points against St. Paul College his second season.

STRONG AT HOME: Returning alumni will be back on campus Saturday, where the Statesmen are 7-1 … In coach Chuck Moore's three seasons at RBC, the Statesmen are 33-4 at home.

ASSIST MACHINE: Sophomore Gerard-Dean McBride has accounted for 42 assists in his last four games.  McBride doesn't qualify for NJCAA national statistics because he's appeared in just eight games, but his 7.6 assists per game average would rank him fourth in the country.

AVERAGING 20+: Sophomore Devin Smith is coming off a four game stretch in which he averaged 20.5 ppg. and shot 64 percent from the field.

POINT PRODUCTION: Sophomore Troy Gibson leads the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg and has maintained his scoring average while leading the team in minutes played (28.2 mpg) … Smith averages 13.6 ppg and freshman Jordan Griggs follows at 12.3 ppg … Dean-McBride scores at 11.3 ppg.

CAPTAIN GIBSON: Gibson, the lone returner from last year's National Championship team, tallied 20 points against Vance-Granville, the 19th time he's scored in double figures this season … He added 11 rebounds, his fifth game in double figures in rebounding and his fifth double-double this season … Gibson currently has scored 431 career points and at his current pace would reach 500 against Brunswick Community College on Feb. 14. 

ABOUT CATAWBA: Four players average in double figures for the Red Hawks, led by freshman forward Kenny Lemon (11.3 ppg) and sophomore guard Mon'Darius Black (11.0 ppg) … The teams leading rebounder is Lemon (5.3 ppg) … Catawba averages 79.2 ppg and allows 55 ppg … Off the backboards, Catawba averages 35.9 rebounds a game, opponents at 26.7 rebounds.

ABOUT BRYANT & STRATTON: Freshman guard Greg Heckstrall leads the Bobcats in scoring (12 ppg), followed by freshman guard Romello Anderson (10.5 ppg) … Heckstrall leads in rebounding (8.9 rpg) ... The team averages 76.8 points a game and allows just 47.8 ppg. ... Off the backboard Bryant & Stratton averages 43.1 rpg and allows 22.2 rpg.

WHAT'S NEXT: Following Sunday's game, a series of tough games continue for the Statesmen as they travel to No. 12 nationally-ranked Louisburg on Wednesday, Feb. 10 … Catawba visits No. 8 Patrick Henry in a big Region X game on Wednesday … Bryant & Stratton next hosts Vance-Granville on Saturday, Feb. 13.