Milligan College’s men’s basketball team won its first scrimmage of the season 87-83 over Crossfire Ministries.
Crossfire led for most of the game until the Buffs came back in the final minutes of play. This lead did not last as the game was tied with 14 seconds left. Freshman Micah Paulk made a crucial 3-pointer and was fouled which took him to the free-throw line. After he made the free-throw, the Buffs were ahead by four points with four seconds left in the game and no answer from Crossfire.
“The encouraging thing from this game is that we were organized,” said head coach Bill Robinson. “Even in that last play, we called a set play, and we got the play we wanted. To have freshmen understand the philosophy and what we are trying to do is a huge positive for me.”
Since some varsity players did not play in this scrimmage, there were opportunities open for junior varsity players to play in a game before the season kicks off. “We scripted the minutes that each player would play so we could get everybody a good portion of film to be able to see what we did right or wrong, and that will help us going forward,” Robinson said.
While the Buffs came out on top, this was not just any scrimmage. Before the game, Crossfire Ministries talked to the team about the Gospel of Jesus. The representatives from Crossfire also spoke to everyone in attendance at half time. Crossfire’s co-founder, Randy Shepherd, told his story and how Jesus connects the world to God.
“I have known [co-founder Jamie Johnson] and Randy from Crossfire for over 20 years,” Robinson said. “I feel that it is a very valuable tool because people need to hear the Gospel.”
The Buffs’ season opener is Saturday, Oct. 26 at the University of the Cumberlands. Their first home game is Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. against Bluefield College.
Headline photo: The Milligan College men’s basketball team huddles up during a timeout in their game against Crossfire Ministries.