ROCKINGHAM — Not one, not two, but the last three Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament championships have been added to the banner in Richmond Senior High School’s gymnasium.
Friday’s crown was the largest margin of victory of the three for the No. 1 Richmond Raider basketball team, which used a running clock to defeat No. 2 Southern Lee High School 87-46.
Simply an expectation from the season’s start, the Raiders cruised to their 14th straight win and finished the season with a perfect 14-0 mark against conference opponents.
Since the 2021-22 season, Richmond has gone 41-1 against SAC teams, including the regular season and SAC tournaments. The guiding force of that journey has been head coach Donald Pettigrew and seniors Javian Drake, Paul McNeil Jr. and Jamarion Wall.
That trio of senior players combined to score 72 points Friday. McNeil Jr. netted a game-high 42 points (16-of-24 shooting), with Drake and Wall scoring 16 points and 14 points, respectively (11-of-27 combined).
McNeil Jr., who had 28 points at halftime, sank a team-high six three-pointers. Wall added four triples from downtown.
Combining for the other 15 points were senior Braylon Barfield (seven points), sophomore Jayden Hamilton (four points) and seniors David McNair and Jada Zimmerman (two points each).
A transition layup by Drake at the 2:42 mark of the third quarter put Richmond ahead 70-30, which started the running clock.
Following the win, the Raiders were presented their SAC tournament championship plaque by athletic director Mike Way.
From the game’s opening tip-off, the Raiders controlled the tempo. Richmond took a 29-12 lead after the first quarter, with McNeil Jr. outscoring the entire Cavaliers team with 16 points.
An 11-2 stretch featured a McNeil Jr. tip at the rim, followed by a Wall triple and two treys from McNeil Jr. Southern Lee (22-4) called a timeout.
Field goals from Barfield, McNeil Jr. and Drake opened the lead to 17-7. Wall’s second three-pointer of the quarter ignited a 12-2 run that closed the final 3:20 of the opening stanza.
Adding to the stretch, McNeil Jr. had six more points in the paint, while Barfield knocked in a free throw. Hamilton scored his first two points on an assist in transition from Wall.
A 15-2 burst to begin the second period put the Raiders ahead by 30 points, 44-14, their largest lead of the first half.
McNeil Jr. started it with a triple from the top of the arc, followed by a Wall jumper and a transition drive from Drake. McNeil Jr. forced a steal for an easy two points and forced another Southern Lee timeout following a one-handed jam.
The Cavs netted a basket at the 4:55 mark, but a Drake pull-up shot and a Hamilton layup made it a 30-point advantage.
Southern Lee found a rhythm and ended the half on an 11-5 run to cut its deficit to 49-25 at the break. McNeil Jr. had all of Richmond’s points on a transition bucket and three free throws.
Triples from Wall and McNeil Jr. to start the third quarter were followed by a field goal apiece from Barfield and McNeil Jr. Drake splashed down his lone three-ball of the game from the right corner to put Richmond up 35 points.
Baskets from Drake and Barfield, coupled with four more points from Drake, put the running clock in motion. Adding to the lead were a Wall triple and a McNeil Jr. putback. Entering the fourth quarter, Richmond led 75-35.
With the accelerated clock, McNeil Jr. managed to drop two more three-pointers and add a free throw for his final seven points. He exited the game with three minutes left in regulation.
McNair and Zimmerman each scored transition buckets and Drake tallied his final point from the line.
Top scorers for the Cavaliers were Jaden Best (15 points), TJ Carnegie (12 points) and Nysheed Williams (eight points).
Richmond (21-5) will await the NCHSAA’s official release of the 4A state playoff bracket Saturday. The Richmond Observer will publish a preview article over the weekend.
The first round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Sports editor’s note: Unofficial statistics provided by assistant coach Keith Parsons. A photo gallery of Friday’s SAC tournament championship win will be posted soon.
