ROCKINGHAM — There will be plenty of seats and tickets available for fans to watch the Richmond Raider basketball team in this year’s NCHSAA 4A East regional championship.
The No. 2 Raiders and head coach Donald Pettigrew are just one win away from returning to the 4A state title game, and two wins away from making school history.
But before they can officially set their sights on the 4A West and a shot at Title Town, the Raiders have to get past a glaring set of numbers staring at them — 31-0.
That’s the record of No. 1 New Hanover High School, Richmond’s opponent in Thursday’s 4A East regional title matchup.
The Raiders’ self-dubbed “road to revenge” unlocked level five after defeating No. 3 Green Level High School 75-57 last Friday in the fourth round. Richmond is currently on a season-long 18-game winning streak.
Prior to the meeting with Green Level, Richmond eliminated No. 31 East Chapel Hill, No. 15 Riverside-Durham and No. 7 Cardinal Gibbons high schools.
Back in the 4A East regional championship for the second time in as many seasons, the Raiders have won by at least 18 points in all four of their playoff games. On average this postseason, Richmond has won by 30.8 points per game.
Senior wing Paul McNeil Jr., who now sits in the top 20 all-time scorers in NCHSAA history, is averaging an impressive 30.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this postseason.
Fellow senior point guard Javian Drake has ramped up his overall production in the playoffs, averaging 24.3 points per game, which is 7.7 points more than his season scoring average per game.
Senior Jamarion Wall is averaging 15 points over the last four games, draining an average of 3.5 three-pointers per game.
A deep bench of scoring and defensive playmakers has allowed Richmond to to control each playoff game, often having multiple mismatches on the court at a time.
Perhaps the Raiders’ most versatile tool in its bag is its press defense, something that has shut down other top programs in the 4A East, especially late in games.
The No. 2 Raiders (25-5) and No. 1 Wildcats (31-0) will tip-off at approximately 6 p.m. Thursday, the third of four 4A regional championships that day.
The game will be played at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Wake Forest University.
Richmond’s administration is calling for a “Green Out,” encouraging fans to wear Raider green in hopes of turning the LJVM Coliseum into a home game atmosphere.
Below are some fast facts about the New Hanover Wildcats:
- The Wildcats, coached by Kirk Angel, are on a 31-game winning streak. The last time they lost was in the fourth round of the 2022-23 playoffs to Holly Springs, the team Richmond defeated in last year’s regional title game.
- New Hanover recorded a 4A-best final ratings percentage index of 0.7033 and Richmond’s was 0.6648.
- To advance to the regional championship round, the Wildcats defeated No. 32 Northern Durham, No. 17 Knightdale, No. 24 Sanderson and No. 12 Panther Creek. They averaged each win by 15.2 points.
- In the third and fourth rounds, New Hanover just squeaked by, defeating Sanderson by four points and Panther Creek by two points.
- The Wildcats won the 3A/4A Mideastern Conference championship with an undefeated record of 14-0.
- New Hanover finished the RPI rankings with a 0.5896 opponent winning percentage and had 0.5581 opponents’ opponent winning percentage. Richmond was slightly ahead with a 0.6453 OWP and slightly behind with a 0.5558 OOWP.
- Through 31 games this season, the Wildcats scored 66.0 points per game, far fewer points than the Raiders’ 81.8 points per game. During this postseason run, New Hanover is averaging 63.2 PPG, compared to Richmond’s 90.3 PPG.
- There are three players for New Hanover who are averaging double-digits in scoring per game — Rodmik Allen (17.4), Nolan Billings (12.6) and CJ Kornegay (11.8).
- Billings, a 6-5 forward, leads the Wildcats with 7.6 rebounds per game. Kornegay (4.8) and Allen (4.3) also contribute on the boards.
- As a team, New Hanover is converting on 48% of its shots, including a .310 shooting percentage from three-point territory. The Raiders are netting 48% of their attempts from the field and 35% on threes.
The winner of Thursday’s 4A East regional championship will have a quick turnaround and play the 4A state title game Saturday at Wake Forest.
Vying for the 4A West regional crown are No. 2 Lake Norman and No. 5 North Mecklenburg high schools.
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