Home Local Sports BREAKING: Raiders earn No. 13 seed, will host No. 20 Butler in...

BREAKING: Raiders earn No. 13 seed, will host No. 20 Butler in playoff opener

The No. 13 Raiders will welcome in No. 20 Butler on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Kyle Pillar — Sports Editor.

ROCKINGHAM — For the second straight postseason, the Richmond Raider basketball team and head coach Donald Pettigrew will have a first-round home playoff game.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its finalized 4A state playoff brackets late Sunday afternoon, as the Raiders earned the No. 13 seed in the West region.

Richmond (19-8) is paired with No. 20 David W. Butler High School (12-13) in the opening round, and athletic director Rob Ransom confirmed the game will be played Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“It’s big to have a home game,” Pettigrew said. “We are really excited to have another game in front of our fans. Home court advantage helps us play more comfortably.”

Richmond’s 19 wins this season are the most in a single season for the program since 2016-2017, when then-head coach David Laton led the Raiders to a 20-7 record. 

That season was also the last time Richmond and Butler met, seeing the Bulldogs earn a 20-point win in the second round of the playoffs.

A season ago, the Raiders were the No. 15 seed and defeated No. 18 Hickory Ridge High School 67-55. The second round saw the Raiders fall to No. 2 Independence High School on the road. Pettigrew has made the playoffs in two of his three seasons.

But the mantra this season for Pettigrew’s Raiders has been to get past the second round and contend for a state title. 

“If we want to make a deep run, we have to make shots when teams go on runs,” Pettigrew said. “We also need to take care of the ball, cut down on turnovers and limit second shots.”

Entering the postseason, Richmond has won eight of its last 11 games, including two come-from-behind wins en route to a second-place finish in the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament last week. The Raiders came up just short to Pinecrest High School in the title game.

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Pettigrew explained that his team continues to play some of its best basketball late in the season. On their home court this year, the Raiders are 10-2, and Pettigrew hopes the home court advantage will benefit Richmond when they welcome in the Bulldogs.

A handful of Raiders have split the scoring responsibilities the last two weeks, another weapon that benefits them as the playoffs begin. Senior shooting guard Quamir Sivels is coming off a career-high 26 points against Lumberton in the SAC tournament.

Junior wing Caleb Hood has come alive of late, dropping 17 points against Purnell Swett and recording a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds on the road at Lumberton. Also in the mix has been senior Nygie Stroman, who also dropped 26 points against rival Scotland in the regular season finale.

PJ McLaughlin, the team’s junior floor general, has contributed most by his controlling of the game’s tempo, while also finding the open man on offense.  

Entering Raider Gymnasium on Tuesday will be the Bulldogs and head coach Myron Lowery. This season, Butler notched a fourth-place finish in the Southwestern Conference, two games behind third-place Myers Park High School.

The Raider defense will have to prepare for star Bulldog center Patrick Wessler, as the 7-footer is averaging a double-double this season (17.8 points, 11.6 rebounds). 

Jesse Taylor and Chastin Gatewood are averaging 8.1 and 8 points per game, respectively.

“Butler is pretty good, and you can’t look at their record,” Pettigrew said. “We watched them play at the Christmas tournament and they’re a solid team that plays in a good conference.

“But we’ll have the confidence we need and be ready to play,” he closed.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.