CAMERON — If it’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it. That’s what worked for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team Thursday.
On the road at Union Pines High School, the Lady Raiders made up Tuesday’s postponement with a 73-40 victory over the Lady Vikings.
Using its size and toughness, Richmond dominated the paint and glass from start to finish.
Playing a key role down low was freshman Madisen Jackson, who penetrated the defense and scored many second-chance points.
Jackson finished the game with a single-game career-high 24 points and added nine rebounds. Shooting 11-of-14 from the field, Jackson scored 16 points in the first half.
Two other Lady Raiders contributed large chunks of scoring. Junior point guard Jamyia Lindsey scored 20 points and had a double-double with 10 rebounds and six steals.
Sophomore guard Jasiah Gilchrist added 16 points and had four boards and four assists.
Seniors Ryelan Lyerly and MaKailah Jackson both connected for six points apiece. Jackson snagged eight rebounds and Lyerly had four boards.
Completing the scoring effort was sophomore J’Nasia Neal, who made a free throw.
Richmond and Union Pines battled out to an 8-8 tie through the first part of the opening quarter. Jackson had four quick points and Gilchrist and Lindsey both scored a bucket following steals.
With MaKailah Jackson at the line at the 4:02 mark, she drained both to start a 14-2 to end the frame.
Adding to the stretch was Lindsey, who netted two field goals to go with two free throws. Gilchrist sunk a floater from the paint and Madisen Jackson’s other two field goals gave Richmond a 22-10 lead.
The Lady Raiders added 17 points in the second stanza to take a 39-23 halftime lead.
Madisen Jackson sandwiched a jumper and a putback around a close-range shot from Lindsey to make it a 16-point lead, 28-12.
Gilchrist made a free throw and MaKailah Jackson powered through the lane for two points, which was followed by six points from Madisen Jackson for Richmond.
A pair of Lindsey drives in the final two minutes gave Richmond its second 16-point lead of the quarter to go into the break.
An 11-0 run to begin the third put the game in the Lady Raiders’ favor for good. Bookending the stretch was Gilchrist with two transition buckets.
Makailah Jackson and Lindsey added two points each and Gilchrist sank a three-pointer from the right side.
Leading 50-23, Richmond allowed the Lady Vikings to go on an 8-0 run. Stopping it was Lindsey with a drive with 1:16 to go in the period.
Madisen Jackson chipped in her four third-quarter points in the final minute from the paint.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 56-35 advantage, the Lady Raiders saw five players score in the final eight minutes.
Lyerly led the way with six points, knocking down a pair of triples from the left side.
Madisen Jackson and Gilchrist capped their scoring with four points each, Lindsey had a bucket and Neal hit her free throw.
Leading the Lady Vikings (7-7, 1-2 SAC) in scoring were Erin Frey (13 points) and Taryn Pekala (10 points).
The Lady Raiders’ (10-4, 4-0 SAC) game against Lee County has been rescheduled to Tuesday at home at 6 p.m.
Richmond will play at Terry Sanford High School Saturday against Trinity Christian School (6-6) in an MLK Jr. event. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Stats provided by Richmond assistant coach Taneika Reader.
