ROCKINGHAM — A goal that the Lady Raiders have been chasing for more than a decade was fulfilled on their home floor Wednesday night.
Fourth-year head coach Teddy Moseley and the Richmond girls’ basketball team clinched its first outright Sandhills Athletic Conference title in a 61-21 win over Lee County High School.
It marked the first conference championship win since the 2010-11 season when former coach Nellie Harrington led the team to a 19-2 overall record.
Using a running clock, eight Lady Raiders found the basket in the win. Freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey continued her breakout season with a game-high 17 points.
Senior Jai’Maya Ratliff knocked down 12 points, and junior C’Nedra Hinson and sophomore Ryelan Lyerly each added 9 points.
Richmond extended its current winning streak to 10 games, making it the longest streak since Harrington’s team won 17 in a row 11 years ago.
A 14-4 run in the first quarter set the tempo early for the Lady Raiders. Four players scored, including six points from Ratliff, all in the paint. Lindsey added four points on a drive and a jumper.
A mid-range jumper from Lyerly and a pair of free throws from senior Miccah Wall, her only points in the game, put Richmond up 10 points.
Gillian Garrison scored all of Lee County’s points in the first, and finished with 6 points.
Breaking the game open in the second, Richmond outscored Lee County 19-7. Ratliff hit a three-pointer and Hinson rattled home a pair of triples from the right corner on back-to-back possessions.
A drive through the paint by Lyerly capped an 11-0 run with 4:30 to play. Lindsey scored six of the team’s next eight points on a field goal and four free throws. Junior Nyla Stroman started her scoring with a bucket under the rim in the final minute.
Richmond took a 33-11 lead into the locker room at half time.
The offense kept going for the Lady Raiders in the third quarter, which saw them go on a 22-6 run. Six players scored for Richmond, led by five points each from Lindsey and Lyerly. Both players hit a three-pointer and a field goal.
Stroman scored two close-range buckets for the final of her six points in the game, and sophomore forward C’Niya Hinson chipped in a field goal and two free throws for her four points.
C’Nedra Hinson extended the lead with her final three-pointer and Ratliff scored one point from the free throw line.
Twenty seconds into the fourth, Ratliff’s final two points on a putback started the running clock. Lindsey scored two more points and senior Mariah Waddell became the final player to score on a shot under the basket with 3:20 to play.
Leading Lee County (5-16, 3-8 SAC) in scoring was Alyssa Martin with 9 points. Nevaeh Baldwin and Lanaysha Mciver each scored two points.
Richmond (17-4, 11-0 SAC) will close its regular season with Senior Night on Friday against rival Scotland (13-6, 7-4). The team’s three seniors will be recognized.
A win would secure the team’s first undefeated conference slate since 2010-11. Play will begin at 6 p.m.
