Home Local Sports Defensive adjustments guide Lady Raiders past Westover in Gil Bowman Holiday Classic...

Defensive adjustments guide Lady Raiders past Westover in Gil Bowman Holiday Classic semis

Sophomores Ryelan Lyerly and C'Niya Hinson force a turnover against Princess Canady during Friday's win.
Kyle Pillar — Sports Editor.

FAYETTEVILLE — Making defensive adjustments after the first quarter flipped the script for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team on Friday.

Playing in the semifinal round of the Gil Bowman Holiday Classic, the Lady Raiders turned an early deficit into a 58-35 victory over Westover High School.

Head coach Teddy Moseley said switching from zone to man defense at the start of the second quarter was the difference maker to help the Lady Raiders win their sixth straight game.

“Once we went to man, things went our way,” Moseley said. “Our man defense has been our staple to this point, and we have good guards who can really pressure the ball. We’re still learning to help, but with those guards pressuring the ball, it was a huge difference maker.”

The Lady Wolverines jumped out to a 16-5 lead with just over two minutes left in the first quarter. Four three-pointers helped Westover offensively, but a 4-0 run by Richmond closed the gap to 16-9 after one.

The second and third quarters belonged to the Lady Raiders, as they used double-digit scoring runs in both frames to break the game open.

Richmond outscored Westover 17-5 in the second stanza, using six players to take the lead for good. Senior center Jai’Maya Ratliff had five of her 10 points in the game, and junior C’Nedra Hinson and sophomore Ryelan Lyerly both knocked down a triple.

Sophomore C’Niya Hinson added the final three points of her 5 points in the game, and senior Miccah Wall hit a free throw with under a minute left.

Freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey scored four points in the first half, before exploding for 19 points in the second half. She finished as the game’s leading scorer with 23 points.

Freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey (23) dribbles around Princess Candy (14) for a layup in the third quarter. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)

Westover’s only points in the second came on free throws by Precious Harris and R’mani Robinson, and a three-pointer from Princess Canady. The Lady Raiders led 26-21 at halftime.

Advertisements

Another big run in the third quarter, a 15-4 stretch, put Richmond up by as many as 19 points. Lindsey started the quarter on a 8-0 run by herself, and ended the third by adding 13 points to her total.

Freshman Rena Drake added two of her 6 points in third, helping Richmond take a 41-25 lead into the fourth. The Lady Wolverines didn’t score a basket until Robinson hit a jumper with 2:25 remaining in the period.

“Westover came out in a box-and-one (on defense) and we panicked a little bit early,” Moseley said. “We hadn’t seen much of that this year, but we settled down and ran some plays. That forced them out of it, which is what led to those two strong middle quarters.

“We swarmed the ball really well and forced a lot of turnovers,” he added. “Then we saw they were down and we wanted to make sure we kept our foot on the gas.”

A 17-10 run in the final eight minutes helped Richmond secure a spot in the championship game. Lindsey added her final 6 points, with four coming on free throws. Ratliff and Drake added a field goal apiece.

A free throw from Lyerly capped her 4-point night, and juniors Joy Styles and Nyla Stroman, along with sophomore Keyoni Nichols all scored 2 points late. A total of 10 players scored for Richmond in the win. 

Freshman Rena Drake puts back a shot for an easy bucket during Friday’s win over Westover. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)

Leading the Lady Wolverines (5-4) in scoring was Robinson with 11 points, followed by Harris with 9 points.

“There’s a lot of good things happening right now,” Moseley closed. “We don’t have a lot of varsity experience and we’re a young team. But we’re scrappy and we play hard. The girls don’t give up and they play like champions.

“We’re excited for tomorrow and it gives the girls a chance to play on a college floor. We want to get as many supporters as we can to come check us out.”

Richmond (6-1) will compete for the Gil Bowman Holiday Classic championship between the winner of Seventy-First and Terry Sanford on Saturday. The game will be played at Fayetteville State University at 6 p.m.



Previous articleRichmond County deputies charge 3 in meth bust
Next articleLady Raiders finish as runner-up in 2021 Gil Bowman Holiday Classic
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.