LAURINBURG — In a battle to determine sole possession of first place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings Tuesday, the Lady Raider basketball team had to overcome an early deficit.
Playing at Scotland High School, the Lady Raiders remained undefeated in SAC play and snapped Scotland’s nine-game winning streak.
Richmond pulled away in the second half of a 55-47 win, especially using the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to distance itself.
Serving as scoring catalysts in the final two quarters were guards Jamyia Lindsey and Jasiah Gilchrist.
Lindsey scored 11 of her team-high 20 points in the second half and Gilchrist had 11 of her 15 points in the final two periods.
In the win, Lindsey totaled seven rebounds and four assists to go with a perfect 10-for-10 at the line. Gilchrist also collected seven boards and was 6-of-10 from the stripe.
Freshman Madisen Jackson added 10 points and five rebounds, scoring six points in the pivotal second half. Senior MaKailah Jackson’s 11 rebounds led the team to go along with her four points.
Also scoring for Richmond were Ryelan Lyerly (3 points), C’Niya Hinson (2 points) and Rena Drake (1 point, 5 rebounds).
Finding themselves in unfamiliar territory, the Lady Raiders trailed 14-9 after the first quarter. The team’s biggest deficit in the opening frame was eight points.
After falling behind 5-0, Madisen Jackson got Richmond’s scoring started with a shot underneath following a Lindsey assist.
MaKailah Jackson put her own rebound in the basket near the midway point to make it an 8-4 hole. Scotland used a pair of drives to extend it to 12-4.
Lindsey and Lyerly put Richmond on a 5-0 run to pull within a possession. It started with a baseline drive from Lindsey and Lyerly drained a triple from the right wing.
Richmond held Scotland to just two points in the final 3:18 to trail by five points entering the second.
A more energized second quarter by the Lady Raiders on both sides of the court yielded a 15-10 run and a halftime tie 24-24.
Two free throws from Madisen Jackson and an offensive rebound putback by Hinson made it a four-point game.
Trading baskets, Lindsey made both shots from the line and hit a deep three-pointer from the left side to keep Scotland’s lead within reach, 22-18.
Gilchrist and Lindsey accounted for Richmond’s final six points in the closing 2:07 of the half. Gilchrist scored her first points of the game from the free throw line.
Lindsey followed with two shots of her own to give her nine points at the break, and a steal and transition bucket by Gilchrist with 34.2 seconds left tied the game 24-24.
Another close-scoring battle in the third saw the Lady Raiders go ahead by as many as four points. At the buzzer, Richmond led 40-37 going into the fourth.
Lindsey gave Richmond its first lead of the game after she pulled in a defensive board and raced the length of the court for a layup. That made it 26-24 just 40 seconds into the third.
Both teams tied at 30 and 35 points. Contributing to those nine points were Gilchrist (triple), Lindsey (free throw), MaKailah and Madisen Jackson (field goal apiece) and Drake (free throw).
A 5-3 run by the Lady Raiders closed the third quarter. Lindsey, Gilchrist and Madisen Jackson scored to give Richmond a three-point lead.
The Lady Raiders used a 10-6 run through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. A Lindsey drive and a Madisen Jackson jumper were followed by a shot underneath by Gilchrist.
Leading 46-43, Lindsey recovered her own rebound for two points and a hard drive through the paint from Gilchrist gave her two points. She added the and-one opportunity to make it 51-43.
In the game’s closing minutes, Lindsey and Gilchrist each sank two free throws to ice the win, while Richmond’s defense allowed one free throw.
Scotland was led by Morgan Thompson’s 21 points. Also scoring were Alicia McClain (9 points) and Kayla Simmons (9 points).
The first-place Lady Raiders (14-4, 6-0 SAC) will play at last-place Southern Lee High School (0-12, 0-5 SAC) Friday at 6:30 p.m.
