ROCKINGHAM — Advancing in the playoffs isn’t too difficult when one player scores as many points as the entire opposing team.
That’s what junior point guard Jamyia Lindsey did during the Richmond Senior High School girls basketball team’s third round victory of the 4A East state playoffs Tuesday.
The No. 2 Lady Raiders stopped No. 20 Southeast Raleigh High School’s upset parade through the postseason, defeating the Lady Bulldogs 64-43.
Lindsey netted 43 points on 12-of-25 shooting and an 18-for-19 performance from the free throw line. It was her second highest single-game scoring mark of her career (45 points against Union Pines in 2021-22).
Helping punch Richmond’s ticket to the Elite 8 were five other scorers — sophomore Jasiah Gilchrist (10 points), freshman Madisen Jackson (5 points), senior MaKailah Jackson (4 points) and seniors C’Niya Hinson and Ryelan Lyerly (1 point each).
Lindsey added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. MaKailah Jackson pulled in a team-high nine rebounds.
Head coach Teddy Moseley said he knew Southeast Raleigh liked to try and speed the game up, but he said Richmond’s style of play is to “play fast but not in a hurry.”
Richmond started the game on a 6-0 run. Madisen Jackson scored three points on a transition bucket and a free throw, which was followed by Lindsey and an old-fashioned three-point play.
That lead would hold the rest of the game, as Richmond built its early advantage to 17-5. Gilchrist had three points on a bucket and foul shot, and Lindsey drained a triple from the top of the arc.
Southeast Raleigh got in foul trouble early in the first quarter, which allowed Lindsey to net two bonus free throws. Another foul shot by Lyerly and a Lindsey jumper forced the Lady Bulldogs to call a timeout with Richmond ahead by 12 points.
Out of the break, Gilchrist knocked down a free throw and Lindsey made another and-one opportunity, capping a 9-0 run.
The Lady Raiders led 21-7 after the first period with Lindsey scoring 13 of her 21 first-half points.
Richmond led by as many as 21 points and took a 36-16 lead into halftime. Lindsey scored eight of the Lady Raiders points and had five more points than the whole Southeast Raleigh team did at halftime.
A Lindsey drive was followed by a Madisen Jackson field goal early in the second quarter. Two more Lindsey free throws and a jumper from MaKailah Jackson put Richmond ahead 29-8 and forced another timeout.
In the closing three minutes of the half, Lindsey scored four more points on a putback and a jumper. A Gilchrist free throw and a tough shot under the hoop by MaKailah Jackson carried a 26-16 lead into the break.
Southeast Raleigh (20-9) started the third on a 6-1 run, but a Lindsey drive and an and-one shot stopped it. She followed that with another jumper in the paint to preserve a 20-point lead.
Hinson added her free throw, and after a full timeout called by Moseley, the Lady Raiders closed the final 1:46 of the third on a 4-0 run, courtesy of a Lindsey baseline drive and two free throws.
Up 47-30 to start the final quarter, the Lady Raiders slowed down the tempo and drained the clock.
Lindsey had 13 of the team’s 17 points in the fourth, making two field goals before connecting on nine free throws. Gilchrist had the other four points on a pair of buckets.
In the Lady Bulldogs’ final game of the season, they were led in scoring by Trinity Dunn’s 19 points. Elise Hill and Ziahmiya Adams each had six points.
The No. 5 Lady Raiders (25-4) will travel for the first time this postseason to the 4A East’s top-seeded Hoggard High School (29-1).
Hoggard defeated No. 8 South View High School 48-26 Tuesday. The fourth round will be played Friday at a time to be determined at the time of publication.
The Richmond Observer will publish a preview article before the game. A photo gallery of Tuesday’s win will be published later in the week.
Sports editor’s note: Unofficial statistics provided by assistant coach Taneika Reader.
