FAYETTEVILLE — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team earned itself some holiday hardware Thursday night.
Playing in the inaugural Norton Classic, dedicated to former Richmond great Jason Norton, the Raiders defeated Pine Forest High School 83-73.
Norton, who passed away in June, was a former state champion Richmond athlete and coach, as well as Pine Forest’s athletic director.
The scrimmage served as the Raiders’ only preseason game ahead of its 14-game regular season slate which is set to begin Jan. 5.
Fourth-year head coach Donald Pettigrew, who was coached by Norton in 1996 and 1997, said it was an honor for Richmond to take the first edition of the Norton Classic.
“Jason was a close friend of mine,” Pettigrew said. “I knew him for a long time as a coach and as a colleague. It was an honor for our guys to compete for the trophy. Coach (David) May and Coach (Jimmy) Peaden did a great job putting it together.”
The Lady Raider basketball team was also supposed to play Pine Forest on Thursday, but due to COVID-19 related issues, the preseason game was scrapped.
Playing their first interscholastic game as a team since February, the Raiders had some offseason success in winning the 9 Dime Fall League. Pettigrew said the development league was helpful in preparing the Raiders, but it was good to return to school ball.
Senior forward Nygie Stroman and senior point guard P.J. McLaughlin set the pace for the Raiders on both ends of the floor. McLaughlin netted a team-high 19 points, while Stroman recorded a double-double of 18 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. He also had three blocks and McLaughlin scooped up four boards.
Freshman Jamarion Wall hit double digits with 13 points and four rebounds. Senior Dylan Lewis and junior Xavier Collazo both netted eight points, and senior Travis Thomas contributed six points and five rebounds.
“It was good to get out and play against another team,” Pettigrew said. “We were up and down, but I thought we started off good. I thought we shot the ball well and all the guys ran the court well defensively. They did a better job of talking as a group.
“PJ did a great job of penetrating and he’s such an unselfish player who will be a big difference maker,” he added. “Nygie played to the level we expect him to play. As a freshman, Jamarion had some big shots with lots of confidence.”
Using only eight players, Richmond outlasted a game-high 24-point scoring attack from Pine Forest’s Isaiah Washington. Teammate Jordan Jones added 19 points for the Trojans.
Both teams had to wear masks during competition due to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s mandate. Pettigrew said it was a big adjustment, but he was pleased with how quickly the Raiders acclimated to the change.
“With just eight guys, I thought everyone did a great job,” Pettigrew said. “Xavier did a great job hustling on the floor, and Dakota (Chavis) didn’t score a lot of points, but he did a lot of good work in other areas. Deshon (Watson) came in and helped us in the second half.”
The Raiders will begin their season on the road at Purnell Swett High School on Jan. 5.
