CHERAW, S.C. — Richmond head boys’ basketball coach Donald Pettigrew told his players ahead of Tuesday’s contest that road games provide a different challenge than when playing in front of their home crowd.
For just the second time in seven games this season, the Raiders played outside of their home gym, traveling to non-conference Cheraw High School. A team Richmond defeated by 40 points last week, the Braves put up a tougher fight on their home court.
The game would require one four-minute overtime period, but the Raiders prevailed to earn a 67-65 victory and remain undefeated. The win made it the first time in the Raiders’ 47-year history they’ll be entering the holiday break 7-0.
“At the start of the game, we started off really good,” Pettigrew said. “We were up 17-10 after the first quarter, but I think the guys got comfortable. We didn’t finish easy baskets and we turned the ball over too much.
“(Cheraw) did a good job of testing us and they had a lot of energy,” he added. “I told our guys that road games are tough but they kept their focus.”
Junior guard Caleb Hood and senior forward Jarvis Tillman would both play pivotal roles in helping win the game down the stretch. The Raiders trailed by five points, 64-59, with 1:07 left in the fourth, and Hood closed the gap with a drive in the paint.
Senior guard Quamir Sivels drove hard to the bucket and scored with 36.5 second remaining, but his made and-one bucket was waved off for a lane violation.
With 10.2 seconds left in regulation, and the Raiders trailing by two points, 65-63, Hood laid in the final two of his team-high 18 points to knot the game at 65 points.
Cheraw’s Marshall Myers, who led all scorers with 26 points, took the ensuing inbound pass and launched a shot from his side of halfcourt that bounced off the iron to send the game to overtime.
The extra four minutes was a back-and-forth affair for both teams that saw the Raiders and the Braves struggle to find the hoop. Richmond went to the line twice on shooting fouls and went 0-for-4 from the stripe.
Tillman, who finished the game with 10 points, played hero when he made a shot off the glass from the left side with 27 seconds left in overtime. He also had a hand setting up the play, grabbing the defensive rebound on the other end of the floor, one of his seven boards in the game.
Joining Hood and Tillman in double figures was junior point guard PJ McLaughlin, who netted 10 points. Hood exploded for 12 points in the second half, six points in each quarter, and made all six baskets by driving through the paint.
Tillman had a productive first half by dropping eight points in the first two stanzas. He would go scoreless during the third and fourth quarters, but proved big with his jumper in overtime.
Sivels and junior Dalton Stroman both finished with 8 points, while Stroman’s 10 rebounds led the team. Junior Nygie Stroman contributed 7 points and 9 rebounds.
The Raiders saw their seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter slip away when the Braves opened the second on a 15-0 run. Trailing 25-17, Nygie Stroman hit a putback shot at the 3:56 mark of the frame that ignited a 14-2 close by the Raiders, who took a 31-27 lead into the break.
Cheraw outscored Richmond again in the third quarter 19-14, setting up the late-game push and dramatic finish by the visiting team.
“Nygie, Dalton and Jakolbe (Baldwin) picked it up with their rebounds,” Pettigrew said. “That gave us a lot of second chances to score. They’re all so active underneath and are aggressive when going for the ball.
“Caleb is tough and he showed he can penetrate and drive,” Pettigrew closed. “He’s so strong with the ball. It’s another team win for us, and we’re ready to continue to get better and believe in what we’re doing.”
The Raiders (7-0) will look to ride their hot streak into the third annual Ashbrook Holiday Hoopfest, set for Thursday, Dec. 26. Richmond will play Weddington High School (7-2) in the opening round of the three-day event, starting at 3 p.m.
Last season, Richmond went 2-1 in the event and finished in fifth place.
