FAYETTEVILLE — Meeting an old conference foe on Wednesday, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team used a breakout performance from a freshman forward.
Picking up a 56-38 win over Jack Britt High School, the Lady Raiders won their fifth straight game and advanced to the final round of the Cumberland County Basketball Holiday Classic Tournament.
Playing at Cape Fear High School, Richmond was led by freshman forward Madisen Jackson, who netted a career-high 23 points.
Jackson, who has consistently been a top-three scorer for the Lady Raiders this season, finished with seven rebounds and two steals.
Two other players reached double-digits for Richmond. Junior point guard Jamyia Lindsey finished with 19 points, four assists and five rebounds.
Senior forward Ryelan Lyerly had her best shooting performance of the season, adding 10 points with one board and one steal.
“We played very well tonight and Madisen was impressive,” head coach Teddy Moseley said. “We seem to be finding our stride.
“Defensively we are getting stops and that’s leading to buckets for us,” he added.
Jackson was a catalyst early for the Lady Raiders, who jumped ahead 19-12 after the opening eight minutes. She scored 10 points in the first quarter on five field goals.
Lindsey added seven points on a basket, two free throws and a three-pointer. Sophomore guard Jasiah Gilchrist, who finished with four points, three steals, three assists and two boards, scored her first two points.
The first half remained close on the scoreboard as Richmond netted 13 points in the second quarter to take a 32-22 lead into the break.
Lyerly came to life in the second stanza, sandwiching a pair of three-pointers around two free throws for her eight first-half points.
Two more buckets from Jackson gave her 14 points at the half and Lindsey chipped in one shot from the line.
An 18-10 scoring run in the third quarter helped distance the Lady Raiders from the Lady Buccaneers (6-2). Lindsey took over for her final 11 points, connecting on three field goals and all five of her attempts from the stripe.
Jackson stayed in rhythm, adding five points, including a shot from beyond the arc. Two free throws from Gilchrist made it a 50-32 lead heading into the fourth.
Running out the clock, the Lady Raiders scored their final six points thanks to two Jackson field goals and another one from Lyerly.
Senior center MaKailah Jackson proved helpful again on the glass, pulling in eight rebounds to pace the Lady Raiders.
Alexis White was the leading scorer for Jack Britt, who finished with a team-high 17 points.
The Lady Raiders (7-3) will compete for the Cumberland County Basketball Holiday Classic Tournament championship on Thursday.
Richmond will face Cape Fear (7-0) at South View High School at 2 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Stats and game information provided by head coach Teddy Moseley and assistant coach Taneika Reader.
