PEMBROKE — The Richmond Senior High School junior varsity girls’ basketball team showed some signs of rust during its game on the road at Purnell Swett High School on Thursday.
Playing for the first time since Nov. 21 at Anson High School, the JV Lady Raiders fell to the Lady Rams 42-22 in their Sandhills Athletic Conference opener. It was the second straight loss for the team after opening with a win.
Richmond (1-2, 0-1 SAC) was slow out of the gate, netting only eight points in the first half. Purnell Swett took advantage of that and put up 23 points between the first two quarters, including a 16-point first period.
Sophomore Raven Robinson would finish the night as the Lady Raiders’ leading scorer with seven points. She hit a pair of free throws in the first half before adding a three-pointer and a field goal in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
All eight of Richmond’s points in the first half came courtesy of free throws. Freshman Nyla Stroman went 4-for-4 from the line in the opening frame, while fellow freshman C’Nedra Hinson dropped one of her two attempts.
A three-point second quarter widened the Lady Raiders’ deficit, seeing Raven Robinson’s two free throws and another from Da’Veah Robinson.
Out of the break, head coach Demi Watkins’ team continued to struggle to find the basket, collecting just five more points on a Raven Robinson three-pointer and a Hinson bucket in the third.
Trailing 32-13 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Lady Raiders started to make a run, but would come up short.
Daniah McDonald scored all three of her points in the final stanza as she went 3-for-6 from the charity stripe. Mariah Waddell chipped in with two field goals and Raven Robinson ended her night with another bucket.
The Lady Raiders will look to return to the win column when they travel to Cheraw High School on Tuesday.
