ROCKINGHAM — The first action of the new high school basketball season broke ground Tuesday with the Richmond Senior High School girls’ junior varsity team.
Hosting non-conference Panther Creek High School, the JV Lady Raiders battled but came up short 58-47.
Freshman Erin Drumwight led the team in scoring with 17 points in her high school debut. Fellow freshman Mary Little added 14 points in the loss.
Richmond’s third double-digit scorer was sophomore Kaniah Little, who netted 11 points.
Also scoring in the game were sophomores Iyana Little (2 points), Kenya Bailey (2 points) and Audicy Rush (1 point).
“The girls hustled hard and scrapped tonight,” head coach Tonia Breeden said. “But we just had too many turnovers in the game that hurt us.
“The first game of the season is always tough because we’re trying to find our rhythm. There were times we played really well, now we just have to put it all together.”
A slow start offensively in the first half for Richmond yielded just six points in the first quarter and seven points in the second quarter. At halftime, the JV Lady Raiders trailed 26-13.
Drumwright, Mary Little and Bailey each had a field goal in the first quarter.
Two buckets and a free throw from Kaniah Little, along with a shot from Drumwright accounted for the team’s remaining first-half points.
Out of the break, the JV Lady Raiders started to scrap their way back into the game. Drumright made a trio of baskets and added two free throws to give her eight points in the third stanza.
Mary Little also had three buckets for six more points. A shot from Kaniah Little pulled Richmond to a score of 41-29 entering the final eight minutes.
The JV Lady Raiders outscored the JV Lady Catamounts 18-17 in the closing frame but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Mary Little’s six points on three buckets was a team-high.
Drumwight capped her night with a bucket and a three-pointer, one of just two triples made in the game. The other three-ball was courtesy of Kaniah Little, who also had a free throw.
Iyana Little and Rush both got on the board with a field goal and free throw, respectively.
The JV Lady Raiders (0-1) will host New Hanover High School Saturday at 1 p.m.
