SANFORD — On the road Friday to begin conference play, the Richmond Senior High School junior varsity boys’ basketball team came up short.
The JV Raiders lost their second straight game in an 84-71 decision at Southern Lee High School.
The loss was the team and head coach Travis Byers’ third defeat in four games this season.
Although the team wasn’t able to reenter the win column, two players continued their early success at finding the rim.
Freshman Kerick Hairston Jr. netted a team-leading 24 points, which was followed by sophomore teammate Josiah Brewington and his 19 points.
Hairston Jr. split his points evenly between both halves and scored two three-pointers. Brewington had all but two of his points in the middle quarters.
Richmond used six other players on the scoresheet, including eight points by sophomore Landon Legrand and seven points from sophomore Jayden Ratliff.
Freshmen Devin Haynes and Xander Chavis scored five and four points, respectively. Sophomore Amare Bell and freshman Javeon Littlejohn each had a bucket.
Richmond finished the first quarter with a 16-15 lead. Eleven of those points were courtesy of Hairston Jr., who made a pair of three-balls, a field goal and three shots from the line.
Haynes rattled in a three-pointer and Bell scored his two points to maintain a one-point lead.
Southern Lee got into an offensive rhythm in the second stanza and outscored Richmond 26-19 to enter halftime with a 41-35 advantage.
Hairston Jr. had just one free throw in the second but there to pick up the pace was Brewington, who collected his first 11 points. Finding the cylinder on three field goals, he also scored a triple and two free throws.
Ratliff also got his scoring started with his first three points on a shot from beyond the arc. Buckets from Legrand and Littlejohn helped keep Richmond within two possessions heading into the break.
A 19-16 run by Richmond cut Southern Lee’s lead to just three points at the end of the third quarter. Brewington netted six more points on a trio of field goals.
Hairston Jr. notched the first five of his 12 second-half points on a pair of shots and a free throw. Four points from Legrand and two points apiece from Chavis and Haynes gave the JV Raiders a chance heading into the fourth.
Southern Lee managed to keep its lead in the closing eight minutes despite Richmond’s final 17 points, scoring 27 points of its own. Seven of Richmond’s points came from Hairston Jr.
Ratliff connected for his final four points on two buckets, while Chavis, Brewington and Legrand each made one more field goal.
The JV Raiders (1-3, 0-1 SAC) host Pinecrest High School Tuesday in another conference game. That game will start at 6:30 p.m.
