ROCKINGHAM — While the varsity teams showed a little rust in their wins over Southern Lee High School on Tuesday, the Richmond boys’ junior varsity team posted a season-high in points in its win.
Just like their varsity counterparts, the JV Raiders and head coach Kenta Hutchinson remained perfect on the season, using a 65-38 win to bounce the Cavaliers.
For the second time in three games, Richmond would see four different players notch double digits. Freshman guard Dakota Chavis scored eight of his game-high 13 points in the second half, while a hot start from sophomore guard Xavier Collazo saw him net 11 points.
Fellow sophomore forward Luke Williams was a big presence for the JV Raiders all night in the post, as he used his size to record 11 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Rounding out those in double figures was sophomore guard Mehki Harrington, who scored seven of his 10 points in the second half.
“We got on them early by taking a lot of good shots,” Hutchinson said. “Our guys can shoot the ball and that shows when there are four guys in double digits. All the guys were aggressive and that’s what I want to see.
“Luke was big for us tonight on the boards and around the basket,” he added. “He finished a couple of and-one chances.”
Using a 10-2 run to start the game, the JV Raiders set the tempo early against the Cavs. Collazo made a drive off the opening tip before splashing home a three-pointer in the opening minute. Williams would add a drive down low and Harrington connected on a three-pointer to put Richmond up eight points.
The Cavs responded with a short run of their own, closing their deficit to just two points. But a pair of Williams free throws, coupled with a three-pointer from sophomore Donovan Gadson and a Travion Dumas layup put Richmond up 17-8 after one quarter.
Five different Raiders would find the basket in the second stanza, including five points each from Chavis, Dumas and Williams. Collazo added a three-pointer, while sophomore guard Micah Jackson recorded the first of his six points.
Behind a 19-point second quarter, and limiting the Cavs to just 10 points, Richmond took a 36-18 lead into the break. Williams scored a team-best nine points in the opening 16 minutes.
On defense, the third quarter belonged to the Raiders as their 3-2 zone held Southern Lee to just two points. Seven players found the basket for Richmond in an 18-point third quarter, with Jackson, Chavis, Harrington and Collazo all hitting one shot from beyond the arc.
Sophomore forward Robert Bethea capped the scoring barrage when he hit a shot at the buzzer to put the Raiders up 54-20.
Chavis led all scorers in the fourth quarter with five points, hitting an early triple before netting the last two points of the game in the final 75 seconds. Drives from Harrington, Jackson and Williams helped the Raiders run out the clock.
Other scoring totals for Richmond included Dumas (7), Jackson (6), Gadson (5) and Bethea (2).
“We took a step back defensively, even though the scoreboard might not show that,” Hutchinson said. “The guys made adjustments in the second half, but we’re still a work in progress.
“Thursday is another big game for us when we open conference and play in our first road game,” he closed. “We’re on a roll and I know the guys will be ready.”
The JV Raiders (3-0) will hit the hardwood Thursday and open Sandhills Athletic Conference play when they travel to Purnell Swett High School. With conference play, the varsity and junior varsity teams will return to playing opposite of one another. Tipoff is set for a 5:30 p.m. start, or following the JV Lady Raiders’ game.
