ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ junior varsity basketball team saw its six-game winning streak snapped Tuesday against Hoke County. But the freshman basketball team extended its winning streak to two games.
JV Raiders edged by Bucks late
The JV Raiders, like their varsity counterparts, had been on a roll during the last month. Entering Wednesday’s matchup against the Bucks, the Raiders had won their last six games, with their last loss coming against Hoke County on Jan. 8.
The Bucks would get the best of Richmond on its home court, sneaking past with a 63-59 road win. Sophomore Jakolbe Baldwin had another spectacular performance for the Raiders, scoring a game-high 26 points. Despite the loss, he also recorded another double-double, snagging 12 rebounds in the process.
Richmond outscored Hoke County 18-11 in the first quarter, before entering the intermission tied at 28. Baldwin had 11 points in the first half, netting nine of them in the first quarter. Also having a good opening two quarters for the Raiders were Jalen David, Isaiah Jones and Dalton Stroman, all of whom netted five points.
The game turned in favor of the Bucks in the third quarter, as Hoke County scored 21 points to Richmond’s 16. Nine more points came from Baldwin in the frame, as fellow sophomore Dylan Lewis contributed six of his own.
With the game coming down to the wire in the closing moments of the fourth quarter, the Raiders had an opportunity to tie and go for the win. But a couple of missed opportunities and a turnover secured the loss.
Adding to Baldwin’s double-double was Stroman, who finished with nine points and 14 rebounds. Lewis and Jones added eight points each.
The Raiders (8-8, 7-4 SAC) will look to start a new streak on Friday, when they travel to Lumberton High School.
Freshman Raiders rout Bucks for second-straight big win
In the freshman team circuit, the Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy Raider basketball team improved to 8-3 on the season with a 61-35 thrashing of the Bucks Tuesday.
Since losing to Pinecrest High School just over a week ago, the freshman Raiders have rolled to back-to-back wins of at least 25 points. Last Friday, Richmond powered past Jack Britt 59-22.
Leading the Raiders against the Bucks were Donavan Gadson and KeSean Ingram, both of whom netted 15 points in the win. Ingram’s 15 points followed up a 22-point performance against the Bucs, while Gadson dropped all of his points off the bench.
A trio of Raiders also each scored seven points in the win, coming by way of Xavier Collazo, Jaiden Covington and Mehki Harrington. Cason Douglas contributed six points.
The Raiders rolled out to a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter before leading at halftime 33-18. Ingram scored 12 points in the opening half, with Gadson netting nine in the second frame.
In the final two quarters, the Raiders outdid the Bucks 28-17.
“We had a great night,” head coach Taivon Jones said. “Our guard play was excellent and we did a great job on defense. We controlled the pace of play and played our style of basketball.”
The freshmen will look for win No. 9 when they play Lumberton High School on the road Friday.
