FAYETTEVILLE — Suffocating defense has become the identity of the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team through the first half of the season.
That carried over during Saturday’s non-conference game as the Lady Raiders tallied another win in the MLK Dream Jam at Terry Sanford High School.
Remaining undefeated in the event, 3-0 since the 2021-22 season, Richmond rolled past Trinity Christian School 47-13.
Defensive pressure was key all game, as the Lady Raiders forced 20 steals and held the Lady Crusaders to no points in the second quarter.
Sophomore guard Jasiah Gilchrist was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points (9-for-13 from the field). She added five rebounds and three steals.
Adding 12 points was junior point guard Jamyia Lindsey, who also dished out five assists and swiped four steals.
Junior forward Rena Drake tied her season-high of 10 points to go along with five steals and four boards.
Rounding out the scoring were freshman forward Madisen Jackson (three points, four steals) and senior Yasmeen McLaughlin (two points).
Gilchrist was responsible for scoring Richmond’s first 10 points in the game, outscoring the Lady Crusaders 10-4 during that stretch.
In the opening two minutes, Gilchrist connected on a triple from the right side and converted a layup following a steal to make it 5-0.
After two baskets from Trinity Christian, Gilchrist opened the lead with another three-pointer from the right wing.
She followed with a transition bucket to make it 10-4 with 4:10 left in the quarter.
Lindsey ended a long drought of scoring by both teams with two free throws, two of her five first-half points.
Richmond’s final basket of the quarter was from Jackson underneath the hoop. Trinity Christian scored to make it 14-6 with 20 seconds left, and would be its last basket of the half.
The Lady Raiders kept the Lady Crusaders off the board in the second quarter and went on an 11-0 run.
Gilchrist capped her 12-point half with a fastbreak basket. Drake, who scored six points to lead the team in the second, started with a putback on an offensive rebound.
Lindsey and Drake hit back-to-back three-pointers, both from the right side of the court, to increase the lead to 18 points. Hitting a free throw with 1:22 to go in the half, Drake made it 25-6 at the break.
Trinity Christian (7-7) broke its scoring drought of 8:29 on the game clock when Ariyanna Cooper made a free throw nine seconds into the third. Lindsey followed with two shots from the line to start a 9-0 run.
A Lindsey drive, a Jackson free throw, a Gilchrist bucket in the paint and a Drake transition basket completed the stretch to extend the lead to 34-7.
The Lady Crusaders put together a three-point run, but two baskets from Gilchrist and two points apiece from Lindsey and Drake opened to lead to 32 points.
Trading a free throw apiece in the final two minutes, Richmond carried a 43-11 lead into the fourth quarter.
Head coach Teddy Moseley cleared the bench and subbed out the starters for a majority of the final eight minutes. A drive from McLaughlin gave the Lady Raiders their biggest lead of the night, 34 points, midway through the quarter.
Gilchrist added her final two points to ice the win. Freshman forward Kaylan Parsons recorded all three of her rebounds in the fourth quarter.
Trinity Christian netted one basket in the fourth. Leading the Lady Crusaders in scoring were Denaira Williams (four points) and Maleah Ross, Janiah McBryde and Naomi Williams each scored two points.
The Lady Raiders (11-4, 4-0 Sandhills Athletic Conference) return home to face SAC opponent Lee County High School (5-5, 1-2 SAC) Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Stats provided by Richmond assistant coach Taneika Reader. The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Saturday’s win soon.
