ROCKINGHAM — With the game on the line in the final seconds on Friday, junior Makailah Jackson grabbed her 14th rebound to ice Richmond Senior High School’s win.
Returning to the win column against Union Pines High School, the Lady Raiders earned a 39-38 nail-biter victory.
Jackson, who also scored six points, powered into the lane after a missed free throw attempt. She passed the ball to sophomore teammate Quanna Bostic, whose field goal attempt just missed as time expired.
In a game that featured 10 ties, the Lady Raiders were led by junior guard Keyoni Nichols and her career-high 19 points.
Senior guard C’Nedra Hinson, who returned to the lineup after missing the last couple of games, netted seven points.
Her biggest contribution was the eventual game-winning three-pointer with 3:12 left in regulation.
Richmond’s largest lead of the game came in the opening half of the first quarter, 10-4. Nichols started her scoring with six points on a baseline drive, transition bucket and a layup off a steal.
Adding to the run was Jackson with a close-range shot and junior guard C’Niya Hinson netted her two points in the win. But a 6-0 run by the Lady Vikings (3-8, 0-3 SAC) tied the game at 10 points at the end of the first.
That started a back-and-forth battle the rest of the game that would come down to Jackson’s game-saving rebound.
Four quick points from Nichols gave the Lady Raiders a small lead, but a 7-0 run and a scoring drought by Richmond put Union Pines ahead 19-14.
Nichols ended the lull in offense with a three-pointer with 1:15 to play, and Bostic added a free throw to send Richmond into the locker room down 19-18.
A 13-point third quarter shifted the lead in Richmond’s favor by a point after the next eight minutes. Helping give the team a 25-24 lead were another Nichols three-pointer, a Bostic jumper for her final three points and a Jackson putback.
In the final three minutes, freshman J’Nasia Neal connected on a free throw and Nichols drained her third and final three-pointer. Solo free throws by C’Nedra Hinson and Neal made it 31-30 at the buzzer.
Union Pines retook the lead early in the fourth, 34-31, but C’Nedra Hinson rattled home the first of her two fourth-quarter triples to knot the score.
Jackson gave the team the lead on the next possession with another putback and C’Nedra Hinson scored Richmond’s final points on a three-ball from the top of the arc.
Leading 39-35, Richmond’s defense buckled down and allowed just three free throws in the final three minutes.
The Lady Vikings had a chance to take the lead with 18.1 seconds left, but an offensive foul on the inbound gave possession back to Richmond, which ran out the clock to preserve the win.
Leading Union Pines in scoring was Mikayla Dunn with 14 points, followed by Corryn Mccutchen’s 10 points.
Richmond (5-8, 3-1 SAC), which is third in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings, will hit the road on Tuesday to play Lee County High School (9-2, 2-1 SAC). Play will begin at 6 p.m.
