ROCKINGHAM — The rust from a week off between games was apparent early in Friday’s Richmond and Purnell Swett high school girls’ basketball game. But a strong second and fourth quarter by the Lady Raiders led them to victory.
The Lady Raiders hadn’t played since last Friday, a win over rival Scotland High School, and followed up with a 37-22 victory over the visiting Lady Rams. It marked the team’s second win over Purnell Swett this season, completing the regular season sweep.
Richmond notched its ninth win of the season to improve to 9-8 overall, while also improving its Sandhills Athletic Conference record to 5-3 (tied for third). The Lady Rams fell to 4-12 and 0-8 in the SAC (last place).
Junior guard Allexis Swiney led all scorers with 12 points, with seven of them coming in the second quarter. Both teams struggled through the game’s first eight minutes, with Richmond holding a 3-2 lead.
“It felt pretty good to be back after a week off,” head coach Teddy Moseley said. “We had some good practices this week, but we were a little rusty and went 1-for-20 from the floor. On the first possession, we had five missed baskets. We just have to learn to finish.
“What worked for us tonight was our defense — that has been our foundation all year,” he added. “Our defense has made up for our offensive downfalls. We’re forcing a lot of turnovers but we need to be able to score off of them.”
The second quarter was much better for the Lady Raiders as they used a 5-0 run, followed by a 10-0 run, to take a 19-4 halftime lead. Swiney scored two quick baskets to open the quarter, before completing a three-point play in the final 90 seconds.
With 1:43 left to go before the intermission, Purnell Swett’s head coach Jonathan Efird received two technical fouls. Junior Layne Maultsby was sent to the line, and drained three of the four attempts.
Maultsby would give the Lady Raiders their largest lead of the night to start the fourth quarter, hitting a transition layup on a bounce pass from Swiney. The bucket gave Richmond an 18-point lead, 23-5.
The Lady Rams wouldn’t go quietly, as they went on a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to 12 points. But sophomore guard Jayla McDougald hit a floater in the paint with 47 seconds left in the third to stop the bleeding.
During the final stanza, a three-pointer from McDougald, combined with field goals from Jakerra Covington and Anajah Redfearn put the game out of reach.
Covington was the team’s second-leading scorer with eight points, followed by five apiece from Maultsby and McDougald. Purnell Swett’s Jada Coward led her team with six points.
Moseley said the team had been working on some new things in practice to help its perimeter shooters get better looks.
“Purnell Swett is a good team and they didn’t give up, especially in the third quarter,” Moseley said. “But I’m proud of our girls for holding them defensively.
“We had a ton of open shots and we were able to free up Layne and Hailey (Miller),” he added. “If that keeps happening, those shots are going to fall and I can live with that. They rimmed out tonight and got unlucky.”
He closed by complimenting Swiney for “having the complete game” he’s been waiting for her to have all season with scoring, assists and rebounding.
Richmond will be back in action Tuesday, when the Lady Raiders host SAC leader Pinecrest High School (16-2, 7-1 SAC). Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
