HIGH POINT, N.C. — One area head coach Teddy Moseley noted he’s seen progress this season has been the Lady Raiders’ ability to close out games.
The Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball game not only closed out its third game in three days, but the Lady Raiders put an exclamation point on its performance in the Sheetz Holiday Christmas Classic on Saturday.
Playing in the consolation bracket finals, the Lady Raiders rolled past Southern Guilford High School 53-20 to earn fifth place overall. Through three days of competition, Moseley’s team recorded a 2-1 record and won its last two games.
“Today we had such a great defensive effort as a team,” Moseley said. “The girls also shared the ball really well on offense to help us get the win.”
The duo of juniors Jakerra Covington and Jayla McDougald set the tone for Richmond (7-3) against the Lady Storm, both scoring 12 points in the win. Helping spread the offensive attack were freshman Kyla Sampson and sophomore Jamiya Ratliff, both of whom contributed 9 points on the board.
As a reward for their play over the course of the three-day tournament, Covington and McDougald earned All-Tournament honors.
McDougald (left) and Covington pose with their All-Tournament award. Contributed photo.
Richmond scored 19 points in the first quarter, its best opening frame in the Sheetz Classic, to get out to an early lead. McDougald hit a three-pointer and added a field goal for a team-high five points, as senior Jardai Tillman and Sampson each netted four points.
Ratliff got her scoring started with a triple, one of her two in the game. Rounding out the early scoring was a field goal from Covington and a free throw from junior Davionna Campbell.
For Southern Guilford, four different players combined for seven points. Ashlyn Pegram’s three points led the way, as Richmond took a 19-7 lead into the second.
The Lady Raiders added 13 more points in the second stanza, pulling ahead even more when Southern Guilford managed just six points. McDougald drained another shot from beyond the arc, while chipping in two free throws.
Sampson added to her total with another three-pointer, and Covington powered her way under the basket for four more points. Again, Campbell rang true with one made shot from the charity stripe. At the break, Richmond led 32-13.
Richmond’s lowest scoring quarter of the game was the third, seeing only eight points added to the board. But the combined points from Covington (4), McDougald (2) and junior Kelly Hoffman (2) opened the lead to 22 points, 40-18.
To close the door on the tournament and the win, the Lady Raiders added 14 points in the final eight-minute period. Ratliff had a team-high six points, while Covington, Sampson and junior Asia Douglas each knocked in two points apiece. Hoffman, who finished with three points, added a free throw.
Southern Guilford struggled to score in the fourth, seeing only one point scored thanks to a Selina Hicks free throw. Hicks finished as the Storm’s leading scorer with 12 points.
Riding a two-game winning streak, the Lady Raiders will return to Sandhills Athletic Conference play on Friday, Jan. 3, at Jack Britt High School (7-3, 1-0 SAC). Richmond is seeking its first SAC win of the season after dropping its first two. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Fayetteville.
