FAIRMONT — Holding the lead for the majority of Monday’s non-conference game, the Lady Raider basketball team let it slip away in the final minutes.
Despite a 30-point effort from senior point guard Jamyia Lindsey, Richmond allowed a late run to cost it a win at Fairmont High School.
In the final 3:30, the Lady Raiders were outscored 18-3 and lost to the Lady Golden Tornadoes 54-46.
Following the battle of early-season unbeatens, head coach Taneika Reader pointed to “too many turnovers” down the stretch as the primary reason for the loss.
Reader added that not having a secondary scorer step up when Fairmont put two defenders on Lindsey also hurt the team.
Lindsey split her season-high scoring nearly evenly, netting 16 points in the first half with 14 points in the final two quarters.
Only three other players scored in the loss — sophomore Madisen Jackson (eight points), junior J’Nasia Neal (six points) and sophomore Kaylan Parsons (two points).
Richmond led at the end of each of the first three quarters and started on a 9-6 run in the opening eight minutes. Lindsey recorded all nine of Richmond’s points on three field goals and three free throws.
Fairmont (3-0) used an 11-5 scoring stretch through the first 4:35 of the second quarter to take a 17-14 lead. Scoring the Lady Raiders’ five points during that span was Jackson with a three-pointer from the right wing and Lindsey with an athletic shot on a lob into the paint.
An 8-2 stretch during the remainder of the half by Richmond saw the Lady Raiders enter the locker room up 22-19. Jackson started it with a free throw and Lindsey banked in a triple.
Parsons pulled in an offensive rebound and put a shot back through the cylinder to make it a one-point lead with 1:11 on the clock. Two possessions later, Lindsey drove the lane and made a bucket to put Richmond up three points.
To start the third quarter, it was Lindsey who again controlled the tempo for the Lady Raiders. She scored the team’s first seven points, part of a 12-7 run that put Richmond ahead by eight points, 34-26.
That was the team’s largest lead of the game, which featured a Lindsey three-pointer, putback and transition bucket.
Neal joined the scoring with a midrange jumper and Jackson added a free throw before Lindsey put her own rebound in for the eight-point cushion.
Reader explained that Richmond also struggled with Fairmont’s height and physicality down low Monday, which was a big part of the Lady Golden Tornadoes’ comeback effort. Fairmont used those components to pull within a point, 34-33, at the end of the third.
Again, Richmond started the final stanza with a big run of its own, outscoring Fairmont 9-2. Four points from Lindsey, three more from Neal and a bucket by Jackson put the visitors back ahead 43-35 with 3:40 to play.
The Lady Golden Tornadoes started their game-winning 18-3 swing with a pair of free throws following a technical foul. Richmond committed several unforced turnovers in the last three minutes and didn’t have an answer for Fairmont’s transition game or post play.
The Lady Raiders’ final three points were scored on a free throw each by Jackson, Lindsey and Neal.
Leading Fairmont in scoring were post player Taniya Simms (19 points) and Aaliyah Duran (15 points).
The Lady Raiders (2-1) will have off until Saturday when they travel to Southeast Raleigh High School to compete in a Thanksgiving invitational.
Richmond will face Seaforth High School (0-1), the reigning NCHSAA 2A state runner-up, at 5:30 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Official statistics weren’t available at the time of publication. A photo gallery of Monday’s game will be published later this week.
