CHARLOTTE — Facing its second tough non-conference team in as many nights, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team couldn’t complete a comeback on Tuesday.
Playing at Myers Park High School, the Lady Raiders and head coach Teddy Moseley suffered a 56-41 defeat.
While within a few possessions for a majority of the game, Moseley pointed to missing open baskets and the free throw line as the difference makers.
“It’s the same story after every game,” Moseley explained. “We tell the girls that they played hard, but playing hard is only going to take us so far. We had a lot of missed opportunities and we started out with three missed layups under an open basket.
“We could have cut it to one and been at the line shooting two, but we missed and allowed them to score (before the half),” he continued. “We have to capitalize on opportunities. We were 8-for-20 from the free throw line and (Myers Park) was 18-for-22. That’s the difference in the game.”
Leading Richmond in scoring for the third straight game was junior point guard Jamyia Lindsey, who finished with 18 points.
Freshman forward Madisen Jackson chipped in 10 points off the bench, all coming in the second and third quarters.
A low-scoring first half yielded a pair of two-point leads for the Lady Mustangs (2-0) at the end of the first and second quarters.
Senior forward Ryelan Lyerly opened Richmond’s scoring with a triple from the left wing to cut into an early 4-3 deficit.
Trailing 11-4 after a Lindsey free throw, she went on a 5-0 run of her own in the closing 45 seconds to pull the Lady Raiders within two.
She rattled home a three-pointer from the right corner and made a transition layup following a steal to make it 11-9.
Myers Park controlled the opening five minutes of the second stanza, widening its lead to 23-13. The Lady Raiders’ four points came from a layup by junior Rena Drake and a pair of Lindsey free throws.
But a two-minute span saw Richmond go on a 10-0 run to tie it 23-23 with 20 seconds before the half.
Lindsey netted another triple, this one from the right wing, igniting the run. That was followed by a basket under the hoop from Jackson, who used a smooth assist from sophomore guard Jasiah Gilchrist to get on the board.
Going to the line again, Lindsey knocked down another free throw. Jackson ended the run with a pair of close-range shots, the first assisted by Lindsey. The other was an offensive rebound putback.
Tied at 23 points, Myers Park ended the half with a transition bucket to take a two-point lead into the break. A deep three attempt from Lindsey at the buzzer just missed its mark.
The Lady Raiders trailed by no more than five points during the third quarter, with four players adding to the score.
Lindsey started with a pair of free throws and Gilchrist rang true on a three-ball to make it a one-point deficit, 29-28.
Trading baskets, Jackson made her presence known in the paint with her final four points of the game to keep Richmond within a possession.
Another free throw from Lindsey, who drove the lane all game, coupled with a Drake transition basket and two points from Lindsey on an inbound pass, made it 42-37 entering the fourth.
The Lady Raiders were outscored 14-4 in the final eight minutes. Gilchrist had a three-pointer and Lindsey tacked on one more free throw.
Leading scorers for Myers Park were Amani Barner (15 points), Chayla McDaniel (14 points) and Jerin Truesdale (13 points).
“We have to learn to win,” Moseley closed. “Overall, it was a good effort. We’ve had two tough games back-to-back, but we have to learn to win.”
The Lady Raiders (1-2) will get a week off for the holiday before returning home to play non-conference Fairmont High School (1-0) on Nov. 29. Varsity will begin at 6 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Tuesday’s game at Myers Park soon.
Sports editor’s note: The Richmond junior varsity girls’ basketball team didn’t play Tuesday but will also host Fairmont on Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m.
