SOUTHERN PINES — A season-high scoring performance by senior Jamyia Lindsey helped stave off a pesky three-point shooting Pinecrest High School Tuesday.
Winning its third straight game, Richmond remained perfect in the early Sandhills Athletic Conference slate.
Lindsey netted 41 points, outscoring all of Pinecrest’s team in the 62-40 victory.
It was the second time in Lindsey’s career that she finished a game with more points than all of the Lady Patriots. She scored 36 points in a 74-35 victory in January during her junior season.
Three players had six points in the win — juniors Jasiah Gilchrist and J’Nasia Neal, along with sophomore Madisen Jackson. Senior Quanna Bostick had two points and junior Olivia Brown scored one point.
Head coach Taneika Reader shared after the game that she was pleased with the team’s defense early in the game, which paid dividends when it came to scoring and fending off Pinecrest’s three-point shooting later in the game.
Richmond opened the game on a 9-0 run, which featured Lindsey’s first seven points. She scored a triple from the top of the arc at the 6:27 mark to open the scoring, which was followed by a pair of free throws and a jumper.
Neal made a quick basket under the hoop to end the fast start. A free throw by the Lady Patriots (3-4, 0-1 SAC) finally got them on the board with 4:10 to go in the quarter.
A drive from Lindsey and an old-fashioned three-point play by Gilchrist opened Richmond’s lead to 13 points, its largest in the first quarter.
The Lady Raiders’ final two points of the stanza were a putback by Jackson on an offensive board.
Leading 16-6 to begin the second quarter, the Lady Raiders opened their lead to as many as 18 points before halftime. Lindsey had all of Richmond’s 15 second-quarter points.
She started a 10-2 run by sandwiching a pair of three-pointers around two transition baskets. That put the Lady Raiders up 26-8.
Starting with 5:41 to play, Pinecrest went on a 12-5 stretch to cut its deficit to 31-21 at intermission, netting several three-pointers in the process. Lindsey’s final five points came on a jumper, a foul shot and a three-ball from the right wing.
The Lady Patriots scored the first basket of the second half but a pair of Lindsey free throws, two of her 11 points in the third quarter, began another scoring stretch for Richmond.
Lindsey followed with a shot under the hoop before Gilchrist and Neal each scored one shot from the foul line. Capping the 8-3 run was Lindsey, who collected her own rebound and made it 39-24.
A jumper from Jackson in the paint two possessions later was followed by five straight points from Lindsey. She had a drive, a bucket off a steal and a free throw.
In the final two minutes of the third, Gilchrist scored a transition layup and Neal added a basket and a free throw.
Entering the fourth stanza with a 51-34 lead, Richmond slowed down the tempo and started to milk the clock. Brown’s free throw early in the quarter gave Richmond an 18-point lead, its largest at that point.
The Lady Raiders grew their lead to as many as 22 points two different times. Lindsey, who sat the final few minutes, netted her final six points on a trio of baskets. She ended the game four points shy of tying her single-game career-high.
Bostick and Jackson each had a field goal in the fourth to round out Richmond’s scoring.
The Lady Raiders (5-3, 2-0 SAC) will take a break from conference play and travel to non-conference South Mecklenburg High School (7-1) Thursday. Play will start at 6 p.m.
