ROCKINGHAM — One thing that Richmond Senior High School head girls basketball coach Teddy Moseley has been looking for from his team this season has been a complete performance.
And the Lady Raiders took another step closer to achieving that goal Moseley shared after his team defeated Forest Hills High School 50-33 in Thursday’s non-conference matchup. Shooting 48.6 percent from the field as a team, the Lady Raiders improved to 4-2 on the season.
“Tonight got us closer to putting together a complete game,” Moseley said after the victory. “We still had too many turnovers, but we started off hot from the field in the first half.
“I’m most proud of Jessie Matheson,” he added of his senior guard who came off the bench. “It takes a lot of courage for her to come out and play for us after not playing for two years. Overall it was a great effort by the team tonight.”
The game was a makeup from Monday’s regularly scheduled game between the two teams after Richmond County Schools canceled all evening activities due to possible inclement weather. Richmond came out of the gate hot, as an early frost by the Lady Yellow Jackets (3-5) allowed the Lady Raiders to jump ahead 8-0.
Junior Allexis Swiney and sophomore Jayla McDougald, both guards, each finished with a team-high 11 points on the night for Richmond. Swiney followed up her 16-point performance from Tuesday against Purnell Swett High School by collecting all of her points in the first half. She opened the game by scoring Richmond’s first five points, while McDougald added the first of her team-high three three-pointers.
A small run by Forest Hills closed the gap to 10-8 in favor of the home team, and sophomore Jakerra Covington returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game. She went on a three-point run with a shot off the glass and a free throw to close out the opening frame, giving the Lady Raiders a 13-8 advantage.
Moseley’s squad never trailed throughout the game, as a 16-point second quarter gave the Lady Raiders a 29-19 halftime lead. Swiney hit three more baskets in the second quarter, with McDougald hitting a three-pointer and a floater in the paint for five more points. Junior Layne Maultsby hit her only bucket of the night, a triple from the left corner over a swarm of Yellow Jacket defenders.
The 50 total points scored by Richmond was the second-most the team has netted all season, as the Lady Raiders tacked on 21 points in the second half to secure the win. McDougald opened the third stanza with her final points of the night, a contested three-pointer from the right wing.
Four other Lady Raiders joined the scoring parade in the quarter, as senior Taliah Wall and Matheson each dropped four points, which would be their final tally in the game. Junior Hailey Miller squared up a shot from downtown, drilling a triple from the top of the key with 2:30 to go. By quarter’s end, Richmond held a 46-25 lead, with the 21-point differential serving as the game’s largest lead.
Moseley switched the team’s game plan to defense in the final quarter, as a pair of free throws from Covington and Miller added the final four points of the night. For the final five minutes, the Lady Raiders played keep away to improve to two games over the .500 mark.
Adding to the 22 combined points by Swiney and McDougald were seven points from Covington and six more from Miller. Richmond went 9-for-21 from the charity stripe, improving in the second half, which saw a 7-for-15 performance. On the night, the Lady Raiders committed 21 turnovers, and is something Moseley hopes to correct as the season goes along.
Forest Hills’ Jelaysia Howard had a game-high 13 points, while no other scorer for the Lady Yellow Jackets managed to score more than four points.
“We are a fast team and we were able to capitalize on our speed,” Moseley shared. “With Jakerra at the five and Taliah at the four, the speed brings so much more to our game. We want to play fast, and the turnovers will be a part of that, but we looked good tonight.
“This win is a big confidence booster going into Pinecrest tomorrow,” he concluded. “They’re on the top and we’re gunning for them. They’re where we want to be. If we continue to play like we’ve been playing, I think we can give them a run for their money.”
Richmond will close out its three-game week by heading to reigning Sandhills Athletic Conference champion Pinecrest High School (7-0, 1-0 SAC) on Friday. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
