RAEFORD — It may have taken three quarters for the Richmond Raiders to knock the rust off, but a career night from freshman Paul McNeil helped secure a Sandhills Athletic Conference win on Tuesday.
Back on the hardwood for the first time since Jan. 19 due to COVID-19 protocols, Richmond and head coach Donald Pettigrew returned to the win column with a 68-64 victory over Hoke County High School.
McNeil netted a career-high 31 points in the win, dropping 17 points in the first half. He recorded the game-winning shot with 40 seconds on the clock and made a timely block on Jeremiah Melvin in the final minute.
“I started to shoot the ball more tonight than I did in our last game,” McNeil explained. “I looked at my film and knew I needed to do more of that. And my shots just kept falling.
“When I made the block, I was just there to make the play,” he added. “And on the jumper, I didn’t expect (Zion Baldwin) to pass the ball back to me. But when he gave me the ball, I knew I had to make it.”
Adding to Richmond’s point total was senior point guard Patrick McLaughlin, who netted a season-high 17 points. Sophomore Zion Baldwin, who made his varsity debut, scored 12 points off the bench, 10 points coming in the first half.
“It’s great to be back and the guys were all excited to play,” Pettigrew said. “I’m happy the seniors are getting a chance to get back out there. We got in foul trouble early, but the guys didn’t get discouraged and they still battled. I’m proud of that.
“Emoni McBride and Zion Baldwin played well for us in their first varsity game,” he added. “They got some big minutes and the whole team played hard. P.J. was consistent as usual and he played all 32 minutes for us.”
The Raiders started slow and trailed for a majority of the first half. Despite 13 points from McNeil in the opening quarter, Richmond faced a 25-18 deficit after the first eight minutes. Senior Nygie Stroman netted four points but picked up three quick fouls, leading to Baldwin entering the game.
McLaughlin got his scoring started in the second by making all eight of his free throw attempts. Two of his shots tied the game at 35 points, and pair of free throws from Baldwin put Richmond up 39-38 with just over a minute to play.
McBride netted his only two points of the game off a steal in transition, which gave the Raiders a 41-40 lead at the break. Hoke County’s Jaylen Sturdivant netted 14 of his team-high 16 points in the first half.
Richmond would hold onto a one-possession lead for much of the third quarter as both teams traded baskets. A three-pointer from McLaughlin at the top of the arc with just under two minutes left put the Raiders up 52-48.
Hoke County closed the frame on a 4-0 run, using a drive from Kamonte Williams and a layup from Terry Campbell with two seconds left to knot the game heading into the fourth.
McNeil hit the first of his two fourth-quarter three-pointers in the opening 30 seconds of the closing period to put Richmond back on top. But following a layup, two free throws and two technical foul free throws, the Bucks regained a 58-55 lead.
Richmond responded with a McNeil drive and a two-handed baseline jam from Stroman on a no-look pass from McLaughlin. With 2:05 to play, McNeil hit a deep three from the left wing to tie the game at 64 points.
With 53.4 seconds left, McNeil blocked a driving Melvin to keep the score tied. On the next sequence, Baldwin found himself with the ball under the basket, but laid it off to McNeil near the free throw line. McNeil popped up for a jumper over two defenders, which proved to be the game winner.
McLaughlin added two insurance free throws with 13.6 seconds left in the game.
“Every time we play Hoke County, we know they’re going to put up a fight,” McLaughlin said. “We had to stay calm tonight, especially coming off of quarantine. We knew we had to keep shooting until our shots started falling.
“It feels good to get another win under our belt, and we need to keep pushing,” he added. “Our defense really opened up our offense, and there were a lot of young guys who played big minutes.”
Pettigrew, who has touted McNeil as one of Richmond’s best players since the preseason, said Tuesday’s performance is just the beginning.
“Paul is special and he’s a scorer,” Pettigrew said. “He plays so unselfishly and the guys love it. He’s tough and he puts in the work, so Paul deserves everything he’s getting.”
The Raiders (2-1, 1-0 SAC) will have a quick turn around and play Purnell Swett High School on Wednesday at 6 p.m., the team’s home opener.
“I told the guys they should celebrate tonight, but we need to be ready tomorrow,” Pettigrew closed. “They’ll get some rest and stretch, but we’ll be ready for a tough Purnell Swett team.”
