ROCKINGHAM — Taking another positive step in the right direction on Tuesday, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team stayed undefeated in conference play.
The dedication and patience of a developing roster paid dividends for the second straight game, as the Lady Raiders defeated Hoke County High School.
Continuing Sandhills Athletic Conference action, Richmond held on late to earn a 42-39 victory.
Freshman guard J’Nasia Neal proved to be the difference maker for Richmond, tying her career-high of 18 points in the win.
Midway through the fourth quarter with Richmond facing its first deficit of the night, Neal connected on the go-ahead three-pointer to put the Lady Raiders ahead for good.
Neal added a baseline drive later in the period to ice the win with 1:45 on the clock.
Richmond opened the game on a 6-2 run, using a triple from junior guard Keyoni Nichols, the first of her five points. Senior forward Nyla Stroman hit a putback and a free throw.
At the halfway point, junior forward C’Niya Hinson banked a shot off the glass from close range to make it an 8-4 lead.
Neal took over the rest of the quarter, scoring Richmond’s final seven points. She connected on a three-pointer from the right corner before driving the lane for two easy buckets.
The Lady Raiders carried a 15-9 lead into the second quarter and added 13 more points before the break.
Both teams traded baskets in the second stanza, with Richmond’s first points coming on a Neal jumper. Freshman Olivia Brown delivered off the bench, rattling home a triple and a transition layup for her five points in the game.
Sophomore guard Quanna Bostic got her night started with a free throw, and another shot from the line by Stroman, who had six points, made it a 24-16 lead.
In the closing two minutes, Hinson made another close-range field goal to round out her four points and Nichols notched another bucket off a steal to give Richmond a 28-20 lead at halftime.
The Lady Raiders and Hoke County (2-13, 0-3 SAC) struggled to find the basket with as much proficiency in the final two periods. Richmond was outscored 8-6 in the third quarter, using four points from Neal and a putback by junior Makailah Jackson.
Stroman started the fourth with her final basket within the first minute, but that led to a drought of nearly four minutes for the Lady Raiders.
The Lady Bucks chipped away at their deficit and tied the game at 36 points when Dede Riggins hit a close jumper. On the next Hoke County possession, Kayeliana Bonner gave her team its first lead, 38-36, with 3:26 to play.
Staying dialed in, Neal took a pass along the left wing and pulled up for a contested three-pointer. The shot went in and gave Richmond a one-point lead with 3:10 left.
Neal added her final two points on a baseline drive just over a minute later, and Bostic added her second point in the game with a free throw to make it a 42-38 lead with 1:20 on the clock.
Richmond managed to run most of the clock out, allowing just a final free throw by Hoke County in the remaining time.
Leading Hoke County in scoring was Bonner with 13 points and Karmen Campbell added seven points.
The Lady Raiders (4-7, 2-0 SAC) will travel to Pinecrest High School (3-4, 1-0 SAC) on Wednesday to make up a postponement from last month. Action will begin at 6 p.m.
