ROCKINGHAM — Following Friday’s regular-season finale loss against Scotland High School, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ varsity basketball team is set to begin play in the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament.
The Lady Raiders came up two points short of the Lady Fighting Scots, falling 49-47. That loss slipped Richmond into fifth place in the conference.
But head coach Teddy Moseley has high expectations for his team in the SAC tournament, as a strong showing could bump the Lady Raiders in the state playoffs, as they are currently on the outside looking in.
Moseley’s Lady Raiders will head to Jack Britt Tuesday for the opening round and look to repeat an upset against the Lady Buccaneers during last year’s tournament. In 2018, as a No. 6 seed, Richmond knocked off No. 3 Jack Britt 58-47.
A seed higher this season, Moseley explained that his team has to “write a different ending” than what is has in several key SAC matchups over the past two months. In the two regular season matchups, each team won on its home floor.
On Jan. 4, the Lady Raiders squeaked out a 36-33 win in a defensive slugfest, before falling on the road on Feb. 1 by a final score of 42-30.
“I thought we could have been better than a five seed,” Moseley explained. “This will be the fourth time we’ve played Jack Britt this season (including preseason), and it’s the team we’ve seen the most. The last time we played there, we got down 12 points and then cut it to one in the fourth quarter.
“But like it’s been all season, we had two key turnovers late,” he continued. “I know we can beat any team in the conference. On the floor, we’ve shown we can hang with Seventy-First and Lumberton, and now we just have to play with confidence and make shots.”
Moseley also explained that his team and Natalie McArthur’s Lady Bucs are similar in experience and game strategy. Both teams are “young, don’t score a lot, and are good defensive” squads.
The x-factor, according to Moseley, will be how well his point guards play. Between the likes of juniors Allexis Swiney and Hailey Miller, along with sophomore Jayla McDougald and freshman Allyiah Swiney, ball control and a lack of offensive turnovers should control the game’s outcome.
“The point guard position will be a big factor,” Moseley said. “We’ve struggled against man-to-man defense this year, and I intend Jack Britt comes out and plays that against us. The point guard is very key for us, especially if we can’t get into our sets. And our defense has to create turnovers like it has all season.
“We do everything correct, but we just need to put the ball in the basket,” he concluded. “I think the girls remember last year, and I like our chances of winning. We’ve proven we can play with the top two teams, we just haven’t finished.
With major playoff implications on the line, Richmond is currently ranked as Maxpreps’ 50th best team in 4A play. The top 48 teams get in, and a strong run through the SAC tournament could get them a last-minute ticket.
Tip-off against the Lady Bucs is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Fayetteville.
