SOUTHERN PINES — Seven lead changes and four ties in the fourth quarter of Monday’s opening round Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament game gave basketball fans the show they were looking for between the No. 5 Lady Raiders and No. 4 Pinecrest High School.
Unlike the first two meetings between the teams, Monday’s contest came down to the wire with a trip to the semifinal round on the line. Despite holding a 12-point lead early in the game, the Lady Raiders suffered a first-round exit with a 54-46 loss.
Pinecrest (14-10) wouldn’t break the game open until the final 2:42 of regulation, using a 9-3 run to end the Lady Raiders’ bid for a conference tournament championship.
The loss also snapped Richmond’s four-game winning streak, and proved to be the third loss to the Lady Patriots this season.
Richmond (16-9) bookended the game with strong opening and closing quarters, netting 17 points in each period. But a lapse on offense in the middle periods saw the Lady Raiders score just six points in both the second and third frames.
During that offensive break, the Lady Raiders’ defense allowed Pinecrest to outscore them 25-12.
Entering the game, Richmond head coach Teddy Moseley said his team would have to find a way to contain Pinecrest’s Keayna McLaughlin. While the Lady Raiders held the senior guard scoreless in the first quarter, she ended the night with 15 points.
Leading all scorers was Lady Patriot Sha’hoda Kelley, who posted 21 points in the win. Richmond senior point guard Keionna Love wasn’t far behind, netting 20 points. It was her third time in the last four games scoring at least 20 points.
“The difference is having an experienced, seasoned guard like (McLaughlin),” Moseley said. “She didn’t win the game, but she didn’t lose the game for them. She got other people involved, and unfortunately we didn’t have that tonight.
“We had a great start and I don’t think that we got comfortable,” he continued. “The girls did what they were supposed to do, but the second half saw too many defensive lapses. We need to have players who can think under pressure, and I think that’s what got us tonight.”
The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to three points from junior Jakerra Covington and two free throws from Love. After Pinecrest tied the game, Richmond closed the quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 17-5 lead.
Love started the run with two three-pointers and junior teammate Jayla McDougald splashed down a three-pointer with 55 seconds left. McDougald scored a field goal just ahead of the buzzer to give Richmond its largest lead of the game.
McLaughlin netted eight points in the second for Pinecrest, outscoring the Lady Raiders by herself. Love would net four of Richmond’s six points, with Davionna Campbell hitting the glass for the other two.
Kelley, who scored just six points in the first half, hit a jumper and two free throws before the break. Heading into the locker room, the Lady Raiders held a 23-17 lead.
Love, Campbell and senior Jardai Tillman accounted for two points each in the third, while Kelley’s seven points helped Pinecrest pull ahead. A mid-range jumper by Ashlyn O’Leary with 1:36 left in the third gave the Lady Patriots their first lead, 28-27.
Down one point to start the fourth, Richmond would switch back and forth with Pinecrest, but hold no lead larger than one point the rest of the way. Free throws would play a pivotal part of the finish, as the two teams combined to take 35 shots from the line in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Patriots converted on 12-of-18 attempts (67 percent) and Richmond knocked down 9-of-17 shots (53 percent). McLaughlin went 5-for-7, Aniyah Jackson connected on five of her eight tries and Kelley added two shots on three attempts.
For the Lady Raiders, Love and Covington both hit 4-of-6 shots. McDougald finished the game with nine points and Covington added seven points.
“It was a good fourth quarter, we battled back and forth and were leading by one point a couple times,” Moseley said. “They got (the lead) to three points and never looked back.
“Free throws killed us tonight,” he closed. “We didn’t shoot them well. Our body language was bad, too, and that filters throughout the team. It just wasn’t a good showing late down the stretch.”
Currently, the Lady Raiders and Lady Patriots are both projected to be one of the first five teams out of the 4A state playoffs. But Moseley said his team will continue to practice until the final brackets are released over the weekend.
