WINSTON-SALEM — The Richmond Senior High School boys basketball team lost a heartbreaker Thursday.
Returning to the NCHSAA 4A East regional championship for the second season in a row, the No. 2 Raiders lost 55-53 to No. 1 New Hanover High School.
Richmond led for the majority of the game, its largest lead coming at 10 points early in the third quarter.
New Hanover rallied in the closing three minutes to tie it and advance to the 4A state title game on a pair of free throws.
The Raiders had several chances in the closing 70 seconds to tie or take the lead, but a three-point attempt by sophomore Jayden Hamilton just missed with a second to go.
Senior Paul McNeil Jr. netted a game-high 36 points and added a game-high 12 rebounds. Hamilton had five points and seven boards.
Click here to read the complete game story of Thursday’s regional matchup.
The Raiders finished the season with a 25-6 record. The Richmond Observer will publish an All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team article.
Below are photos of Richmond’s 4A East regional championship runner-up performance, taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
