ROCKINGHAM — It wasn’t as easy as their first-round playoff win, but the No. 2 Richmond Raiders picked up their 18th straight win on Thursday.
Hosting No. 15 Sanderson High School in the second round of the 4A East playoffs, Richmond erased a two-point halftime deficit to earn a 74-64 win.
A game driven by defense from both teams, Richmond trailed by as many as nine points in the first half.
Junior Jullien Cole continued his hot streak, netting a team-high 30 points. He connected on eight three-pointers in the process, just two nights after breaking the program’s single-game record with 10 triples.
Paul McNeil Jr. added 20 points and seven rebounds, netting his final 12 points in a pivotal second half.
Senior guard Dakota Chavis netted five points, but his three-pointer from the right corner with 1:43 left in regulation proved to be the game-winning shot.
Adding 10 points in the second half was junior Javian Drake, and fellow junior Jamarion Wall scored all five of his points in the final quarter.
Freshman Jayden Hamilton scored four points in the win, while senior Zion Baldwin grabbed a team-best 12 boards.
An 11-6 run over a three-minute period in the fourth quarter, which ended in Chavis’ contested triple in front of the Richmond bench, sealed the deal.
Richmond (25-2) will host No. 7 Lumberton High School (24-5) on Saturday in the third round at 6:30 p.m.
Below are photos from Thursday’s second-round playoff win, taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
