ROCKINGHAM — In early January, the Richmond Senior High School varsity boys’ basketball team was on the cusp of seeing its season unfold. But a locker room discussion after its Jan. 8 loss to Hoke County High School sparked a run to end the regular season with something that hadn’t happened in 22 years.
Head coach Donald Pettigrew wrapped up his second season as the Raiders head coach last week, taking his team to the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoffs. He also earned his first career playoff win.
In a season Pettigrew simply defined as “electric,” Richmond turned around a 1-5 overall start, including an 0-4 start against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents, into a 17-12 record. The highlight of the season was an eight-game SAC winning streak, which hadn’t occurred since Pettigrew was a senior on the 1997 team.
“We were up and down at the beginning, but for the most part we did what we talked about,” Pettigrew commented on the season. “Our goal was to finish in the top three of the conference, and we also played for a chance to win the regular season conference and conference tournament championships. The guys really believed in the process and came together.
“When we were 0-4 in conference, I didn’t think it would happen,” he added of the third-place finish. “Our goal was to be in the mix of every game. To win eight straight games and do it the way we did by winning at tough places we hadn’t won in a long time, those nights were the ones we played like we were the best team in the conference.”
This season was a big turn around for the Raiders, as they climbed out of a tie for last place in 2017-18 and finished third in the SAC. They also improved their conference record to 9-5, which was seven wins better than last winter.
On Feb. 12, Richmond hosted Seventy-First High School on senior night, with a chance to clinch the regular season title. Although it resulted in a 66-42 loss, Richmond had a chance to knock off the SAC champion Falcons in the SAC tournament championship.
That game would also end in a Richmond loss, but a strong fourth quarter gave the Raiders a chance to win in in the final 10 seconds.
The 2018-19 Raider basketball team was comprised of a four-man senior class in Roderick Newton, Xavier Pettigrew, Alex Quick and Mycah Wilson. It also saw several underclassmen returners produce like juniors Quamir Sivels and Jarvis Tillman, as well as sophomore Caleb Hood.
Newcomers to the varsity level were sophomores PJ McLaughlin and Nygie Stroman, and freshman Kellan Hood.
Three Raiders averaged double-digits in points over the course of the 29-game season, with Newton leading the way with 12.6 points per game. A three-ball shooter, Newton connected on five three-pointers in a game twice, including Richmond’s 54-48 win over Pinecrest High School in the SAC tournament semifinals.
Stroman, a 6-7 center, exploded onto the scene in the loss to Hoke County, and finished the year averaging 11.8 points per game. He netted a career high 27 points against Purnell Swett High School on Jan. 25, and was second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Xavier Pettigrew was Richmond’s third-leading scorer with 10.8 points per game, and bested Stroman’s rebound average by grabbing 6.3 boards per contest. One of his most clutch performances was a double-double (16 points, 10 boards) in the Raiders’ win Hickory Ridge High School in the opening round of the playoffs.
Quick and Hood rounded out the offensive attack, averaging 7.2 and 5.7 points per game. Stroman led the team in total points scored with 141 points, with Newton not far behind with 139 total points. As a team, the Raiders averaged 59.6 points per game, and eclipsed 70 points nine times.
“The young guys had a great season, and it was fun to watch PJ, Nygie and Kellan grow and produce at the varsity level,” Pettigrew said. “The game really slowed down for them, PJ played a big role for us at point guard, and Kellan came around for us. Nygie, like I’ve been saying all season, was really special for us.
“My seniors have been with me the longest, and they sacrificed so much for our team,” he added. “There were a lot of games they weren’t in, but cheered the team on. They were unselfish and wanted us to be good, and that shows the character they have.”
Pettigrew added that Caleb Hood “turned it up and was a monster down the stretch,” and expects him to be one of the better players as a junior next season.
The Raiders’ eight-game winning streak started on Jan. 11 against Lumberton High School, which was the leading SAC team at the time. During a stretch that lasted until Richmond’s loss on Feb. 12 to Seventy-First, the Raiders beat all four teams that had beaten them to start the conference season (Purnell Swett, Pinecrest, Jack Britt and Hoke County).
Stroman scored a breakaway layup with 5.7 seconds remaining on the road at Jack Britt on Feb. 1 for a one-point win, which was one of the more dramatic finishes. The Raiders also steamrolled Pinecrest by 26 points on Jan. 29, its largest margin of victory over the Patriots since 2000.
“The defining moment for us was the home Hoke County game we lost,” Pettigrew shared. “Alex turned it over in the final seconds, and after the game, the guys were crying in the locker room. I told them ‘don’t you ever hold your head down about the game of basketball.’”
“They knew I was proud of them because they gave their best effort,” he added. “And that’s where we turned it around. The streak was the biggest part of our season. Everyone learned to be patient and we put those wins together. They taught me so much this season and made me a better coach.”
Even though the offseason has just started, and the fourth round of the state playoffs still underway, Pettigrew is already looking ahead to the 2019-2020 season.
“The goal is to just keep getting better and mix some of our football guys in and get fundamentally sound,” Pettigrew concluded. “We’re going to hit it extra hard over the summer with AAU ball and our summer jamboree because we don’t want to stay the same. We want to become one of the best programs in the state.”
The All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team will be announced following the elimination of all SAC teams from the playoffs. Currently, No. 4 Seventy-First is the lone remaining SAC team, and will play No. 1 overall seed Millbrook High School on Tuesday.
