ROCKINGHAM – Most people don’t associate stuffing with the Christmas holidays, but the Richmond Senior High School varsity basketball team served up a huge helping late in Tuesday’s non-conference win over Southern Lee High School.
Ending a four-game losing skid, the Raiders (2-5) earned a signature 55-54 win over the Cavaliers (9-2) thanks to a time-expiring block in the paint by junior guard Alex Quick on senior forward Nate Thompson.
Trailing 55-54 with 22.2 seconds left in regulation, and following missed free throw by Richmond senior point guard Darrius Butler, Southern Lee inbounded the ball and ran the length of the court. A series of quick passes found Thompson driving the paint but was stopped by the massive wingspan of Quick. Butler corralled a loose ball as the buzzer went off, solidifying a much-needed win stemming from a tremendous defensive performance by the Raiders.
“Alex was big for us tonight,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said following the team’s first win since December 5. “He grabbed 12 rebounds and played hard. The block at the end of the game was huge, and will build his confidence.
“When some players go down (with injury), I always say ‘next man up’,” Pettigrew continued. “And that’s exactly what Alex did for us tonight against a really good Southern Lee team.”
Quick, who noted he hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes this season, was given an opportunity to get in the starting rotation due to an injured Xavier Pettigrew (hyperextended knee) and two other players benched for team discipline. Though he only netted two points on the night, it was his defensive play that aided in the victory.
“I had to sacrifice the man behind me for my team,” Quick explained about his game-saving block. “I thought he was about to dunk on me, and I just went up and blocked it. This win means a lot for the team.”
Entering the night, the Cavs’ only loss on the season was to Pinecrest High School (9-1). But thanks to a suffocating Richmond defense, persistence on both sides of the ball, and composure down the stretch by hitting four of six free throws, Richmond gained a little confidence heading into the holiday tournaments in the coming weeks.
The first quarter got off to a slow start, but junior guard Malik Stanback drained the game’s first points on a three-pointer from the left corner at the 6:15 mark. Following a Butler eight-foot jumper, the Raiders got out to an early 5-0 lead, but allowed a 6-0 run by Southern Lee led by junior guard Khalil Ridges.
Closing the opening frame on a 7-2 run, the Cavs led 13-11 at quarter’s end, but not before Richmond freshman guard Caleb Hood collected an offensive rebound and hit the putback with seconds remaining.
Through their first 10 games, the Cavs were averaging 66.8 points per game, but thanks to a collective defensive effort by Richmond, they were held to their third-lowest point total of the season.
“The guys played good defense tonight,” Pettigrew noted. “We worked for an hour and a half during practice (Monday) on defense. We are continuing to build.”
The Raiders, who switched between a zone defense and full-court press, limited the Cavs to a game-low 12 points in the second stanza. Despite allowing Southern Lee to enter the bonus with 6:30 left in the half, Richmond contained Ridges (game-high 17 points) and junior guard Phillip Martin (second leading scorer with 16 points) to just six combined points in the quarter.
Offensively, Stanback added five more of his team-leading 13 total points, which included a shot from downtown that rattled home the 3:51 and gave the Raiders their first lead, 18-15, since there was 3:04 remaining in the first quarter.
Senior forward Malik Flowers dropped four of his eight total points in the frame, while senior guard Da’Shaun Wallace came off the bench and picked off a Southern Lee pass at half court and hit a bucket with 20.5 seconds left to secure a 26-25 Richmond lead heading into the locker room.
In a game that saw the largest lead of the night by either team held to just six points (Richmond 49-43 with 2:54 to go in the fourth quarter), the entire second half was a back-and-forth affair that saw five ties and seven lead changes.
Six Richmond players added points to their totals in the third quarter, as the Raiders outscored the Cavs 15-14. Butler led the way for the green and gold, picking up four of his 12 points, including a steal that led to a left-handed layup at the 3:45 mark. Following a drained contested three-pointer by Stanback, and another wide-open layup by Butler, Richmond entered the final frame up just two points, 41-39.
The fourth quarter belonged to Wallace, as he helped put the game away by scoring eight of his 10 points. He started the things off with a bucket following an inbound pass under the hoop, and added a layup and eight-foot baseline jumper on the next two Richmond possessions. Wallace also picked up a block early in the quarter.
Southern Lee made things interesting tying the game at 49 with 1:39 to go, as the Cavs scored four points in under 20 seconds, each bucket coming off steals around half court. But cue clutch free throws from Butler and Stanback, another impressive drive by Wallace in the paint, and Quick’s block, and the game was over in a blaze of sprawling players on the floor and deafening cheers from the crowd.
“We’re starting to come together,” Pettigrew said. “Besides the Hoke game, our defense is progressing. And our team is building off of one another and the chemistry is getting better. We’re in a good place as we get ready for the (upcoming) tournaments.”
Richmond will play in the Anson Invitational Friday, December 22, and Saturday, December 23, before competing in the annual three-day Holiday in the Pines Christmas Tournament in Southern Pines from December 28-30. Opponents and tipoff times are to be determined.
