GASTONIA — Less than a week after claiming the 2018 Anson County Shootout holiday tournament title, the Richmond Raider boys basketball team traveled to Ashbrook High School Thursday to compete in the three-day Ashbrook Holiday Hoopfest.
In the first round, the Raiders fell to Hunter Huss High School (Gastonia, N.C.) by a final score of 65-61. The loss ended Richmond’s brief stint of wins through the Anson tournament, and the Raiders now have a 3-6 overall record.
The Huskies (6-1) used a balanced scoring attack through all four quarters to earn the victory. Richmond had explosive quarters in the second (22 points) and fourth (24 points) quarters, but only combined for 15 points in the other two frames, which proved to be enough to come up just short of a season-long three-game win streak.
Over the last six games for Richmond, the Raiders are 2-4, but have lost each of those four contests by single digits (an average of four points per loss).
At the end of the first quarter, Richmond trailed the Huskies 17-9, but managed to tie things up thanks to a 13-5 run to close out the second stanza. Six different Raiders found the hoop in the second eight-minute period, as the 22 points knotted the game at 31-31 heading into the locker room.
Senior guard Alex Quick splashed two of his team-high three three-pointers in the second quarter, leading all Richmond players with six points in the frame. Junior center Jarvis Tillman added five points, while senior forward Xavier Pettigrew hit two field goals in the period.
The Huskies would go on a run of their own during the third quarter, as sophomore Dontavious Nash scored all eight of his points to open the second half. Nash’s eight points, coupled with five from Zo Wallace and four more from Deaven Lowery, accounted for the 17 points for the Huskies in the frame.
Richmond went cold from the floor in the third, scoring a quarter-low six points on buckets from Pettigrew and sophomore Caleb Hood. Huss led by double digits at the end of the third, 48-37, but a another scoring outburst by the Raiders made things interesting down the final stretch.
The Raiders netted a game-high 24 points in the final eight minutes, using six points from three different players (Hood, Tillman and sophomore Patrick McLaughlin). With just under six seconds remaining, the Raiders cut their deficit to one possession, 64-61. But a free throw by Huss’ Deneil Mackins, who scored 17 total points, iced the win for the Huskies.
Tillman proved to be the leading scorer for Richmond, as he netted a team-high 11 points in the loss. Pettigrew and Quick also reached double digits, each adding 10 points, with Hood and McLaughlin finishing with eight and seven points, respectively.
Wallace had a game-high 19 points, and was aided by 17 points from Mackins, with 16 more coming from Lowery.
The Raiders and head coach Donald Pettigrew have been looking to use the two holiday tournaments to help right the ship for the program this season, and the team will return to the court Friday against Berry Academy (Charlotte, N.C.) at 3 p.m. in the second round.
