GRAHAM, N.C. — A big third quarter by the Richmond Senior High School Raider basketball team Monday against Walter M. Williams High School (3A, Mid-Piedmont) looked to open the game up and hinted at a fourth-straight win.
But it was only to be wisped away on a fourth-quarter charge by the Bulldogs.
The Raiders traveled to Southern Alamance High School to compete in the 11th annual Tony Perrou Memorial Scholarship tournament, which welcomed eight area schools. A scoring drought in the final quarter by the Raiders led to the Bulldogs squeaking out a 54-48 victory.
Entering the day, Richmond and head coach Donald Pettigrew had won its three previous games, a season-high streak. But a switch to man-to-man defense by Williams in the final eight minutes, coupled with turnover and foul trouble by the Raiders (8-9), saw the streak snapped.
“We just didn’t finish around the basket and played loose in the fourth quarter,” Pettigrew said after the game. “We were up 10 points, and we need to find a way to close out games. We gave them a couple extra possessions when our guys didn’t get rebounds.
“As the coach, I need to do a better job calling better sets,” he added. “(Williams) is the No. 4 team in the state (3A), and we play games like this to get better for conference games.”
Richmond held leads at the end of the first and third quarters, with their game-high lead of 10 points coming at the start of the fourth quarter. At the close of the first eight minutes of play, field goals by Jarvis Tillman and Xavier Pettigrew, along with a three-pointer by Rod Newton, gave Richmond a 7-4 lead.
The Bulldogs (14-1) roared back to outscore the Raiders 15-10 in the second stanza to take a 19-17 lead into the halftime break. Xavier Pettigrew did give the Raiders their first lead in six minutes of play when he corralled a loose ball and connected on a one-handed jam under the rim.
Williams’ Kennedy Miles would finish as the game’s leading scorer with 18 points, and the Raider defense kept the junior shooting guard to just six first-half points.
Out of the intermission, the Raiders took control of the game, using a fast-tempo offense to outscore the Bulldogs 21-9. Sophomores Caleb Hood and Nygie Stroman opened the first 2:25 on an 8-0 run, each scoring four points in the process.
Stroman added a triple a few minutes later to give Richmond a seven-point lead, 27-20. Freshman Kellan Hood added a three-ball of his own at the 3:02 mark, giving the Raiders their first 10-point lead of the game, 34-24.
Xavier Pettigrew ended the scoring outburst with four more of his team-high 12 points in the closing minute. Alex Quick blocked a shot and sent an outlet pass to Pettigrew in transition, who stomped his way to a one-handed dunk. He added a bucket under the basket to end the quarter with the Raiders up 38-28.
The fourth quarter would see Miles and company begin with an 8-0 run of their own, and took their first lead since the second quarter, 49-48, with just 48.2 seconds to go on a Rashaud Alston layup.
Alston’s bucket tallied the seventh of 12 points as a part of a 12-0 run by the Bulldogs to close out the final 1:17. The Raider shooters went cold from the floor, as Newton’s three-pointer from the left corner with 2:33 to go served as the last points for Richmond.
Miles scored 11 of his 18 points in the final stanza, with Alston adding seven and Tamari Graves and Maliek Poteat each netting four.
Other leading scorers for the Raiders were Newton (8 points), Stroman (8 points) and four apiece from Caleb Hood and Quick.
“We’re in a good place to move up in the conference,” Pettigrew concluded. “Zay and Rod played well, and Kellan is playing with more confidence. We’re just ready for Friday.”
Richmond will hit the hardwood again Friday, as it looks to continue its three-game Sandhills Athletic Conference winning streak. The Raiders will welcome in Purnell Swett High School (8-7, 1-5 SAC) and look to avenge a 78-74 loss from Dec. 11. Tip off is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
