ROCKINGHAM — With first place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference up for grabs on Tuesday, the Richmond Raider basketball team made a statement against rival Scotland High School.
Head coach Donald Pettigrew credited his team’s stronger defensive performance in the second half to the Raiders’ running-clock 87-43 victory over the Fighting Scots.
In front of a packed gymnasium, the two teams entered play with undefeated SAC records and played a physical game that was broken open by the Raiders in the final two quarters.
Leading by 10 points to start the second half, Richmond outscored Scotland 27-7 in the third and rolled on a 21-8 run in the fourth quarter.
Junior shooting guard Paul McNeil Jr. led all scorers with 33 points and added 11 rebounds, while fellow junior wing Jullien Cole scored 23 points for Richmond.
Senior center Zion Baldwin chipped in 14 points and 7 rebounds in the win, and junior Dylan Lampley started the running clock with a basket with 5:05 left in the fourth quarter.
Four players helped Richmond jump out to a 20-15 lead after the first, starting with six points each from McNeil Jr. and Baldwin. Richmond’s first five points were all free throws, three from McNeil Jr. and two from Cole, who added five points early.
Senior guard Dakota Chavis, who finished with seven points, gave the Raiders an 8-6 lead with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. A drive from Baldwin and a McNeil Jr. triple extended the lead to seven points.
Scotland cut its deficit to a point thanks to a three-pointer and five straight points from Isaac Ferguson, who led the Fighting Scots with 15 points.
A three-pointer from Cole and a tip at the buzzer by Baldwin gave Richmond a five-point cushion.
The second quarter played out similarly to the first for both teams. Trading buckets, a baseline drive from Lampley and a McNeil Jr. three-pointer answered an early scoring burst by the Fighting Scots.
Up 25-20, a Cole reverse under the basket and another Baldwin drive through the paint made it a seven-point lead. Helping keep Scotland close in the second were Ferguson and Lamonte Cousar, who both scored six points.
A 10-5 stretch in the final three minutes by Richmond started with another Cole three-pointer and a drive from him. Freshman guard Jayden Hamilton went on a 3-0 spurt with a free throw and a bucket, while Baldwin capped his 10 first-half points with another field goal.
Lampley made a big defensive play by blocking a Ferguson shot attempt as time expired, maintaining a 39-29 lead at the break.
The third quarter belonged to the Raiders, as McNeil Jr. netted 14 points and Cole added 7 points. A 5-0 run to start featured three McNeil Jr. free throws and a field goal from Baldwin.
After a Scotland basket, McNeil Jr. scored four fastbreak points and Cole added a drive to make it a 50-31 lead.
Carter Revelle broke the run with a basket for Scotland (12-3, 4-1 SAC), but again the Raiders’ offense provided a cushion. A Baldwin putback, four points from McNeil Jr. and three free throws from Cole started a stretch of 16 unanswered points.
Adding to the lead was one of McNeil Jr.’s four three-pointers in the game, as well as a pair of Cole free throws and a drive from Chavis.
With 24.8 seconds left in the third, and Richmond leading 66-33, a scuffle on the floor following a foul resulted in a stoppage of play. Players from both teams shoved one another, but the situation quickly dissipated.
After a short delay, one player for Richmond was disqualified for leaving the bench area, according to Pettigrew. No other disqualifications or technical fouls were handed out.
With the game leaning in their favor, the Raiders took a 74-36 lead when McNeil Jr. opened the final period with an old-fashioned three-point play, a drive and his final three-pointer.
Cole added a pair of free throws and McNeil Jr. ended his night with a putback on an offensive rebound. Lampley’s athletic basket for his final two points under the hoop started the running clock.
Rounding out Richmond’s scoring were two more points from Cole, a three-pointer from junior shooting guard Jamarion Wall and a Chavis layup.
Cousar added 13 points in the loss for Scotland and Jaiquez Caldwell scored six points, all on three-pointers.
Distancing themselves by one game in the conference standings lead, the Raiders (14-2, 6-0 SAC) will roll over on their schedule and kickoff the second round of SAC play on Friday.
Richmond will host fifth-place Southern Lee High School (8-9, 1-4 SAC), beginning at 7:30 p.m.
