ROCKINGHAM — Finding the open player was the name of the game for the Richmond Raider basketball team in Wednesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference game.
A rescheduled matchup against Purnell Swett High School, the Raiders used four double-digit scorers to knock off the Rams 69-49.
The victory was also the team’s first home game of the season, ending an 11-month, 10-day drought of not playing in front of their home crowd. Wednesday’s win completed the Raiders’ sweep of the Rams this season, having also beaten them 66-45 on Jan. 5.
“It was our first home game in almost a year, and some of the guys said they were nervous,” head coach Donald Pettigrew smiled after the game. “It was good nerves and the guys used that to start off strong.
“We moved the ball well and shot really well in the first half,” he added. “The second half was a little sloppy, which happens when you’re up big and the guys get complacent. I told them we have to work on that, but it was a good win.”
Senior point guard Patrick McLaughlin led Richmond’s scorers with 15 points, netting 11 points in the second half. Senior shooting guard Dylan Lewis and freshman shooting guard Paul McNeil both contributed 14 points.
Also hitting double figures was senior forward Nygie Stroman, who tacked on 11 points, nine of which he put up in the first two quarters. Senior center Travis Thomas, who played for the first time since coming off a lower body injury, netted a season-high eight points.
“It feels good to be back, and I’m trying to work on my conditioning,” Lewis said. “I just went out there and shot the ball. I didn’t want to overthink what I was doing, and I was able to knock down some big shots.
“It’s important to pick up these wins because we want to win a conference championship,” he added. “That’s our goal and we want to play well in the playoffs. With the little bit of time we have, we’re trying to have a good time and get all the wins we can.”
Richmond used a 7-0 run to start the game and Lewis accounted for Richmond’s first five points on a bucket and a triple from the left wing. Stroman added his first two points on a putback.
Garyen Maynor scored the Rams’ only points in the first quarter on a three-ball at the 5:25 mark. Richmond closed the quarter on a 10-0 stretch that included three points from Stroman, a three-pointer from junior Xavier Collazo, solo free throws by McNeil and Thomas and a drive from McLaughlin.
The Raiders broke the game open in the second stanza, outsourcing the Rams 22-11. Lewis and McNeil each scored seven points for Richmond, and Stroman rattled the rim on a two-handed jam on an assist from McNeil for two of his four points in the frame.
McLaughlin hit a pair of free throws and Thomas added a putback off the glass to help the Raiders take a 25-point lead, 39-14, their largest of the game, into the break.
Once Richmond went up by double-digits early in the first half, Pettigrew started a rotation of substitutions. Resting his starters, players like Collazo and sophomores Dakota Chavis, Zion Baldwin and Emoni McBride played ample minutes.
Chavis netted four points for Richmond on two drives in the second half and Collazo added to the first-half scoring barrage with a three-pointer.
“It was Dakota and Travis’ first game back in a while, so we were trying to get them into a rhythm,” Pettigrew explained. “I told them to let the game come to them and they were able to knock the rust off. A lot of guys got good minutes and we’ll need them in the upcoming games.”
Nygie Stroman (left) and Patrick McLaughlin (right), who both scored double figures, high-five after a play.
The Rams (1-5, 1-3 SAC) opened the second half on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 39-22. But a pair of McLaughlin free throws at the 5:28 mark stopped the spurt, and Richmond outpaced Purnell Swett 10-6 the rest of the stanza.
McLaughlin had four points in the third and capped his night with seven points in the fourth. He went 5-of-6 from the line in the closing eight minutes, but said there was a lot of open space when driving the ball.
“There were a lot of open lanes and Purnell Swett wasn’t playing help defense, so I knew I could go one-on-one against my man,” McLaughlin explained. “We locked down early and our good defense turned into offense.
“We are taking things game by game. It’s great to be able to be back playing with the fellas and being on our home court,” McLaughlin added.
Thomas proved big in the fourth, completing an and-one opportunity following a hard drive through traffic. With 17.5 seconds left, he added two free throws. McNeil, who was coming off a career night with 31 points on Tuesday, netted his final four points in the fourth.
Purnell Swett was led by 15 points from Chandler McNeill, and Logan Jacobs added eight points. Chris Lucas and Cameron Ferguson contributed six and seven points, respectively.
“It’s big to be 2-0 in conference play right now, especially when you talk about the playoffs,” Pettigrew explained. “We talk about it all the time and we tell the guys to treat every game like a championship game.
“Every possession matters and we can’t take a single play off. It’s important that they play hard all the time and there is no room for errors. We’re going to make the best out of every game from here on out.”
The Raiders (3-1, 2-0 SAC) will look to stay perfect when they welcome defending 4A co-state champion Lumberton High School (4-1, 2-1 SAC) on Friday. Richmond lost a road game to the Pirates on Jan. 19. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
