SANFORD — The only two losses suffered by Southern Lee’s boys’ basketball team this season have come from the barrage of buckets by the Richmond Raiders.
Beginning the second round of Sandhills Athletic Conference play Friday, the Raiders opened their first-place lead over the Cavaliers to two games in the standings.
What ended up being a tightly-contested and physical game, the Raiders overcame a halftime deficit and a strong three-point performance by the Cavs to win 77-67.
In a first half controlled by Southern Lee, the home team led by as many as 10 points. The Cavaliers dropped five three-pointers in the opening two quarters.
Trailing by three points, 34-31, at the break, head coach Donald Pettigrew said the Raiders “made adjustments.” Richmond outscored Southern Lee 46-33 in the final two periods.
A trio of seniors led the Raiders in scoring, including a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds by wing Paul McNeil Jr.
Point guard Javian Drake, who Pettigrew called the team’s “motor,” impressed by shooting 9-of-11 from the field (81.8%) for 19 points and four boards. He dished out numerous assists and drained a transition triple midway through the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
Shooting guard Jamarion Wall, fresh off his career-high 39 points, netted 14 points with a couple of rebounds.
Leading the team with 11 rebounds, senior Braylon Barfield scored six of his eight points in the second half.
Also on the scoresheet for the Raiders were junior Ahaiver McDonald (six points), junior Keyonta Davis and sophomores Jayden Hamilton and Amer Morrison (all with two points).
Richmond opened the game with a close shot from Barfield, but the Cavaliers took a 5-2 lead. Both teams battled to a 10-10 tie, but a triple by the Cavs gave them a lead which would hold until early in the third quarter.
Drake and Wall each had two field goals in the opening stanza to lead the team. McNeil Jr. sank a three-pointer from the top of the arc and Davis hit a mid-range jumper.
Southern Lee carried a 21-15 lead into the second quarter. The Cavaliers opened it up to 29-19 with just under five minutes to go. Scoring Richmond’s four points were McNeil Jr. and Hamilton.
Field goals from McNeil Jr. and McDonald cut the deficit to 32-23. Morrison for his two points by exploding over a group of defenders to tip in a bouncing ball at the rim.
That started a 6-0 run by Richmond. Drake had the other four points on a transition bucket and jumper and pulled the Raiders to within a possession.
Following a bucket from the Cavs, McNeil Jr. (9-for-16 from the field) chipped in two free throws with 9.3 seconds left to send the Raiders into the locker room down 34-31.
To start the third, Wall, Barfield and Drake each hit a field goal as part of a 6-0 run to shift the momentum for good. Wall followed a minute later with a three-pointer over a defender to put the Raiders ahead 40-36.
A burst of scoring by the Cavs relinquished Richmond’s lead, putting the visitors down 43-40. But over the final 3:58 of the third, the Raiders went on a 19-5 run and didn’t look back.
A McNeil Jr. putback, a three-pointer by Wall, a drive by McDonald, two points from Barfield and a McNeil Jr. jam ignited an 11-0 spurt that put Richmond ahead for good.
In the closing 70 seconds of the third, McNeil Jr. added a pair of three-balls, the second coming from the logo near the sideline. Drake also had a transition basket.
Southern Lee wouldn’t go away quietly, trailing 59-48 after three complete. The Cavs used a 9-2 run to begin the fourth to make it a four-point game. Drake had the only points for Richmond in that stretch, another fastbreak bucket.
Drake put an end to the run when he sank a transition three-pointer with 3:23 to play. He brought the ball up the court, passed it to Wall, who returned the pass to Drake for the contested shot from downtown.
A Barfield jam and a quick two points following a steal from McNeil Jr. opened it back up to an 11-point lead, 68-57. Southern Lee scored the next four points of free throws.
Richmond’s final nine points came in the closing 90 seconds of regulation. Drake put one in off the glass, McNeil Jr. had an old-fashioned three-point play and Wall made a move in the paint. As the clock dwindled, McDonald laid in an uncontested layup.
The Cavs (16-2, 5-2 SAC) were led in scoring by TJ Carnegie and Isaiah Upchurch (18 points each).
Richmond (14-5, 7-0 SAC), which built a two-game cushion in the conference standings, will head to Pinecrest High School (8-7, 2-4 SAC) on Tuesday. Action will start at 7:30 p.m.
