ROCKINGHAM — The brackets are set for this year’s edition of the Sandhills Athletic Conference basketball tournament.
Both the Raider and Lady Raider varsity teams will host home games in the final push toward the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs.
No. 4 Lady Raiders set for No. 5 Lee County
The Lady Raiders finished the regular season tied with Union Pines High School for third place in the SAC standings. With matching 6-6 conference records, and having split their two meetings, a coin toss was used to decide the final seeding.
Losing the toss, Richmond received the fourth seed, but will still have a first-round home game. Head coach Teddy Moseley and the Lady Raiders will welcome in No. 5 Lee County High School (13-8, 5-7 SAC).
Set for Tuesday at 6 p.m., the two teams will battle for the third time this season. Having split the two games in the regular season, Richmond (9-14, 6-6 SAC) won the most recent matchup 47-33 on Feb. 3.
The winner of that game will advance to play No. 1 Scotland in the second round on Wednesday.
Currently outside of the NCHSAA’s projected 4A East playoff bracket (based on a team’s RPI ranking), the Lady Raiders could still make the postseason with a sweep through the SAC tournament.
No. 1 Raiders receive bye, eye second straight tournament win
A perfect 12-0 record against SAC opponents this season, the first time in program history going undefeated in conference play, helped the Raiders and head coach Donald Pettigrew earn a first-round bye.
The No. 1 Raiders will return to the court on Wednesday in the second round against the winner of No. 4 Hoke County High School (10-14, 7-5 SAC) and No. 5 Southern Lee High School (10-14, 3-9 SAC).
Richmond (21-2, 12-0 SAC) has won its last 14 games and is ranked as the No. 2 team in the 4A East playoff projections. New Hanover High School is the current top seed.
The Raiders and the Bucks or Cavaliers will face off on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to try and advance to the championship game. Last season, Richmond defeated Pinecrest in the SAC tournament finale.
