HIGH POINT — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team extended its winning streak to seven games to begin the new season on Saturday.
Playing in the Tourney Town Showcase hosted by Phenom Hoops at Wesleyan Christian Academy, the No. 9 Raiders held on to defeat Forsyth Country Day School 63-54.
The win capped another perfect 3-0 week for the Raiders, who picked up two wins against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents on Tuesday and Friday.
Continuing to showcase their depth of scorers, Richmond had four players reach double digits in the win.
Junior guard Dakota Chavis was named the game’s Most Valuable Player by the Phenom Hoops staff, registering his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Sophomore shooting guard Jamarion Wall helped the Raiders remain perfect with a season-high 15 points. Sophomore Paul McNeil netted 14 points and secured 8 rebounds, while fellow sophomore Javian Drake dropped 10 points.
“I told Dakota I wanted him to rebound more, and he’s responded by doing that against Pinecrest (on Friday) and Forsyth Country Day,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said. “That was big for him, and he’s a guy who can get to the rim and dish out passes.
“Jamarion is a high profile shooter, too,” Pettigrew added. “He’s shown he can step up when we need him. I tell the guys all the time we’re more than a one-man show. Paul will lead us, but we also have a lot of pieces around him. Our mentality is always the next man up.”
The Furies took a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Raiders closed the second period by erasing an 8-point deficit to take a 28-27 lead into halftime.
“They got us on an 8-0 run early, but the young guys kept their poise and didn’t panic,” Pettigrew noted. “Then we went on a 7-0 run in the first quarter and we made it a game.
“We could have easily gotten frustrated, but the guys didn’t and kept playing hard. Teams will make runs, but our guys kept making shots and making defensive stops when we needed them.”
Richmond outscored Forsyth Country Day 14-11 in the third quarter to take a six-point lead into the final eight minutes.
Down the stretch, the Raiders added 19 points in the fourth quarter. Wall hit three field goals for his final 6 points, and senior wing Xavier Collazo knocked down two triples for his 6 points in the game.
McNeil added five points on a basket and a three-pointer, and Chavis capped his performance with a bucket.
Senior Deshon Watson scored 4 points in the win, junior Zion Baldwin notched 2 points and 5 rebounds and senior Domanyck McDonald chipped in 2 points.
Richmond (7-0, 2-0) will get an extended break from the hardwood and return to action with a non-conference home game against Jack Britt High School (1-5) on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The game will be played at 7:30 p.m.
Note: Deon Cranford and Phenom Hoops provided stats and information to this article.
