ROCKINGHAM — Before breaking down Wednesday’s practice, Teddy Moseley told the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team it was the best practice it’s had this preseason.
Going around and complimenting each of the players’ efforts, he summed it up by saying he was proud of the team’s excitement and energy.
As he enters his third season as the Lady Raiders’ head coach, Moseley is hoping to take that buzz and do some damage in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. Richmond will begin its shortened, conference-only 14-game season Tuesday.
During the past two seasons, the Lady Raiders have improved under Moseley, earning six more wins last winter than they did in his first season. Richmond ended the 2019-2020 season with a 16-9 overall record and a 7-7 mark in SAC play, good enough for fifth place.
The new season will look different under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s COVID-19 guidelines, complete with players and coaches having to wear masks during games. The Lady Raiders also look a little different this year after losing four seniors, most notably last season’s leading scorer Keionna Love.
But now Moseley hopes to use the footing he’s built the last two seasons, a strong core of veteran players and an influx of fresh faces and height to make a run at a conference title.
“The energy and the effort has to be consistent,” Moseley said. “The main thing we can control is our energy, and if we play with a high level of energy consistently, and play together as a team, that will make up for times when shots aren’t falling.
“We’ve had girls in this program since I got here, and they have all developed tremendously,” he added. “Both on the court and as leaders. We know what to expect from each other and that’s going to help us this year.”
Among those returning is senior point guard Jayla McDougald, Richmond’s lone returning All-SAC selection. She averaged 10.9 points per game as a junior, second on the team, and has become the “engine” with which the offense runs through.
“We’ve had really good energy at practices and everyone is really competitive,” McDougald said. “The team has a really good vibe about this year, and that should transfer into our games and make other teams nervous about how confident we are.
“Everybody wants to win this year and we are all working really hard,” she added. “We’ve been in the gym a lot using the new (Dr. Dish) machine and that’s helping us.”
Understanding her role as one of the Lady Raiders’ leaders, a position she’s been in the last two years, McDougald said she wants to keep the team motivated and help encourage the younger players to contribute.
Six more of the 12 players on this year’s team return with varsity experience. They are seniors Jakerra Covington, Davionna Campbell and Asia Douglas, juniors Jamiya Ratliff and Allyiah Swiney and sophomore Kyla Sampson.
Covington averaged 8.6 points per game last season and is a physical force that will team up nicely in the post with Campbell, who played in 22 games a season ago. Ratliff has impressed early on after a solid sophomore campaign, and Swiney returns to the team after missing her sophomore season.
Newcomers to the varsity squad this year are junior Mariah Waddell, sophomore C’Nedra Hinson and freshmen Jasmine Jennings, Ryelan Lyerly and Keyoni Nichols.
“Jamiya has come around so much, she’s playing with so much confidence,” Moseley said. “Jayla is our anchor and we want to build off her all-conference season, and Jakerra is coming back and I know she’ll step right in. Davionna has become a tremendous post player and a leader.
“We have veteran leadership and they are all quick to step up. Kyla is a sophomore but plays like a senior. She can give our younger players the experiences she had last year,” he added. “And we have a little more length this year. Ryelan is tall and wiry, and we’re looking for her and Jasmine to give us help off the bench.”
Moseley said that the Lady Raiders will benefit from having Covington and Campbell in the post. With the combination of McDougald and Sampson on the outside, and Ratliff’s ability to “shoot from anywhere,” Richmond’s offense will look to build off its 50.52 points per game last season.
For Campbell, her senior season isn’t what she expected it to be because of the virus, but she said she and her teammates are grateful for the opportunity to play.
“The masks make it harder to breathe, especially when we’re playing at a fast pace,” Campbell explained. “But I think we’re going to do well this season even if we have a lot fewer games.
“I was looking forward to all the road trips and all the fans and energy at our home games to boost us up, but I know we’re going to make the best out of it.”
One of Richmond’s best aspects this winter will be the team’s depth, something Sampson hopes the Lady Raiders will expound upon during the regular season.
“The team is looking really good and our chemistry is there,” Sampson said. “Our passes are getting better and as a whole team, we’re not selfish and we share the ball. Our patience is getting better and that will help with making sure we get good shots.
“This team has a lot of depth and my role as a leader to some of the younger players is vital because I was just in their shoes,” she continued. “I can give them a better look at the game and I know what they’re going through.
In 2019-2020, Richmond just missed out on making the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs, despite being a bubble team following the SAC tournament. A hopeful return to the postseason would mark the first time since the 2016-2017 campaign.
The Lady Raiders are also chasing their first conference title since 2010, when they went 19-2 overall.
“We expect to finish high in the conference this year,” Moseley said. “The coaching staff has harbored on the fact that we don’t have any non-conference games. Now we have to be prepared because from day one, we are in it. The girls need to compete from the beginning.
“We have a mixture of good players and we just have to believe in ourselves,” he closed.
Helping Moseley out this season will be assistant coaches Shannon Jackson, Taneika Reader and Whitney Smith. Richmond will open its season on the road at Purnell Swett High School on Tuesday, Jan. 5, at 6 p.m.
2020-2021 Lady Raiders Basketball Roster
4 | Jayla McDougald | Senior | PG/SG | 5-0 *
10 | Kyla Sampson | Sophomore | PG/SG | 5-3 *
12 | C’Nedra Hinson | Sophomore | PG/SG | 5-1
14 | Keyoni Nichols | Freshman | PG/SG | 5-0
20 | Jamyia Ratliff | Junior | SF/PF | 5-10 *
23 | Jakerra Covington | Senior | PF | 5-9 *
24 | Asia Douglas | Senior | PG/SG | 5-4 *
30 | Allyiah Swiney | Junior | PG | 5-7 *
33 | Ryelan Lyerly | Freshman | SF | 5-9
40 | Jasmine Jennings | Freshman | C | 6-0
44 | Davionna Campbell | Senior | C | 5-11 *
50 | Mariah Waddell | Junior | PF | 5-8
An asterisk denotes returning players with varsity experience.
