ROCKINGHAM — A third-quarter lapse Tuesday resulted in Richmond Senior High School’s third loss in four games to start the season.
Finishing a quadruple-header with Grace Christian School, the Raider varsity basketball team let a lead midway through the third quarter dissipate.
Unable to find its offensive or defensive rhythms in the final 12 minutes of regulation, Richmond fell short 71-64 to the Crusaders.
In a game personified by scoring runs by both teams, the Raiders held a handful of leads through the first two and a half quarters.
Grace Christian, however, used a 12-2 run at the end of the third frame to take the lead for good.
Eight different players scored for Richmond, led by senior Keyonta Davis’ season-high 14 points. Junior Jayden Hamilton added 12 points, Richmond’s only other double-digit scorer.
Senior Ahaiver McDonald, junior Amer Morrison and sophomore Chance Crowder all netted eight points, with senior Davion Ingram and freshman Donovan Jones each adding five points apiece. Junior Domonic Tillman recorded the other four points.
Trailing 12-5 to begin the game, Richmond used a 7-0 run to tie the score. Tillman made a shot along the baseline to get it started and Hamilton nailed down the first of his two triples in the game from the right wing.
Tying the score at 12 points was Morrison, who took an outlet pass off a steal and laid in the easy transition bucket.
Grace Christian answered and took a 15-14 lead into the second stanza. Richmond outscored the Crusaders 17-13 in the second eight-minute period and led 31-28 at halftime.
Part of that stretch was a 9-0 run that featured a jumper by Hamilton and transition baskets by Davis and Jones. Capping the final points to give Richmond a 26-23 lead was Crowder, who pulled up for a successful three-pointer, one of his two in the game, from the left wing.
Jones drained a triple from the top of the arc a few possessions later and a pair of free throws from Crowder gave Richmond a three-point lead at the break.
Carrying that momentum over to start the third quarter, Davis scored Richmond’s first six points to maintain a 37-32 lead. He connected on a putback under the rim and two mid-range jumpers.
Ingram tallied the final three of his five total points when he knocked down a three-pointer with 5:34 to go in the third. A McDonald bucket and two free throws by Davis following a technical foul put Richmond ahead 44-40 with 4:37 on the clock.
That’s when the Crusaders shifted momentum in their favor with a 12-2 scoring stretch to end the third. Hamilton was good on a transition basket for the Raiders, who entered the fourth quarter down 52-46.
Grace Christian outpaced Richmond 19-18 in the final eight minutes, holding off a valiant comeback effort. Hamilton netted his final five points to lead the team on a jumper and a three-pointer just shy of the buzzer.
Davis scored his last four points, all at the free throw line. A triple apiece from Crowder and Morrison were matched by three points from McDonald on a bucket and a free throw.
Topping the scoring sheet for the Crusaders (3-5) were Jimmy Zimmerman (17 points), Nate Jones (16 points) and Caleb Ellis (14 points).
The Raiders (1-3) begin their Sandhills Athletic Conference slate Friday at Southern Lee High School (5-0). The game will start at 7:30 p.m.
