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Slow start results in loss for Lady Raiders in first round of holiday tournament

Senior guard Kyla Sampson hits a baseline floater in the third quarter, her first game back since Feb. 2021 due to injury. (Kyle Pillar, sports editor)

HOPE MILLS — Unable to extend its winning streak to three games on Tuesday, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team fell to Cape Fear.

Playing in the opening round of the three-day Cumberland County Holiday Classic, the Lady Raiders lost 57-13 behind a running clock.

A cold start offensively yielded no points in the first quarter, as Richmond trailed 21-0 after the first eight minutes. 

One bright spot for the team early on was the return of senior guard Kyla Sampson, who played in her first game since Feb. 2021 due to injury.

Sampson entered the game with 2:51 left in the first and provided a boost in defense, causing a couple of turnovers. She finished the game with two points.

“It was big to see Kyla get in the game,” head coach Teddy Moseley said. “It’s been a long time since she’s been able to play. We kept her minutes down and she played a little bit more in the fourth quarter.”

The second quarter fared a little better for the Lady Raiders. Junior guard Keyoni Nichols got Richmond on the board at the 6:49 mark with a three-pointer from the left corner. 

But Cape Fear used the majority of the quarter to go on an 18-0 run and take a 39-5 lead into the locker room. 

Netting Richmond’s other two points in the first half was junior forward C’Niya Hinson, who hit the glass on a putback with 17 seconds on the clock. 

The Lady Raiders’ highest-scoring quarter was the third, which saw the team net seven points from four different players. Junior Jamia Crowder added her two points in the game from close range near the midway point.

Sampson started a 3-0 run by Richmond when she hit a baseline floater with 2:40 left in the third. Freshman guard Olivia Brown followed with a free throw.

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The Lady Colts (5-3) started the running clock when Teralyn Harris stole the ball and laid in a transition bucket with 24 seconds remaining in the period. That put Cape Fear ahead 51-10.

Sophomore Symone Terry became the sixth of seven Richmond players to score in the game with a putback in the closing seconds of the third.

With the clock winding, Cape Fear outscored Richmond 6-1 in the final stanza. Junior center Makailah Jackson added the Lady Raiders’ final point when she sank a free throw within the first 90 seconds.

Moseley noted that one of Richmond’s key needs is to find a point guard who can set the tempo to allow the offense to run plays. Turnovers, he said, were a problem for the Lady Raiders on Tuesday.

Sophomore Quanna Bostic, who Moseley said is one of the potential floor generals, left in the first half following a collision on the court.

“We are lucky to get the ball up the court,” Moseley explained. “We get in such a panic and we take ourselves out of the game before we can even get in it by throwing the ball away.

“As soon as we get the ball, we turn it over. We have to find a guard, and now with Quanna possibly out, that’s one more spot we need to fill.”

Leading Cape Fear with a game-high 23 points was Jayda Angel. Harris finished the game with 11 points.

The Lady Raiders (2-6) will look to get back into the win column on Wednesday in their second game of the holiday tournament. 

Richmond will play at 5:30 p.m at South View against an opponent to be determined.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.