ROCKINGHAM — Friday was rivalry night, senior night and redemption night for the Richmond Raider basketball team.
The Raiders sent their two seniors, Quamir Sivels and Jarvis Tillman, out with a much-wanted win in their final regular season game. In the latest installment of the rivalry between the Raiders and Scotland High School, the home team held on for an exciting 67-62 win.
With the conference tournament and state playoffs on the horizon, the Raiders used the win to secure a third-place finish in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings for the second season in a row.
They also redeemed an earlier season loss to the Scots on the road, which was a three-point win for Scotland.
It would be junior Nygie Stroman who took the spotlight against the Fighting Scots, netting 26 points, one point shy of his career high. He was big from the free throw line, drilling 7-of-9 attempts from the line to help deliver a senior night win for Sivels and Tillman.
Fellow junior Caleb Hood chipped in 11 points, nine coming in a decisive fourth quarter, while Tillman capped his final regular-season home game with 10 points, all coming in the first half. Sivels added a pair of free throws.
The Scots (12-11, 8-6 SAC), who finished fourth in the SAC standings, were led by Mandrell Johnson’s 21 points. He helped lead a charge in the second half with 17 points, but Scotland couldn’t complete the comeback.
Bruce Wall contributed 18 points for Scotland, as Ladarius McNeil’s 14 points rounded out the visitor’s attack.
Richmond held a sizable lead for a majority of the game, jumping out to a 13-9 lead after the first quarter. Tillman led the way with six points, all coming on field goals. Stroman got his night started with three points.
A 19-point second quarter by the Raiders opened their lead to 32-23 at the break. Stroman continued to get hot with six more points, as Jakolbe Baldwin and Dalton Stroman combined for seven points before the half.
The second half saw the two teams battle in true rival fashion, as Scotland managed to chip away at Richmond’s lead. With the game eventually tied, Stroman and Hood came alive down the stretch to give the Raiders the advantage late.
Ten points from Stroman in the third was followed by seven more in the fourth from the big man, and Hood went off for nine points in the final eight minutes. A late run by the Raiders gave them enough gas in the tank to outlast the Scots.
Scotland had a chance in the closing minute to attempt to tie the game, but Richmond’s defense forced a turnover.
Now the Raiders (17-7, 10-4 SAC) will prepare for the opening round of the SAC tournament, which will see No. 3 Richmond host No. 6 Purnell Swett High School (7-15, 4-10 SAC). The game will be played on Tuesday in Rockingham at 6 p.m.
It will be the third time the two teams will meet this season, with the Raiders taking the first two contests by an average win of 33.5 points.
Currently, the Raiders are projected to earn the 15th seed in the 4A West bracket of the state playoffs. The outcome(s) of the SAC tournament could impact their rise or fall in the rankings.
ROSports will publish an SAC tournament preview next week.
