ROCKINGHAM — Raider head basketball coach Donald Pettigrew knew it was only a matter of time before sophomore forward Nygie Stroman put on a career performance.
And that outing came during Richmond Senior High School’s 78-46 thrashing of the visiting Purnell Swett High School Rams Friday night.
Stroman put up a career-high 27 points, as the Raiders routed the Rams to avenge an earlier season loss on the road. On Dec. 11, Purnell Swett picked up its lone Sandhills Athletic Conference win of the season, edging the Raiders 78-74.
Friday’s victory marked the fourth-straight SAC win for the Raiders after starting 0-4.
“Since the Hoke County game, Nygie has been playing really good for us,” Pettigrew said. “Even in practice, he has a different bounce about him. He’s playing with a lot more confidence. He started off slow, but now he’s figured it out.
“He’s a spark for our team,” he added. “He’s going to continue to get better for us because we know he had a good summer. I said earlier in the season that if he demands the ball more and has that soft touch around the basket, he’s going to be special.”
The Raiders opened the game on a 17-5 run that saw Stroman score six of his points. Senior shooting guard Rod Newton, who tallied 10 points in the win, added five in the first stanza with a triple and a baseline jumper.
The Hood brothers, sophomore Caleb and freshman Kellan, contributed to the hot start by combining for six points. At the end of the first quarter, Richmond held a 17-11 lead and never looked back.
Another big run, this one a 7-0 spurt, by the Raiders to begin the second quarter saw their lead pushed to 24-11. Senior forward Xavier Pettigrew came off the bench to score eight of his second leading 13 points.
Pettigrew closed out the second frame with four straight points, including his final bucket to give the Raiders a 36-21 halftime lead.
Richmond’s best quarter of the night, as well as Stroman’s, was the third. The team netted 28 points to take command of the floor, while Stroman muscled his way in the paint for 15 points. He hit five field goals, including a dunk, before adding five free throws.
Up 64-34 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Raiders used bench players to help close out the game. Stroman tacked on his remaining six points (field goal and four free throws), while Pettigrew, Justin Morman and Mycah Wilson chipped in the other eight points.
“Defense is our bread and butter,” Pettigrew said. “We played really good defense against their No. 5 (Darriante Parker), and we played a lot differently against them this time than last time. We tried to stop him and No. 35 (Rufus Harris) because they hurt us last time, and we were able to do that.
“All year we’ve tried to be patient, and that’s one thing I’ve learned as the coach,” he continued. “We started the year off sluggish, but we knew it was coming. Our guys can play with anybody, and it’s on us now to win out and take one game at a time.”
Parker finished with 15 points for Purnell Swett, followed by 12 points from Harris. Caleb Hood added nine points for the Raiders.
Richmond (9-9, 4-4 SAC) will look to keep its winning ways going, as the Raiders will welcome in Pinecrest High School (15-3, 6-2 SAC), the current conference standings leader, on Tuesday. The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
