ROCKINGHAM — It took some grit, but the Richmond junior varsity boys’ basketball team closed out the first round of Sandhills Athletic Conference play on Tuesday with a win.
Hosting Scotland High School, the JV Raiders returned to the court for the first time in a week and extended their winning streak to seven games.
Using a strong fourth-quarter performance, the JV Raiders earned a 54-44 victory.
Sophomore Ahaiver McDonald led the team with 16 points, freshman Amer Morrison added 13 points and sophomore Davion Ingram and freshman Terande Spencer each had eight points.
A slow first quarter yielded a 12-8 deficit for the JV Raiders after the first eight minutes. Spencer scored from close range and Morrison tied it early 5-5 with a three-pointer from the right corner.
Following a Spencer free throw, Scotland jumped out to a 12-6 lead, its largest of the first half. The final points for Richmond came courtesy of Ingram underneath.
Head coach Josh Calhoun made adjustments between the first two quarters, telling the JV Raiders to slow down the tempo and switched between a man and zone defense.
The JV Raiders outscored the JV Scots by nine points in the second quarter to take a 27-22 lead into the break.
Morrison pulled Richmond closer with a triple from the top of the arc, but the JV Scots answered back. A shot off the glass and a free throw from Spencer kept the JV Raiders within a point.
McDonald, who scored all eight of his first-half points in the second quarter, scored Richmond’s next six points to give the JV Raiders a 20-18 lead.
He hit a baseline drive, muscled his way up from under the hoop and added a drive through the paint to make it a two-point advantage with 1:55 left.
Part of an 11-5 run to close the half, sophomore Keidreion Crump rattled home a triple from the corner. Morrison made a transition basket off an Ingram steal to give the JV Raiders their largest lead of the half, 25-19.
At the buzzer, McDonald tipped the ball into the hoop to give the JV Raiders a five-point advantage.
An early run by Scotland in the third saw the away team tie the game at 30 points, with Morrison adding another triple for Richmond.
Ingram knocked an offensive rebound back into the basket to make it a two-point lead and Calhoun called a timeout.
Both teams traded points the rest of the third to enter the fourth tied at 35 points. Ingram added a free throw and McDonald drove the paint for two more points.
With 7:05 left in regulation, Ingram hit a putback for another two points to give the JV Raiders the lead for good. He followed with a free throw, igniting a 10-0 run to break the game open.
McDonald added four points during the scoring stretch and sophomore Keyonta Davis, who scored all six of his points in the fourth quarter, netted a free throw and a putback.
Leading 45-35, Richmond’s run came to an end on a pair of Scotland free throws at the 3:58 mark. The JV Raiders would hold four different 10-point leads in the final minutes.
McDonald sealed the win with four more points, Davis added a field goal and a free throw and Spencer netted his final two points. Richmond’s largest lead of the game was 12 points.
The JV Raiders (11-1, 6-0 SAC) will play one more conference game this week at home on Friday against Southern Lee High School.
Looking for the season sweep of the JV Cavaliers, action will begin at 4:30 p.m.
