ROCKINGHAM — For the second consecutive game, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team relied on its experience and defensive adjustments to pull out a big non-conference win.
Hitting the hardwood for the first time since rallying late against Anson High School on Nov. 21, the Raiders picked up their third win in a row to begin the season. Head coach Donald Pettigrew’s team overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Southern Lee High School 56-50.
A second-half surge on both ends of the ball, including an 18-point third quarter and hitting free throws down the stretch, gave Richmond its first 3-0 start since 2016. It’s also the first time in Pettigrew’s three seasons at the helm the Raiders are off to that good of a start.
Junior forward Nygie Stroman led the Raiders in points for the third straight game, netting 15 points in the win. Fellow junior point guard PJ McLaughlin dropped 14 points, a season-high, with 11 coming in Richmond’s second half turnaround.
Senior forward Jarvis Tillman recorded his second consecutive double-double, posting 10 points and 10 boards. His eight blocks were two shy of his first career triple-double.
“We expect this type of game when we play Southern Lee,” Pettigrew commented after the game. “They’re a good team that’s well coached and they went to the third round (of the 3A playoffs) last year.
“This was a good test for us,” he added. “They came out and punched us in the mouth early, but the guys kept playing and kept believing. Having only seven guys is tough, but they fought through it and we’re prepared for these types of games.”
Until the end of football season, which will go at least another week since the Raiders are competing in the 4AA West regional championship, Pettigrew will be without five roster players. The Raiders are currently without juniors Jakolbe Baldwin, Caleb Hood, Dalton Stroman, CJ Tillman and sophomore Kellan Hood.
Despite having just his five starters and two reserves, Pettigrew was pleased with the Raiders’ adjustments at the break, which saw the Raiders trailing 29-22. That amount of points was the lowest the Raiders scored in an opening half this winter.
“Defensively, we got so much better and made adjustments in the second half,” Pettigrew explained. “In the first half we had a lapse we don’t usually have and our energy level was low.
“It’s so big for us to be 3-0 right now,” he continued. “I told the guys a win is a win, no matter how we get them. We know every win isn’t going to be a cakewalk. Southern Lee is a powerful team, but we buckled down to earn the win.”
The Cavs (1-4) started the game on a 6-2 run, with the Raiders’ points coming off a Tillman two-handed jam. Richmond responded with a 9-2 run of its own, seeing Stroman collect five points and Tillman add a shot on an inbound pass.
With Richmond leading 11-8 at the end of the first, Southern Lee’s Ely-Jah Smith and Sevion Clay got on a roll, and combined for 15 points in the second stanza. That push saw Richmond trail by as many as 11 points, 29-18, following a pair of Smith free throws and a bucket.
Senior guard Quamir Sivels and sophomore guard Deshon Watson helped the Raiders close the gap with a free throw and a triple, respectively, in the final 45 seconds of the half.
Richmond trailed by more than three possessions for the first four minutes of the third quarter before the Raiders’ offense and defense started to shift the momentum for good. A Tillman putback on an offensive rebound made it a 35-31 deficit, and Stroman scored on the next possession on a coast-to-coast layup thanks to a block by junior Dylan Lewis at the other end.
Down a pair, McLaughlin started his second-half run with a floater in transition to knot the game 35-35 with 3:15 left in the quarter. Lewis gave the Raiders their first lead since early in the second quarter when he made a steal and laid the ball in on a breakaway layup just 30 seconds later.
Lewis’ bucket, two of his four points, and only points in the second half, proved to give Richmond the lead it wouldn’t give up. Points from McLaughlin and Stroman made it an even 40 points for Richmond, but a shot at the buzzer by the Cavs made it a one-point game.
Outscoring Southern Lee 16-11 in the final eight minutes was enough for the Raiders to hold onto a six-point win. Defensively, the Raiders forced several turnovers to limit Southern Lee’s scoring attack. Smith added 10 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.
Sivels opened the fourth quarter with a free throw followed by a triple from the left corner, one of four on the night for the Raiders, to make it a five-point lead. A mid-range jumper from Tillman was followed by a McLaughlin bucket in transition off a smooth bounce pass from Lewis.
Leading 50-47 with just under 25 seconds left in regulation, McLaughlin drained a pair of free throws after Clay fouled him intentionally. Watson and Tillman would both come in clutch down the stretch by making both ends of their one-and-ones to seal the win.
The leading scorers for Richmond were Stroman (15), McLaughlin (14) and Tillman (10). Sivels added seven points, while Watson and Lewis chipped in six and four points, respectively. Stroman ended the game with a team second-best seven rebounds.
Set to begin Sandhills Athletic Conference play on Thursday, the Raiders (3-0) will welcome in Purnell Swett High School (0-3). The Raiders and Rams will get underway around 7:30 p.m. following the girls’ varsity game.
“We are ready for conference play to begin,” Pettigrew closed. “We need to hold on until our football guys hopefully win a state championship.”
