PEMBROKE — A late push in the fourth quarter by the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team didn’t have enough momentum to complete a comeback attempt Saturday.
Playing in the championship game of the Robeson County Shootout, their fifth game in eight days, the Raiders had to settle for second place.
In front of a large crowd at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court on the campus of UNC Pembroke, the Raiders suffered a 78-71 loss to Lumberton High School.
Richmond trailed by double digits the majority of the game, including its largest deficit of 31 points midway through the third quarter.
Head coach Donald Pettigrew pointed to a lack of intensity in the early going, adding the Raiders “weren’t physical enough on defense” and “left too many straight lines to the basket.”
Pettigrew, however, took a large chunk of the responsibility for the early lapse.
“I lost our guys at the beginning of the game and I’ve got to do a better job as a coach getting them more live looks in practice,” Pettigrew said. “And I need to do a better job making sure we’re communicating.
“Our defense wasn’t as physical as it usually is and we didn't create as many turnovers as normal, and (Lumberton) was able to score,” he added. “Hopefully we’ll use this time over break to address those needs.”
Down 19 points at halftime, and again by as many as 31 points in the third, Richmond didn’t give up its chance at taking the top spot in the tournament.
In the fourth quarter, the Raiders closed the game by outscoring Lumberton 33-12. Pettigrew said the momentum shift started with a discussion during a break in the action.
“During a timeout I told the guys it’s all about pride now,” Pettigrew explained. “We missed a lot of shots and free throws, but the guys kept attacking. We wear the Raider Diamond and we have a lot of pride, so I was proud of the guys for cutting it to single digits.
“The last few games that we’ve won, we’ve finished sloppy. Tonight, even though we lost, it was a much stronger finish to the game. That needs to carry over as our season continues.”
Three Raiders scored double digits — sophomore Donovan Jones (16 points), senior Amer Morrison (15 points) and freshman Cam’ron Coley (15 points).
All of Jones’ points came in the second half, Morrison had nine points in the final two quarters and Coley netted his final 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Senior Jayden Hamilton scored six points in his limited return after playing in the Shrine Bowl earlier Saturday. Fellow senior Domonic Tillman and junior Bryan Hinson Jr. each added five points.
Rounding out the Raiders’ scoring were senior Zamarion Robinson (4 points), sophomore Kerick Hairston Jr. (3 points) and freshman Jimmy Tillman (2 points).
Lumberton made four three-pointers in the first quarter, all of them part of a 14-5 run to start the game. Hairston Jr. had a triple for Richmond and Domonic Tillman made a putback.
Also unable to stop the Pirates’ transition game, the Raiders fell behind by double digits and ended the first down 25-11. A jumper by Hamilton and a drive from Coley made a quick 4-0 run by Richmond, but it didn’t help.
A floater from Morrison in the paint recorded Richmond’s final two points of the opening eight minutes.
Despite running the full court press for the majority of the second quarter, the Raiders allowed a 13-5 run to begin the second and fell behind 38-16. That was their largest deficit of the first half.
Netting those five points for Richmond were Domonic Tillman and Hamilton, both of whom turned steals into easy layups. A free throw from Morrison was the other point.
A late 6-0 run pulled the Raiders closer before the break. Domonic Tillman and Morrison each made a free throw, a steal by Hinson Jr. resulted in a bucket and a spinning basket in transition by Morrison gave him six points at the intermission.
Lumberton (9-2) kept its scoring hot to start the third quarter, using an 18-6 run to lead by its largest margin of the game, 59-28. Morrison had four of those points for Richmond and Hamilton netted his final two points.
The final 3:42 of the third was controlled by Richmond, which went on a 10-7 stretch. A drive and a foul shot by Jones got his scoring started and Jimmy Tillman made both ends of a trip to the line.
A Morrison free throw was followed by two more drives through the paint by Jones to make it a 66-38 deficit after three complete.
Upping the defensive pressure and its intensity, Richmond found success in running the trap in the final eight minutes. Many of the team’s points were the result of forced turnovers and quick runs up the floor in transition after securing defensive rebounds.
Morrison started with an old-fashioned three-point play, followed by a layup from Jones. Coley scored the next five points for the Raiders on two close-range shots and a free throw.
Robinson made both of his shots at the line with 3:33 remaining to cut the lead to 74-50. Solo free throws from Morrison, Jones and Hinson Jr. were followed by a mid-range jumper from Robinson.
Forcing turnovers on consecutive inbound passes by Lumberton, Coley returned both steals to the cylinder for four more points. Hinson’s final points came under the hoop to end a 9-0 run.
Inside the final minute, Jones made three transition baskets, including the final two buckets which helped cut the lead back to single digits. Coley had the team’s other four points during that span, scoring off another steal before making two free throws.
After the final buzzer, both teams were awarded a trophy. Morrison accepted the second-place trophy for the Raiders.
Morrison and Coley were the two Raiders named to the All-Tournament team.
“Amer has been amazing since the start of the season,” Pettigrew said. “He’s played a lot of minutes and he’s played really hard. I’m so proud of him.
“Cam is learning the system and learning how to play high school basketball. He’s adjusted to it not being as easy as (middle school). He’s a stud and I hope both guys continue to get better. I’m proud of both of them.”
Richmond (6-3) has off until after the holiday when the team plays in the Chesterfield Christmas Tournament on Dec. 27. The Raiders’ opening game will be against Cheraw High School (2-7).
