ROCKINGHAM — With every player adding his share to the game Friday, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team continued its playoff run.
Playing their final home game of the season, the No. 8 Raiders disposed of No. 9 Overhills High School 80-61 in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A East state playoffs.
From the opening possession, which was a steal and bucket by sophomore Chance Crowder, Richmond dominated the pace of play to get back to the third round for the fourth consecutive season.
Leading by double figures for most of the second quarter and the entire second half, the Raiders had seven players score, including five players in double-digits.
Senior Ahaiver McDonald led the way with 20 points, followed by juniors Jayden Hamilton (15 points) and Amer Morrison (13 points). Crowder and junior big man Domonic Tillman each had 10 points.
Senior Keyonta Davis chipped in a healthy eight points in the win, with senior Davion Ingram rounding out the scoring with four points.
Richmond was lights out from the field, shooting 31-of-54 as a team (57.4%). The Raiders landed 8-of-15 three-pointers (53.3%) and had a better night at the line than in round one (10-of-15; 67%).
Crowder’s steal and bucket on the first possession led to a 21-16 lead after the first quarter for Richmond. Leading by as many as 10 points early on, the Raiders used six points each from Hamilton and Tillman.
Tillman hit back-to-back shots in the post to make it 12-5 with 3:07 to play. Morrison scored his first points of the game in transition with 90 seconds left, which sparked a 9-2 run.
Hamilton had four of those points, scoring field goals on a layup and a drive. McDonald capped his five-point quarter with a three-pointer from the right wing, his first of three treys, to pad the lead.
Six Raiders scored in the second quarter, which yielded a 39-28 lead at halftime. McDonald had two free throws early in the stanza, followed by a jumper from Davis.
Overhills (18-10) cut its deficit to four points, 25-21, but buckets from Tillman and Hamilton started a 14-7 run to close out the themaing 3:29.
Morrison contributed a three-pointer from the left wing off the glass, Ingram scored his first bucket of the game and McDonald splashed down another three-pointer. At the buzzer, Hamilton powered his way to the rim for the team’s final two points.
Carrying the momentum over into the second half, Richmond stayed in control. Crowder and Hamilton banged home one triple each in the opening 70 seconds to make it a 14-point lead.
Four points from Davis, a putback from Morrison and a drive by McDonald kept Richmond ahead 53-38 near the midway point of the quarter.
Crowder went on a 5-0 run by himself thanks to a three-ball and a transition bucket to extend the lead to 18 points. McDonald had six of Richmond’s final nine points in the third, making his final triple to go along with three free throws.
Morrison cushioned Richmond’s lead to 22 points, 67-45, at the end of the third when he swished a triple from near the top of the arc.
The Raiders led by as many as 29 points a couple of times in the fourth quarter. With the game well in control, Morrison added his final five points on a bucket and three free throws.
Davis, Hamilton, McDonald and Tillman each had two points in the final eight minutes to combine for the team’s final eight points. Head coach Donald Pettigrew cleared the bench in the remaining couple of minutes.
The No. 8 Raiders (17-9) will play on the road for the first time this postseason during Tuesday’s third round. It’s the team’s earliest third round road game in the past four seasons.
Richmond will try to upset No. 1 New Hanover High School (27-2). The Wildcats defeated No. 17 Heritage High School 60-52 in overtime in the second round.
The last time the Raiders played New Hanover was in the 4A East regional championship game last season, which resulted in a two-point loss for Richmond.
Tip-off for the third round game is tentatively set for Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Statistics provided by assistant coach Keith Parsons.
