ROCKINGHAM — Getting its shot at redemption Tuesday, the Richmond Raider basketball team evened its season series with Pinecrest High School.
Using its loss to the Patriots in December as motivation, which featured losing a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter, Richmond relied on two seniors down the stretch to stay in the win column.
Back on the court for the second time in as many nights, the Raiders defeated the Patriots 66-54 and extended their winning streak to nine games.
A physical battle between the two Sandhills Athletic Conference rivals came down to the final couple of minutes. Led by seniors Davion Ingram and Ahaiver McDonald, Richmond closed the final 2:07 on a 12-2 run.
Both players finished with double-digits and did the majority of their scoring in the decisive second half. McDonald finished with a team-high 16 points, including 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Ingram had 12 points, also netting 10 points in the final eight minutes. Junior Amer Morrison was more balanced in his scoring, finishing the game with 13 points. He had 11 points through the first three quarters and added his final bucket late.
As a team, Richmond shot 30-of-65 from the floor (46.1%). Senior Keyonta Davis added nine points in the win and junior Jayden Hamilton scored seven points. Other scorers included sophomore Chance Crowder (five points) and junior Domonic Tillman (four points).
Davis led the scoring effort with a pair of field goals in the first quarter, which resulted in a 12-8 lead for Richmond. Crowder connected on a three-pointer, Morrison started his scoring with a bucket and a free throw and Hamilton scored two points.
The second quarter featured a large scoring run by both teams, beginning with the Raiders. Trailing 18-13, Richmond began a 11-0 stretch when Hamilton pulled up and splashed down a three-pointer from the left wing.
Morrison recorded the next four points for Richmond, driving through the paint for athletic layups both times. Hamilton dished out a pair of smooth assists on the next two possessions, which saw Ingram and Tillman both net a basket to make it a 24-18 lead.
In the final 1:18 of the half, Pinecrest battled with an 8-2 run to cut its halftime deficit to 27-26. Netting Richmond’s three points were McDonald (field goal) and Crowder (free throw).
Three lead changes in the third quarter ended in favor of Pinecrest, which carried a 42-40 lead into the fourth quarter. Both teams traded buckets in a fast-paced game up and down the floor.
McDonald and Morrison both had four points, Davis netted three points in the third and Tillman added his final basket.
A fastbreak bucket by McDonald to start the fourth tied the game and Ingram collected a loose ball on a turnover on the ensuing inbound pass. Taking it to the hole, Ingram gave the Raiders a two-point lead, which proved to be the final lead change of the game.
On an inbound pass a possession later, Ingram found the basket again, this time forcing a timeout by the Patriots (12-5, 5-2 SAC). Morrison kept the momentum in Richmond’s favor out of the break, driving the baseline and making a reverse layup to build the lead.
A baseline floater by Hamilton capped a 10-0 run to start the quarter and put Richmond ahead 50-42 just 1:33 into the quarter.
Field goals by McDonald and Davis extended the lead to 54-47 before the Patriots cut their deficit to 54-52. A bucket in the paint by Ingram with 2:07 to play ignited the game-clinching scoring run for the Raiders.
McDonald had the next six points for Richmond, including a transition basket through traffic without one of his shoes on. Ingram made two more field goals in the closing minute to pad the lead to 12 points, allowing the Raiders to run out the clock.
The Raiders (10-7, 5-2 SAC) will cap their three-game week Friday on the road at Hoke County High School (7-11, 2-6 SAC). The conference game will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Stats provided by assistant coach Keith Parsons.
