ROCKINGHAM — Standing tall in the final eight minutes of its game Friday, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team fended off a comeback attempt.
Something head coach Donald Pettigrew has admitted this season is that the Raiders haven’t been able to close out games despite having a late lead.
That wasn’t the case against Hoke County High School, as the Raiders snapped a five-game losing streak and earned a 58-49 win.
The Sandhills Athletic Conference matchup saw Richmond lead by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, but Hoke County managed to cut its deficit to a few as two points around the two-minute mark.
Sophomore Chance Crowder, who scored a career-high 18 points Thursday, had only three points Friday. However, all three points proved to be crucial as he netted a bucket and a free throw in the closing 64 seconds that helped keep Richmond ahead.
Leading the scoresheet was senior guard Keyonta Davis, who finished 7-of-11 from the field with 17 points. Senior Davion Ingram added 12 points, a point shy of his career-high, on 5-of-12 from the floor.
Scoring all nine of his points in the second half was senior Ahaiver McDonald, as junior Jayden Hamilton added seven points. Richmond’s other scorers were junior Amer Morrison (6 points), freshman Donovan Jones (4 points) and Crowder (3 points).
Erasing an early deficit in the first quarter, Richmond used drives by Davis and Jones to take a 4-3 lead. A baseline bucket from Davis added two points before Hoke County (4-5, 1-2 SAC) tied the game 6-6.
Morrison made his first basket of the night from close range with close to three minutes to go in the first, two points that started a 9-2 run for the Raiders. Adding to that stretch was a Davis shot off the glass, a Hamilton triple from the left corner and a bucket from Jones inside the paint.
Up by seven points, Richmond allowed two Hoke County free throws. Ingram made it a 16-10 lead after the first when he connected on a shot from the charity stripe.
The Raiders led by as many as eight points two different times early in the second quarter thanks to Ingram. He collected his own rebound for a bucket and drove the baseline for two more points to make it 20-12.
The Bucks pulled within three points, 20-17, before Davis tipped a rebound into the net. Ingram capped his seven-point quarter with a three-pointer from the right side to give the Raiders a 25-21 lead at halftime.
To start the third quarter, Hoke County netted two quick baskets to tie the game 25-25. Not panicking, McDonald splashed down a three-ball from in front of the Raiders’ bench with 6:29 to go, giving the team the lead for good and started a 20-11 run the rest of the quarter.
A baseline jumper from Ingram was followed by a Hamilton drive through traffic and two free throws by McDonald. Davis got back on the board with five straight points, scoring his own rebound before finishing off an old-fashioned three-point play.
That put Richmond ahead 39-29 and its lead grew to 12 points after Morrison knocked in a pair of foul shots. A field goal apiece from Hamilton and Ingram in the final two minutes gave Richmond a 45-36 cushion heading into the fourth.
McDonald scored four points in the opening 43 seconds of the final stanza to make it a 13-point lead, 49-36. But a lapse in scoring led to Hoke County going on a run that saw Richmond’s lead cut to 49-47.
Following a full timeout called by Pettigrew, Davis made an acrobatic bucket on an inbound pass to add two points. The Bucks, however, answered with a bucket on their next charge down the floor.
Crowder, who efficiently ran the point Friday, came up big with 1:04 to play when he split a pair of defenders and kissed the glass for his only field goal in the win. That bucket started a 7-0 run that helped put the game on ice.
Hauling in a defensive board on the Bucks’ next possession, McDonald made an outlet pass to Davis, who was fouled. Going to the line in the bonus, Davis was true on both shots.
Crowder made one of his two free throw attempts with 23.7 seconds left before Morrison laid in a transition bucket for good measure just ahead of the buzzer.
Hoke County was led in scoring by Landen Brown and Savion Kinston, who each netted 15 points.
As a team, Richmond shot 23-of-56 from the field (41%) and 9-of-14 from the line (64%).
The Raiders (2-6, 1-2 SAC) return to play Dec. 26 in a holiday tournament at Chesterfield High School.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Friday’s game soon. Stats provided by assistant coach Keith Parsons.
