WILMINGTON — A magical run through the NCHSAA 4A East state playoff came to an end Friday for the No. 5 Lady Raider basketball team.
Traveling for the first time this postseason, Richmond and head coach Teddy Moseley couldn’t pull off the big upset on the road against No. 1 Hoggard High School.
Coming within a win of making the 4A East regional championship, the Lady Raiders came up short 50-41 to the top-seeded Lady Vikings.
Having its most successful playoff run in recent memory, Richmond held a three-point halftime lead.
Moseley said Hoggard’s adjustments in the second half weren’t matched by the Lady Raiders offensively.
“We were so close, but we just couldn’t pull it off,” Moseley said. “We didn’t give our best effort tonight and in a game like this with such great magnitude, we have to play hardest every play. And we just didn’t play Raider basketball.
“In the second half, (Hoggard) made some adjustments and (Jamyia Lindsey) got walled up by the defense,” he continued. “She was double and triple teamed and it came down to us not having anyone else able to score.”
Lindsey, a junior point guard in her first full season back from an ACL injury, led the team with 21 points. She shot 9-of-16 from the floor, including two triples, and had two rebounds, two assists and five steals.
Four other Lady Raiders scored in the loss, which snapped the team’s 18-game winning streak. Sophomore Jasiah Gilchrist scored nine points, freshman Madisen Jackson had five points and senior Ryelan Lyerly and junior Rena Drake each had three points.
A tight first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie before the Lady Raiders made a run in the second quarter to take a 29-26 lead into the half.
Lindsey was the catalyst early for the Lady Raiders, scoring nine points in the first quarter. She hit two field goals, added a free throw, and then hit another pair of shots.
Jackson, who had four rebounds, connected on a three-pointer in the first quarter. Richmond’s other two points came courtesy of Gilchrist.
A 12-9 run in the second quarter put Richmond up 26-23 at halftime.
Lindsey capped her 14-point first half with five more points, hitting a bucket and a three-ball.
Lyerly made it a 21-18 lead when she drained a three-pointer. Gilchrist had a pair of buckets to give her six points going into the break.
Hoggard (30-1) used runs of 15-6 and 12-9 in the final two quarters to avoid the upset. A Lindsey three-pointer and a bucket and free throw from Gilchrist accounted for Richmond’s scoring in a close third quarter.
Trailing 38-32 to start the final stanza, Richmond kept close but couldn’t regain the lead. Two field goals from Lindsey gave her her final four points of the night.
Drake made a three-pointer and Jackson rounded out the scoring with two free throws.
The Lady Vikings, who will play No. 2 Rolesville in the 4A East regional title game, were led by three double-digit scorers — Sarah Elgart (12), Aaronyanda Graham (11) and AK Chance (11).
“It was a great season,” Moseley closed. “I’m really proud of the girls for how well and how hard they played.
“We’re a young team and they accomplished a lot. It just didn’t end the way it wanted to, so we’ll just get better for next year.”
The No. 5 Lady Raiders saw their season come to an end with a 25-5 overall record, their best finish under Moseley in his six seasons.
Richmond won the Sandhills Athletic Conference title outright with a 12-0 record and followed by winning the SAC tournament championship.
The Richmond Observer will publish the All-Conference team and any other accolades once they’re made available.
Sports editor’s notes: Game information and unofficial statistics provided by Teddy Moseley, assistant coach Taneika Reader and Kim Lyerly.
