ROCKINGHAM — In a battle of Mid-South Conference unbeatens Friday, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team couldn’t hold onto a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
Hosting Overhills High School, the Lady Raiders saw their offense go stagnant late in the game, resulting in an overtime loss.
Despite leading by 10 points with six minutes left in regulation, Richmond lost 56-51. The Lady Raiders were outscored 28-16 in the fourth and overtime periods.
Overhills (12-4, 4-0 MSC) won the game in large part thanks to effective shooting from the free throw line, going 13-for-16 at the stripe in the fourth and overtime.
Senior point guard Jasiah Gilchrist led Richmond with 26 points, netting 20 points through the first three quarters. She combined for just six points thereafter.
Also in double digits was junior Madisen Jackson with 12 points. She had seven points at the break and scored five points in the second half and extra time.
Other scorers were senior J’Nasia Neal (5 points), junior Iyana Little (4 points), and senior Olivia Brown and junior Kaniah Little (2 points each).
“We were a different team in the fourth quarter,” head coach Taneika Reader said. “We lost our focus just enough that we let (Overhills) slip by us in overtime.
“Sometimes the shots won’t fall, and that’s okay, but our effort on defense needs to be better,” she added. “We let them score too many easy baskets and then got in foul trouble, sending them to the line. Our focus and execution need to be better, especially in conference games.”
Taking advantage of Overhills’ inability to make three-pointers in the first quarter, which saw a lot of empty attempts, the Lady Raiders powered out to an 11-4 lead.
Jackson had four points in the quarter and tied the score at two points in the first two minutes on a shot under the rim. That basket started a 7-0 run by Richmond.
Scoring the next five points were Neal and Gilchrist, starting with Neal returning her own rebound to the cylinder. From the left wing with 2:32 to play, Gilchrist connected on a triple to make it 7-2.
Inside the closing two minutes of the first, Gilchrist and Jackson each scored a field goal to pad the lead. Gilchrist scored on an inbound play and Jackson bullied her way through traffic for a drive.
Brown made an early bucket in the paint to start the second quarter to make it 13-4, Richmond’s largest lead of the half.
Overhills answered with a 9-3 run to pull within a possession as Richmond struggled to get past a tough defense near halfcourt.
Jackson ended a 4:22 scoring drought for the Lady Raiders when she splashed down a three-pointer from the left corner. That made it 16-11 with 3:11 to go in the half.
Both teams traded baskets to end the half. Gilchrist had a floater and a bucket off a steal for her final of nine points in the first half, and Kaniah Little muscled up to the glass for her two points.
The Lady Jaguars made it a one-basket game, 22-20, with a bucket in the final 15 seconds.
In the third quarter, Richmond’s offense found a groove and went on a 13-3 run after the Lady Jaguars tied the score in the opening minute.
Starting the run was a GIlchrist basket off an assist from Jackson, which was followed by a transition shot from Iyana Little thanks to a Jackson takeaway. Gilchrist finished the back end of an old-fashioned three-point play to extend the lead to 29-22.
After an Overhills basket, Gilchrist went on a 6-0 run by herself to give the Lady Raiders their first double-digit lead of the game. She made a hook shot from the baseline, collected her own rebound for a basket and drained two free throw attempts to build the lead to 35-25.
At the end of the third quarter, Richmond held a 35-28 advantage.
The Lady Raiders were outscored 13-6 in the fourth quarter, which featured a 10-0 run by the Lady Jaguars. Scoring a field goal each for Richmond were Jackson, Gilchrist and Iyana Little.
Overhills tied the game at 41 points thanks to a pair of made free throws with 29.8 seconds left. Richmond had a chance to inbound the ball with 1.4 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.
Ten of Overhills’ 15 points in the extra four-minute period were scored from the charity stripe. Gilchrist gave Richmond a 43-42 lead with 3:15 to play, and later tied it at 43 points, but a bucket and a foul shot by the Lady Jags put them ahead for good.
Neal scored three points in overtime, all at the line, and Gilchrist added one more free throw. Jackson made a basket and a foul shot.
The Lady Raiders (9-7, 3-1 MSC) will close out the first round of regular-season conference play Tuesday at Pinecrest High School (8-8, 1-1 MSC). The game will start at 6 p.m., weather permitting.
