ROCKINGHAM — Unlike the first meeting between the teams in early December, Tuesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference game ended in a much closer score.
Playing their second game in as many nights while returning to their home court, the Lady Raiders completed the regular-season sweep of Pinecrest High School.
Richmond secured a 55-49 win over the Lady Patriots, a more closely contested matchup than its 22-point win on the road Dec. 10.
Helping the Lady Raiders to their third straight win was an 11-5 scoring run in the closing 4:56 of the game.
Senior point guard Jamyia Lindsey finished with a game-high 26 points. Adding a boost of scoring was junior guard Jasiah Gilchrist, who had 19 points.
Three others scored for Richmond — sophomore Madisen Jackson (6 points), junior Olivia Brown (3 points) and senior Quanna Bostic (1 point).
Free throws were crucial in the final stretch, as Lindsey, Jackson and Bostic combined for the team’s final five points from the line.
Pinecrest held the lead for the majority of the first quarter, working out to a pair of five-point leads. Gilchrist had two free throws in the opening minute, but Richmond wouldn’t score again until it cut its deficit to 7-4 when Jackson made a transition layup with 4:40 on the clock.
That started a 6-0 run that put Richmond ahead 8-7. Lindsey had the next four points for the Lady Raiders, netting two buckets from close range.
Pinecrest, which relied on its three-point shooting in the first half, regained a 13-8 lead. Able to close the final 2:02 on a 5-0 run, Richmond tied it up thanks to a Lindsey three-ball and layup by Gilchrist following a steal.
Starting the second quarter tied 13-13, Richmond’s scoring lapses were met by more Lady Patriots three-pointers. Lindsey made a mid-range jumper to start the quarter, but Pinecrest switched it up for a 17-15 lead.
The back-and-forth quarter saw Richmond stay ahead thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play by Lindsey and another Gilchrist transition bucket, this one on a behind-the-back pass from Lindsey.
Leading 20-19, Richmond allowed an 8-0 run to trail by as many as seven points, 27-20. A pair of Jackson free throws and a Gilchrist steal in the final 30 seconds sent Richmond into the locker room down 27-24.
Richmond opened the third with the first four points, a field goal each from Lindsey and Gilchrist. A steal and a bucket from Lindsey a couple possessions later made it a 30-29 lead.
Technical foul free throws helped the Lady Patriots (9-10, 4-3 SAC) go on a five-point run. Brown was clutch with her only basket in the game, sinking a three-pointer from the left wing with 1:53 to play in the third to cut Richmond’s deficit to 34-33.
Lindsey connected on three straight free throws and Gilchrist added two more points from the line to put Richmond ahead 38-36. Both teams scored a field goal in the final 30 seconds to send the game into the fourth with Richmond up 40-39.
Gilchrist started the final period with four straight points in the paint, which forced a Pinecrest timeout. The Lady Patriots made another three-pointer to tie the game 44-44 out of the break.
Lindsey got the game-winning scoring run started with a bucket and a free throw. That was mirrored by Gilchrist before Lindsey made two more free throws to make it 52-46 with 2:42 to play.
In the closing minutes, Pinecrest was forced to foul. Jackson made two trips to the line and made two free throws and Bostic iced it with a free throw inside the final seconds.
Pinecrest’s leading scorer was Aniya McGregor, who had 20 points.
The Lady Raiders (12-5, 6-1 SAC) will close their three-game week Friday at Hoke County High School (3-15, 0-7 SAC) for another conference game. It will start at 6 p.m.
