RAEFORD — An early lead Tuesday for the Richmond Senior High School junior varsity boys’ basketball team didn’t hold.
Suffering another close loss to a Mid-South Conference opponent, the JV Raiders fell 70-61 on the road at Hoke County High School.
Tuesday’s loss came on the heels of a 91-90 loss for Richmond at home against Jack Britt last Friday.
Richmond opened the game by outscoring the JV Bucks 21-14. Hoke County closed the gap with a 13-9 run in the second to cut Richmond’s lead to 30-27 at halftime.
The JV Raiders maintained their small lead at the end of the third quarter thanks to 18 points to Hoke County’s 16 points. At the start of the fourth quarter, Richmond led 48-43.
In the final eight minutes, the JV Raiders saw their lead slip away when Hoke County’s offense took control. The JV Bucks flipped the script with a 27-13 scoring run to secure the victory.
Devin Haynes led the team in scoring with 17 points, including a team-high three three-pointers. He scored 11 points in the second half.
Also reaching double-digits was Xander Chavis, who scored 13 points. Nine of Chavis’ points came in the first two quarters.
Next on the scoresheet were Zakai Wilson (9 points) and William Bryant (7 points). Wilson netted seven of his points in the second half, while Bryant made one triple and scored all of his points in the first stanza.
Ryder Spooner contributed five points, finding the basket for all of his points in the third quarter. Also netting five points was LaTavian Watkins, who connected on one three-pointer.
Other scorers for the JV Raiders were Zymere Gillespie (3 points) and Cam Everett (2 points).
The JV Raiders (2-7, 1-2 MSC) will play at Overhills High School Friday beginning at 6 p.m.
Sports editor’s notes: Statistics and game information provided by head coach Travis Byers.
