ROCKINGHAM — The most successful season in over a decade came to an end on Thursday for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team.
Hosting No. 9 D.H. Conley High School in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A East playoffs, the No. 8 Lady Raiders lost a close contest 69-60.
Despite a late push in the fourth quarter, which featured a 12-4 run, the Lady Raiders couldn’t overcome a 11-point deficit to start the frame.
Only four players found the basket for Richmond, which was led by freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey’s game-high 35 points. She had 27 points in the second half, including four triples in the final two periods.
Senior center Jai’Maya Ratliff concluded her high school career with 12 points, junior guard C’Nedra Hinson added 9 points (all in the first half) and sophomore Ryelan Lyerly netted 4 points.
Freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey scored a game-high 35 points. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
The Lady Vikings (19-4) were paced by double-digit performances from Kylah Silver (34 points) and Krystal Haddock (18 points).
Richmond trailed 12-9 after the first quarter, using 6 points from Hinson. She hit a putback and a free throw before adding a three-pointer from the right side with 1:45 to play.
Lyerly opened the scoring with a free throw and Lindsey scored two points on a drive in the opening two minutes.
Stretches of 11-6 and 9-1 by the Lady Vikings gave the visitors a 32-24 halftime lead. Silver scored 12 of her 19 first-half points in the second quarter.
Lindsey and Ratliff both scored 6 points in the second, and Hinson capped her night with another three-pointer from the right corner.
Ratliff scored her first two points in transition following a Hinson steal, added two free throws and notched a putback with 24 seconds to go before the break.
A drive by Lindsey and two free throws on the next possession made it a four-point disadvantage, 23-19, with 2:34 left. Her other two first-half points came from the line with under a second left.
Junior C’Nedra Hinson connects on a three-pointer in the first half. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
A more evenly matched third quarter saw Richmond outdone by just three points, 20-17. Twelve points from Lindsey gave her 20 points heading into the fourth.
Three free throws from Lindsey started the quarter, which were followed by a baseline drive from Lyerly. She later added a free throw in the final 90 seconds for her final point.
Lindsey scored Richmond’s next four points on a transition layup off a steal and two more free throws. Ratliff connected on a shot under the rim with 2:07 left, and Lindsey added a bucket and the first of her triples from the left corner thanks to a steal from Ratliff on an inbound.
Haddock had 8 points in the third for D.H. Conley, and Trinity Adams scored the final five of her 7 points in the game.
Trailing 52-41 to start the fourth, two drives in the paint from Lindsey started her 15-point quarter. Ratliff hit a jumper from the foul line and knocked in the subsequent and-one opportunity.
Another contested bucket by Lindsey was followed by a three-pointer from the top of the arc. That made it a 56-53 deficit, the closest Richmond would get.
A 13-7 run in the final 1:46 of the game secured the win for the Lady Vikings. Silver had 10 of those points. Lindsey added her final two triples in the final 29.5 seconds.
Senior Jai’Maya Ratliff (24) drives the lane in Thursday’s playoff game. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Obsever)
Richmond and head coach Teddy Moseley finished the season with a 20-6 overall record, a 13-1 mark against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents (12-0 regular season) and won their first conference title in 11 years.
The Richmond Observer will publish the All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team over the weekend.
