ROCKINGHAM — A 10-day hiatus between games collected little rust for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team Friday.
The Lady Raiders’ outing was much different than their buzzer-beater loss Jan. 7., which put them back in the win column.
Hosting Scotland High School to close out the first round of regular-season Sandhills Athletic Conference play, Richmond cruised past the Lady Fighting Scots 54-37.
Leading by 20 points or more the majority of the second half, the Lady Raiders were fueled by a game-high 28 points from senior point guard Jamyia Lindsey.
Sophomore forward Madisen Jackson was dialed in from around the paint, finishing with 13 points, a single-game season-high. Richmond’s other two scorers were juniors J’Nasia Neal (8 points) and Jasiah Gilchrist (5 points).
Head coach Taneika Reader shared after the game that she was pleased with how the team played despite its gap between games.
The first quarter featured big scoring runs by both teams, but it was Richmond that led 17-10 after the opening eight minutes.
Neal began the scoring with a three-pointer from the right wing in the first 25 seconds, which was followed by a quick two points from Scotland.
A mid-range jumper from Lindsey at the 5:20 mark started a 9-0 run by the Lady Raiders. Lindsey, who scored 10 points in the first, continued the stretch with a floater in the paint.
Jackson scored the first of her 10 first-half points by collecting her own rebound. Three Lindsey free throws widened the lead to 12-2.
Scotland answered with a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 12-10. In the closing two minutes, a Jackson bucket under the hoop and an old-fashioned three-point play from Lindsey put Richmond back ahead by seven points.
Carrying that momentum into the second quarter, the Lady Raiders opened their lead to as many as 20 points. Richmond outscored Scotland 16-5 in the second.
Lindsey splashed down a three-pointer from the right side after Scotland opened with a basket. She had the first seven points of the quarter for Richmond, adding a transition bucket and a jumper.
Jackson had six of the next nine points for Richmond to end the quarter, starting with a baseline jumper on an assist from junior Olivia Brown. She followed that with returning her own rebound to the hoop and another mid-range jumper.
Neal capped her six-point first half with a shot from under the basket and a free throw. Richmond’s largest lead of the first half was 20 points and went into the break up 33-15.
To start the third, Lindsey made a free throw and Gilchrist got on the board with a transition bucket to make it a 21-point lead. A Jackson free throw and a bucket two possessions later kept the Lady Raiders ahead 39-17.
Lindsey had seven of Richmond’s 14 points in the third, later adding a floater in transition and a pair of free throws. Gilchrist brought her total to four points when she finished a shot following an offensive rebound.
Heading into the final stanza with a 47-27 lead, Richmond used the opportunity to work on closing the game out, something Reader has talked about needing to improve upon in recent weeks.
Scotland outscored Richmond 10-7, but the Lady Raiders spent most of their possessions passing the ball around the floor to run out the clock.
Lindsey’s final four points came on a transition basket and a putback off the glass. Gilchrist made a free throw and Neal’s bucket under the hoop with 1:45 to play was the team’s final set of points.
Scotland (7-5, 3-3 SAC) was led in scoring by Morgan Thompson (15 points) and Dere'Yanna Vanderhall (8 points).
The Lady Raiders (10-5, 4-1 SAC) will play their next game on the road at non-conference Pine Forest High School next Thursday. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Friday’s win over the weekend.
