ROCKINGHAM — A trio of Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball players reeled in postseason accolades earlier this week following solid respective seasons.
The Sandhills Athletic Conference released its 2018-19 All-Conference team Tuesday night following Seventy-First High School’s fourth-round playoff loss to No. 1 overall seeded Millbrook High School.
Earning a spot on the 17-player roster were seniors Roderick Newton (shooting guard) and Xavier Pettigrew (forward), as well as sophomore Nygie Stroman (forward). It marked the first time that Newton and Stroman earned an All-SAC nod, and it was Pettigrew’s second consecutive selection.
Seventy-First’s Brion McLaurin, a senior guard, was named the SAC’s “Player of the Year” following his role in leading the Falcons to a regular season and SAC tournament championships. Pinecrest High School’s Ben Snyder was named the “Coach of the Year.”
“I’m very proud of these guys making All-Conference,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said. “It’s great because it shows kids how working hard to improve your skill set can pay off in the end.
“Rod was no surprise that coaches from other programs would vote for him,” he added. “He was on everyone’s scouting report as the one who made the Raiders go. Nygie making the All-SAC team is well deserved, he was by far the biggest surprise of the season. And Xavier is the type of senior that is a coach’s dream.”
Newton, Pettigrew and Stroman were the top three Raiders in the scoring category this season. Newton, who was most notorious from shooting behind the three-point line, led the team with 12.6 points per game.
Stroman’s 11.8 points per game were second on the team, and he also was second on the team in rebounds with 6.2 boards per night. Pettigrew capped his final season with 10.8 points per game, and led Richmond in the rebounding department with 6.3 per game.
The trio was an integral part of the program’s turn around in Coach Pettigrew’s second season as head coach. Richmond’s All-SAC selections led a month-long charge that saw an eight-game conference winning streak, as well as an SAC record that was seven wins better than last season.
Richmond began the year 1-5 overall, and started even slower with an 0-4 mark against SAC opponents. But a win against Lumberton High School on Jan. 11 ignited a mid-season push that would turn into a third-place finish in the standings, a shot at the SAC tournament title and a first-round playoff win. The Raiders finished 17-12 overall, and 9-5 in SAC play.
Newton’s best performance of the season came in the semifinal round of the SAC tournament at Pinecrest on Feb. 20. As the team’s leading three-point shooter, Newton splashed down five triples for a season-high 22 points against the Patriots. He also hit two technical foul free throws with under a second left to help Richmond advance.
“Rod has been a part of the Raider program since his ninth-grade year, and I have had the privilege of watching his talent grow,” Pettigrew said. “He has always been a silent leader on the team, but I call him a ‘pitbull’ on the court. He has no fear when he’s playing ball and backs down from no one.”
Pettigrew, who is Donald Pettigrew’s son, entered his senior season by putting “a lot of pressure on himself.” Early in the season, Pettigrew felt more comfortable coming off the bench, and flourished in that role.
He dropped a season-high 23 points in the regular season finale against Scotland High School, and notched a double-double (16 points, 10 boards) in the Raiders’ playoff win over Hickory Ridge High School.
“When you have a senior captain who says, ‘I’m fine with not starting, I’m fine with giving up minutes, I just want us to win,’ you have something,” Pettigrew said. “As a staff, we felt that Xavier was putting a lot of pressure on himself and his game coming into his senior year.
“But eventually, we think he worked it out within himself and accepted the role as being a ‘spark’ off the bench alongside Patrick McLaughlin, Quamir Sivels and Alex Quick. Many teams we faced could not match up with these guys coming in halfway through the first quarter.”
As the team’s biggest surprise, Stroman would dominate down low and was the team’s most consistent dunker. He had a breakaway jam in the playoff game that erupted the crowd, something Pettigrew credited to the team’s success all season.
During the SAC winning streak, Stroman proved clutch against Jack Britt High School, laying the ball in with just 5.7 seconds left in the game. He also dropped a career-high 27 points against Purnell Swett in the two teams’ second meeting.
“This is a kid who had no varsity experience, and didn’t play his ninth-grade year because of knee surgery,” Pettigrew explained. “He came on over the summer and held his own against some pretty tough teams during summer tournaments.
“He had a somewhat slow start, but after some pre-season play, he exploded as a dominant power forward in the SAC,” he continued. “Nygie’s versatility to shoot the three-ball and play with his back to the basketball caused problems for many teams because a lot of big men don’t guard much outside the post.”
Seventy-First had an SAC-best five players named to the team. Richmond’s three picks were second, followed by two selections each from Hoke County, Lumberton and Pinecrest high schools. Jack Britt, Purnell Swett and Scotland high schools had one player named.
“Our young guards have some big shoes to fill and I have been privilege to work with Rod over the last four seasons,” Pettigrew concluded. “Xavier played the majority of the season with sore knees, but he showed resilience and toughness the entire time giving it up for his squad.
“Nygie will definitely be a force to deal with over the next two years. We are more than happy to have him coming back.”
For the complete listing of the 2018-19 All-SAC team, click here.
