ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team has had several profound wins this season against conference opponents. But now the Lady Raiders are looking to add one more to the list.
Following the conclusion of the regular season on Friday with a 33-point rout of rival Scotland High School, head coach Teddy Moseley and the Lady Raiders earned the fifth-place spot in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings.
Monday will see the SAC tournament get underway, with Richmond hitting the road to play No. 4 Pinecrest High School.
Besides the game holding the weight of Richmond’s possible last-minute entry into the 4A state playoffs, the Lady Raiders are looking to beat a team they haven’t knocked off during Moseley’s two-year tenure.
“Pinecrest is the only team (in the SAC) we haven’t beaten since I started coaching,” Moseley said. “We beat Seventy-First and Lumberton this year, and now it’s Pinecrest. Coach (Ronshua) Cole and I are great friends, and I know our girls are looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be a big game for us,” he added. “We know Coach Cole does a good job coaching them, but we really want this win.”
The Lady Raiders (16-8, 7-7 SAC) are currently riding a season-long four-game winning streak, the opposite of last year’s four-game slide to close the regular season. During the current span, the Lady Raiders have won by an average of 29 points, including a 19-point win over No. 2 Seventy-First.
What Moseley believes to be the difference maker is his players’ confidence in one another, while also seeing things click on both sides of the ball.
“Hopefully we can carry it on,” he said of the current streak. “We’re playing well and I think the confidence throughout the entire team has been built up. The girls are gelling and we’re peaking at the right time.”
The offense for Richmond has been strong of late, scoring an average of 63.8 points per game to close the season. Spearheading the charge has been senior point guard Keionna Love, who has scored 20.5 points per game since the winning streak started.
She scored a career-high 25 points against Seventy-First and followed with 24 points against Scotland.
Also hot of late from beyond the arc has been junior guard Jayla McDougald, who is also coming off a career night last week. She netted 25 points in a win over Lumberton, which saw her splash down a career-high seven three-pointers.
Rounding out the “big three” is junior Jakerra Covington, whose physical play on both ends of the floor makes her the team’s motor, according to Moseley. She’s scored double digits in three of her last four games.
But to defeat Pinecrest on Monday in the opening round, Moseley said it all starts on defense and limiting senior Lady Patriot Keayna McLaughlin. In the two regular-season meetings, McLaughlin netted game-highs of 26 and 29 points.
“It’s got to be a total defensive effort from our team,” Moseley said. “McLaughlin is a great player and a great shooter and ball handler. Defense is where it’ll start for us.
“It’s hard to shut McLaughlin down but if we can maintain her, we can win the game,” he continued. “We need to make someone else beat us besides her. We’re going to give it our best.”
He added that he “doesn’t plan on changing much,” but stressed that the Lady Raiders rest over the weekend. Senior Jasmine Ewing suffered a season-ending ankle injury on Friday, which Moseley called a “big loss on defense” and shortened the team’s depth.
Junior forward Davionna Campbell, who has missed the last handful of games with a high ankle sprain, is expected to be back in the lineup.
Richmond County Schools’ students are out of the classroom Monday for an in-service day, but Moseley hopes a team lunch followed by walk-through and shoot-around will give the team a sense of normal routine.
“A win would be huge for the program,” Moseley said. “The girls have answered the call and they know what they want to do.
“They also know what’s at stake,” he added of hoping to make the playoffs. “Keionna is the vocal leader, Jayla’s actions are her leadership on the court and Jakerra helps rally everyone. I’m hoping all three will help us get a win.”
Tip-off against the Lady Patriots (13-10, 8-6 SAC) is set for 6 p.m. on Monday in Southern Pines.
