LAURINBURG — Ahead of Friday’s regular season finale showdown between Sandhills Athletic Conference rivals Richmond and Scotland high schools, Raider head coach Donald Pettigrew told his team to expect a tough showing by the Fighting Scots.
Not only was it four Fighting Scot players’ senior night, but it was also an opportunity for the home team to make its way into the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs. But Pettigrew and the Raiders had different plans, outlasting a tough Scots team down the stretch for a 59-52 win on the road.
Behind a season-high 23 points from senior forward Xavier Pettigrew, the Raiders (14-10, 9-5 SAC) finished the season in third place behind first and second-place finishers Seventy-First and Pinecrest high schools. The Fighting Scots (8-16, 5-9 SAC) slipped to seventh place.
“We expected the game to be tough tonight,” Pettigrew said following the game. “You have to throw the records out because it’s a rivalry game, the atmosphere was good and our guys were ready to play.”
Scotland’s Garrett McRae would prove to be the Raiders’ toughest challenge, as the junior netted a game-high 26 points. He was big down the stretch for Scotland, connecting on 8-of-12 free throw attempts in the second half.
Richmond rolled out to an 11-3 lead in the opening quarter thanks to four points from sophomore guard Caleb Hood, field goals from Pettigrew and junior Jarvis TIllman and a triple from senior Rod Newton.
McRae responded with six points of his own, as he and teammate Trey Graham closed the final two minutes on an 8-4 run to cut Richmond’s lead to 15-11.
In the final eight minutes before halftime, the Fighting Scots outscored the Raiders 12-9 to trail by just one point, 24-23, at intermission. Sophomore Nygie Stroman joined the scoring mix in the quarter, contributing five of his nine total points.
Both Pettigrew and McRae came alive in the third quarter, scoring eight and six points, respectively, for his team. Newton and CJ Settles traded three-pointers to open the second half, before Richmond put together a 14-6 run.
Pettigrew muscled his way to the basket on back-to-back possessions, scoring five points in the process. He connected on a backdoor pass from Newton, before powering past Adonis Jackson to complete a three-point play and give the Raiders a seven-point lead, 41-34.
McRae and Settles closed the final 37.7 seconds on a 5-0 run to make it 41-39 with one quarter to play.
The fourth stanza was Richmond’s highest scoring quarter of the night, as the Raiders added 18 points to secure the win. A drive by junior Quamir Sivels ignited an 11-0 Richmond run that closed with a Pettigrew free throw. His make from the charity stripe would prove to be the game-winning point.
Trailing 54-52 after five straight points from McRae, Graham traveled in the paint and turned the ball over with 40.1 seconds left. The Scots fouled Sivels on the inbound and he connected on both of his double-bonus free throws.
Pettigrew ended the game with an old-fashioned three-point play, tipping in a Hood miss and draining the free throw with 19.9 seconds left.
Newton added 11 points in the win, Stroman had nine points, Sivels contributed seven points and senior Alex Quick tallied four more. Scotland’s second-leading scorer was Settles with 12 points, all coming on three-pointers.
“We were seventh in the conference last year, and now we’re third,” Coach Pettigrew said. “That’s a big deal for us. We believed in the process, kept practicing and playing hard, and the guys are trusting one another.
“Our seniors have been with me a long time, and they’re the backbone of our team,” Pettigrew closed. “They want the young guys to succeed, and are willing to sit out. Zay and Rod played well tonight. Scotland’s coach (Matthew Justin) does a good job and my hat’s off to him.”
With the No. 3 seed, the Raiders will have a home game against No. 6 Jack Britt High School (11-13, 5-9 SAC). A date and time has yet to be announced, but Pettigrew said his team is “hoping to ride into the big picture of the state playoffs.”
