ROCKINGHAM — For the first time in five games this season, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team didn’t walk off the court with a win Saturday.
Ending a three-game week on their home court, the Raiders let a fourth-quarter lead slip away against Hillside High School.
Leading by as many as nine points in the final stanza, Richmond came up short 83-75 to the Hornets.
The Raiders led 61-53 to start the fourth quarter but Hillside went on a 30-14 run in the final eight minutes to hand Richmond its first loss.
A total of four Raiders scored double digits — senior Jayden Hamilton (19 points), junior Chance Crowder (14 points), junior Josiah Brewington (13 points) and senior Amer Morrison (12 points).
Adding to Richmond’s total were senior Domonic Tillman (8 points), sophomore Donovan Jones (4 points) and freshmen Cam’ron Coley and Jimmy Tillman (2 points each).
The Hornets (4-2) led 17-12 after the first quarter and benefited from the free throw line after Richmond sent them into the bonus midway through the quarter.
Brewington completed an old-fashioned three-point play to start the game’s scoring before Hillside scored the next 10 points. Hamilton connected on the first of his three three-pointers in the game to end the run to make it a 10-6 deficit with 3:25 on the clock.
Free throws by Jones and Crowder, along with a drive to the hoop from Domonic Tillman kept the Raiders within two possessions.
A 10-2 run started on a Morrison triple from the top of the arc early in the second quarter helped Richmond tie the game 22-22. Morrison, who had seven points in the second, added another three-pointer from the right corner.
The final four points of the run came from Jimmy Tillman on a close-range shot and two more free throws from Crowder.
On the next run down the floor, Crowder hit a step-back triple along the right wing to make it 25-22, the first of a couple of three-point leads for the Raiders in the second.
Over the next few minutes, Hamilton tied it 29-29 with a free throw and a basket by Domonic Tillman and a Brewington free throw gave the Raiders a 33-32 lead.
In the closing two minutes, a Hamilton jumper, two points from Brewington and a bucket and a foul shot by Crowder put Richmond ahead 40-36, its largest lead of the half.
At the buzzer, the Hornets hit a three-pointer that was initially waved off but was reversed by one official to cut Richmond’s lead to 40-39 at half.
Out of the break, Brewington splashed down a three-pointer from the left corner on an assist from Morrison and Hamilton knocked down a jumper to regain a 45-44 lead.
Trailing 46-45, the Raiders went on an 11-0 run that started with a Domonic Tillman breakaway jam that put Richmond up 56-46.
A jumper and a triple by Hamilton were added to by four straight free throws from Brewington to cap the run with 3:14 to play in the third.
Before the buzzer, Hamilton stayed hot with another three-ball from distance along the right side, which made it an 11-point lead. A putback off the fingertips of Domonic Tillman with 44 seconds on the clock maintained a 61-53 lead.
The Hornets chipped away at Richmond’s lead in the fourth quarter before tying the score 72-72 with 1:56 to play. The Raiders were outscored 11-3 in the time remaining.
Morrison scored his final five points on two baskets and a free throw. Hamilton had three points, all from the charity stripe, and Jones, Crowder and Coley each netted two points.
The Raiders (4-1) will look to get back in the win column Tuesday when they travel to Grace Christian School (8-3). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
