GASTONIA, N.C. — Facing one of the best teams its played this season, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team suffered its first loss to Hunter Huss High School on Friday.
The two teams met in the second round of the Ashbrook Holiday Hoopfest, and an uncharacteristically low scoring performance from the Raiders led to a 56-47 loss to the Huskies.
It was the second meeting between Richmond (8-1) and Huss (8-1) during the Holiday Hoopfest the past two seasons, and the Huskies earned wins in both contests.
Huss advanced to the tournament championship against David W. Butler High School (6-5) on Saturday, while the Raiders will compete for a third-place finish against Zebulon B. Vance High School (10-1).
At the start of the tournament, the Raiders and the Cougars were the lone undefeated programs in the eight-team bracket.
“In the first half we couldn’t score,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said following the game. “We had some good looks but couldn’t hit the shots. And it didn’t help that they were falling for Huss.
“We managed to cut it to six points, but just couldn’t get over the hump,” he added. “Our guys settled in and played good defense in the second half, and our effort was there. They continued to play hard, and we got the stops we usually do. We just couldn’t get past that (early) deficit.”
The 47 points scored against Huss was the lowest amount in a game this season for the Raiders. Two Raiders would each collect 10 points in the loss, seeing juniors Caleb Hood and Nygie Stroman lead the team.
Junior Dylan Lewis, who returned to the team following an illness, helped run the point and scored 8 points. Fellow junior point guard PJ McLaughlin contributed 7 points, while senior forward Jarvis Tillman added 6 points for Richmond.
Richmond scored just six points in the opening frame, getting two buckets from Stroman and another from McLaughlin. Entering the second quarter down just two possessions, Richmond nearly matched the Huskies’ point total with nine more points.
Tillman hit a pair of field goals, Lewis added his first two points of the game and senior guard Quamir Sivels and junior forward Dalton Stroman combined for three free throws. For Huss, Dontavious Nash had eight first-half points, followed by six points from JJ Moore.
At the break, Huss held just a five-point advantage, 20-15.
Facing the situation of being down at the start of the third quarter a couple of times already this season, the Raiders tried to claw their way back into the game. Huss would outscore Richmond 17-11 in the third stanza, using six more points from Nash, who finished with a game-high 14 points. Teammate Deneil Mackins added five of his eight second-half points.
For the Raiders, Nygie Stroman powered his way under the hoop for a team-high six points in the quarter, and saw Hood tally his first four points on a bucket and two free throws. Dalton Stroman sank a free throw of his own to make it a 37-26 game entering the fourth.
Pettigrew’s squad finally found its groove in the final quarter, netting 21 points in the eight-minute frame and outscoring the Huskies by two points. But it was too little, too late for Richmond.
Lewis led the charge with six points, all coming on three-pointers, while Hood added a bucket and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. McLaughlin rounded out his scoring with a triple and a bucket, while Tillman and Dalton Stroman each notched a field goal.
Tillman finished with a team-high seven rebounds, while Dalton Stroman snagged six of his own.
“I told the guys I was disappointed we lost, but I wasn’t disappointed in the effort they showed and how hard they played,” Pettigrew shared. “Dylan was back to his old self and he played well after missing a game.
“We’re always humble as a team, but on the court we play a little cocky, which is part of the game,” he added. “But with basketball, some of the games might not be your night, and that was the case tonight.”
Although they won’t be playing for the championship, the Raiders still want to take the third-place spot. They’ll play “in another big game” against Vance on Saturday at 6 p.m.
“We’ll be ready to play,” Pettigrew closed. “It’s going to be another good test for us and we need to come out and match (Vance’s) energy on the floor.”
Last season, Vance defeated Huss in the title game, while Richmond is aiming to take home third place, which would be two spots better than last winter’s finish.
