LUMBERTON, N.C. – The Richmond Senior High School Raiders basketball team was looking to avenge a sour 71-62 overtime loss from Wednesday on the road Friday against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent Lumberton High School.
But the opportunity never came to fruition, as the Raiders fell to the Pirates for the second time in three days, this time not needing overtime, by a much closer final score of 60-56.
“We got out-rebounded tonight,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said point blank following the game. “They (Lumberton) out-hustled us all night. They were scrappy last time, and they were scrappy again tonight.”
In a physical game that saw jawing back and forth between players of both teams, Lumberton (11-11, 6-6 SAC) relied heavily on strong shooting performances from sophomore pn guard Jordan McNeill and senior shooting guard Stephon Lloyd.
McNeill, who scored 27 in Wednesday’s game, led all scorers again Friday with 17 points. Lloyd chipped in 14 of his own to help, while sophomore guard Dwayne Davis finished in double-digits with 10 points. Richmond (7-15, 2-10 SAC) struggled to stop all three players, as the trio accounted for 41 total points.
The Raiders jumped out to an early 11-3 lead in the game’s opening 3:43, thanks to back-to-back lay ins by sophomore center Jarvis Tillman for the first four points of the game. Senior guard Carl McNeal, senior forward Malik Flowers and freshman guard Caleb Hood all added field goals in that span. A Flowers’ free throw added the single tally.
But back came the Pirates with a suffocating full-court press that stunted Richmond’s early momentum. Led by McNeill and Lloyd, Lumberton rolled to a 10-0 run over the next 1:25 to gain its first lead of the night 13-11 with just over three minutes to play in the first quarter.
Junior guard Roderick Newton regained the lead for Richmond with a triple from the right wing at the 2:42 mark. But it was erased when junior guard Caleb Kelly hit a floater in the paint, which was followed by a Davis free throw to end the quarter with the Pirates up 16-15.
Both teams traded baskets to open the second, as the lead changed three times in the first 1:05. Junior forward Xavier Pettigrew gave Richmond a 21-18 lead on tough dribble-drive through the paint, but McNeill answered back on the next Lumberton possession with a contested three-pointer off a screen.
That triple would ignite a McNeill run of seven points in a 2:16 span, which would give the Pirates enough momentum to push the score to 31-26 at the halftime break. Lloyd and Davis each hit three-pointers to extend Lumberton’s lead.
The first seven Richmond points to start the second half came courtesy of steals, two by Newton, which he converted for a pull-up three-pointer and a layup. McNeal also intercepted a pass before dishing it off to Hood under the hoop for a bucket.
Newton’s layup would give Richmond a 34-33 lead with just over five minutes to go in the third, but that would prove to be the last lead of the night for the Raiders. A Davis putback jumper off the glass at the 4:48 mark would regain the Pirates the lead.
The closest Richmond would get the rest of the night came when Hood collected a Flowers missed shot and put it up and in to knot the game at 40 points with 31 second remaining in the third. Davis gave Lumberton its final lead-changing basket when he drove the lane and botched on a dunk attempt, but saw the ball rattle into the hoop.
Entering the fourth quarter trailing 42-40, Richmond wouldn’t go away quietly. Following an 9-0 run by the Pirates to start the final period, Pettigrew found his stride with a mid-range jumper to end the Lumberton barrage and cut the deficit to 51-42 with 5:20 to go in regulation.
Pettigrew added a free throw moments later, and collected a loose ball and returned it to the hoop with an emphatic two-handed jam. However, Richmond’s momentum was wiped away as Pettigrew would leave the game after suffering a cut above his left eye that left blood all over his jersey and the court.
Still, Richmond trudged on. Flowers, Tillman and senior Da’Shaun Wallace combined to score five points in 45 seconds to cut the Lumberton lead to four points, 56-52. But that’s where it would stay, as four Pirates’ free throws sealed the deal down the stretch.
Pettigrew led all Richmond scorers with 12 points, while Flowers and Newton added 11 each.
Despite the loss, Coach Pettigrew noted that the last two regular season games against Seventy-First and Scotland high schools are imperative in starting a run before the SAC tournament.
“We’re trying to stay positive and build some momentum heading into the tournament,” Pettigrew said. “We’re still going to practice hard going into next week. We could win out, get on a winning streak, and anything can happen (in the SAC tournament).”
Richmond will travel to Seventy-First (12-8, 6-5 SAC) on Tuesday, February 6, and end with rivalry night at home against Scotland (13-6, 7-4 SAC) next Friday. Richmond will look to avenge losses to both teams from their respective meetings earlier this season. Tipoff for both games is set for 7:30 p.m.
