SOUTHERN PINES – Basketball fans couldn’t have asked for two better games to kick off the first night of the Holiday in the Pines Basketball tournament than the two that were played on Wednesday evening.
Richmond and Holly Springs High School (Wake County) each came up short in one-point losses to Trinity and Windsor Forest high schools, respectively, with both defeated teams having their final shot bounce off of the rim as time expired.
Unfortunately, game two for the Richmond varsity boys basketball team was not as exciting. The Raiders and Golden Hawks of Holly Springs High School met for an early 4:30 p.m. matchup on Thursday afternoon at Pinecrest High School with the winner earning a chance to play in the third-place game on Friday.
The Golden Hawks (3-8) scored early and often en route to a 77-63 tournament victory over Richmond (4-7).
Right from the start, Holly Springs put on a show when junior power forward Kadin Shedrick sent those in attendance to their feet with a strong one-handed dunk just seconds into the game. Shooting guard Erik Alvey then dropped in a floater over two Richmond defenders to extend the lead to four. Junior shooting guard Garrett Phillips followed with a three-pointer and a layup on the next two possessions to increase the lead to 9-0 less than three minutes into the game.
It seemed to be a sign of things to come as Shedrick, Alvey, and Phillips would finish the game as the only double-digit scorers for Holly Springs accounting for 55 of the Hawks’ 77 points. Alvey, a 6-4 senior, finished the night with a game-high 30 points, but the early floater would be his only two of the first quarter.
With just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, junior Matt Willadson delivered a jumper of his own for Holly Springs extending their lead to 17-7, and the Hawks would hold on to a double-digit lead throughout most of the game.
However, Richmond never gave up. After its deficit grew to 16 points in the second quarter, Richmond was able to cut it back to 10 at 29-19 using a run that ended with a three-pointer from the corner by junior guard Malik Stanback with only 1:14 remaining.
After a couple of quick baskets by Holly Springs increased the lead right back to 14, Stanback made another big play hauling in an offensive rebound, going up between two Hawks’ defenders, and dropping it in for two as the final seconds of the first half ticked away.
The Raiders went into the break down 33-21.
Alvey and Phillips started the second half much like they started the first. They combined to score eight of the first ten points of the third quarter putting the Hawks ahead 41-23 and giving Holly Springs its largest lead of the game at 18.
At that point, Stanback went back to work scoring another triple and junior guard Bobby Terry followed with a layup. After another bucket by Alvey for the Hawks, Richmond senior point guard Darrius Butler connected on two free throws and sophomore center Jarvis Tillman cut the lead to 11 with a layup with 2:55 remaining in the third.
Holly Springs would add two more on a putback by senior power forward Jason Pender, but Butler would answer with back-to-back buckets for Richmond cutting the lead to nine at 45-36; the first time the deficit was reduced to single digits since the 1:56 mark in the first quarter.
That was as close as Richmond would get. The Hawks would extend their lead back to 14 early in the fourth quarter and maintain it until the final couple of minutes allowing them to get some back-up players into the game.
Stanback was the leading scorer for the Raiders with 18. Butler finished with 15, junior guard Roderick Newton scored 11 and senior forward Malik Flowers netted 9. Terry and Tillman each had 4, and junior Alex Quick finished with 2.
Absent for the Raiders was junior power forward Xavier Pettigrew as he continues to heal a hyperextended knee suffered earlier in the season.
Richmond will face Windsor Forest (Savannah, Ga.; 9-4) at 6pm Friday in the final round of the tournament.
