SOUTHERN PINES — Cool under pressure, successful back-to-back and-one opportunities from Cam’ron Coley and Jayden Hamilton in the second quarter Thursday were precursors of the composure to come for the Richmond Raider basketball team.
Those six points were part of a run in the second quarter that helped the Raiders gain control of the game on the road at Pinecrest High School.
In front of a raucous crowd, Richmond erased a large deficit in the first quarter and later relied on its free throw shooting to silence the Pinecrest faithful and defeat the Patriots 74-69.
Holding a lead for much of the second and third quarters, the Raiders didn’t panic when Pinecrest rallied to tie the score three times in the second half.
With the help of reaching the bonus late in the fourth quarter, Richmond put the game away with its final seven points coming from the charity stripe. Junior Chance Crowder had six of those made free throws, and it was one from Hamilton that proved to be the game-winning point.
Hamilton finished as Richmond’s leading scorer with 23 points, which included a 10-point performance in the second quarter. Senior Amer Morrison added 12 points, all of which were scored in the second half.
Crowder was the Raiders’ third double-digit scorer with 11 points, netting eight points in the decisive final eight minutes.
Coley and sophomore Donovan Jones each finished with eight points, sophomore Kerick Hairston Jr. rattled in two triples for six points, senior Domonic Tillman had four points and junior Josiah Brewington scored two points.
It was all Pinecrest through the game’s first six minutes as the Patriots were fast on offense and jumped out to a 15-2 lead. Richmond’s only points during that span came from Coley on a transition basket.
Flipping the script in the closing two minutes, a drive by Hamilton ignited an 11-0 response by the Raiders. Hamilton made the next set of points from downtown on the left wing.
Tillman kept working in the paint and it paid off, resulting in four points. He made a steal and kissed the glass before scoring on an inbound play.
Jones made a steal in Richmond’s defensive zone and returned it all the way to the hoop for two easy points seconds before the buzzer to make it a 15-13 deficit.
That scoring stretch reached 14 points for the Raiders at the start of the second as Hairston Jr. splashed down a three-ball from the left side to give Richmond its first lead of the game.
Trading points, Pinecrest retook the lead until a Hamilton jumper from the elbow made it a one-point lead for the Raiders. Two technical foul free throws by the Patriots changed the lead again, but that started a nearly three-minute scoring drought for Pinecrest.
Hushing the student section, Richmond’s offense put its foot on the gas and went on a 12-0 run to break the half open.
Netting seven points in five seconds, Coley and Hamilton made their aforementioned old-fashioned three-point plays. That was followed by Crowder making one of two technical foul free throws to give Richmond a 25-19 lead with 3:30 to go.
Hamilton finished out the burst of scoring with his second three-pointer in the game, a dart from the left corner, as well as a field goal under the rim after forcing a turnover. The second basket from Hamilton gave Richmond a 30-19 lead, its largest of the game.
The Patriots (5-11, 1-2 MSC) managed to go on a 6-2 run to cut Richmond’s lead to 32-25 at halftime. Crowder had Richmond’s two points, both free throws.
That momentum from the home team carried over into the third as the Patriots went on a 12-4 run to retake the lead 37-36 with 4:00 on the clock. Scoring a field goal each for the Raiders were Brewington and Morrison.
Hairston Jr. helped stop the bleeding with his final three-pointer, which was followed by a Jones drive through the lane to make it a 41-37 advantage for the Raiders. A drive from Morrison and a Hamilton jumper maintained the lead but Pinecrest used a three-pointer to knot the score at 45 points.
In the closing 30 seconds of the third, Jones made a shot along the baseline and Morrison made an athletic bucket in the paint at the buzzer to give the Raiders a 49-47 lead.
Four points from Hamilton and two points each from Morrison and Jones in the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter opened Richmond’s cushion to five points, 57-52. Crowder made his only field goal of the night and that was followed by a smooth three-pointer from Coley on the right side to maintain a two-possession lead.
Around the 3:00 mark, Morrison made two quick baskets to cap his scoring and give the Raiders their largest lead of the fourth, 66-58. Hamilton made a free throw and the game entered its final minute with Richmond ahead 67-64.
With the team in the bonus, Crowder went to work with his first two fourth-quarter free throws with 42.6 seconds remaining. After a Pinecrest basket, Hamilton made one of his two attempts to make it 70-66.
Coley collected a pivotal rebound on a missed free throw by Pinecrest and dished the ball to Crowder, who was quickly fouled. Again, the point guard made both ends of his trip to the line to extend the lead to 72-67 with 16.2 ticks left in regulation.
The Patriots scored one final basket and fouled Crowder in desperation, sending him to the free throw line for his final two points of the game. The Raiders’ defense collapsed on the Patriots’ offense to run out the remaining time.
Set to begin the second round of conference action Friday, it’ll be a quick turnaround for the Raiders (14-5, 4-1 MSC) , who will head to Pine Forest High School (4-12, 1-4 MSC). Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
