RAEFORD — The No. 4 Richmond Raider basketball team knew heading into Tuesday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference game at No. 22 Hoke County that McDonald Gym is a tough place to play.
After going down by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, the Raiders rallied to defeat the Bucks 70-59.
Using a 24-6 run in the second quarter, the Raiders outlasted the Bucks to remain perfect on the season. Richmond sits atop the SAC standings with a 12-0 overall record and a 3-0 mark against conference opponents.
Sophomore shooting guard Paul McNeil paced the Raiders with a game-high 26 points and added 12 rebounds for the double-double.
Junior guard Dakota Chavis chipped in 12 points, including 8 points in the second half. Also scoring 12 points was sophomore guard Javian Drake, who netted 6 points in each half.
Fellow sophomore Jamarion Wall had 9 points in the win, one of seven Raiders to find the basket. Rounding out the scoring were seniors Deshon Watson (6 points) and Will Dawkins (2 points), and junior Zion Baldwin (3 points).
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight, this is always a tough place to play no matter what the records are,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said. “The crowd was into it tonight and there’s just something about this gym.
“We were down 21-9 in the first, but the guys didn't get frustrated,” he continued. “They are built for this and they understand basketball is a game of runs. They played hard and that’s all that I can ask from them.”
Hoke County used four three-pointers in the opening quarter to jump out to a 12-point lead. Jaylen Sturdivant, who led the Bucks with 19 points, had two triples and 10 total points in the first.
Wall led Richmond with three points on a three-all from the right wing in the first, and Chavis, McNeil and Watson all had 2 points early.
Adjustments on defense in the second quarter allowed the Raiders to swing the game’s momentum for good, using points from six players to go on the 24-6 run. Richmond started with an 8-0 spurt in the first 59 seconds of the second to force a Hoke County timeout.
“We went to a 1-2-2 three-quarter court trap and the guys did a good job of closing the passing lanes and creating steals,” Pettigrew explained.
“Creating turnovers by speeding them up is what we wanted to do, and the guys were able to execute off of that.”
Several transition defense baskets helped the Raiders cut their deficit, including a drive from Chavis and a putback by Wall to tie the game at 25 points.
A transition layup by Watson following a steal with 1:58 to play put Richmond up 27-25, a lead the Raiders would hold on to for good.
Four points from McNeil and a putback by Dawkins in the final 1:23 gave the Raiders a 33-27 lead at the break.
Richmond maintained its lead in the third quarter, 47-43, using 4 points from Chavis and 3 points each from Baldwin and McNeil. Wall and Drake both had 2 points.
A three-pointer from McNeil on the first possession of the fourth quarter extended Richmond’s lead to 7 points, which were three of his 13 fourth-quarter points.
Chavis and Drake netted 4 points apiece and were part of a 16-8 run to close the final 3:30 of regulation. Wall added a pair of free throws with 30.4 seconds left to cap Richmond’s scoring.
Also scoring for the Bucks (6-2, 2-1 SAC) were Jordan Maynor (13 points), Kamonte Williams (10 points), Salah Sutton (8 points) and Jamaii Murray (5 points).
“The guys are on a mission this year, and we’re going to take teams’ best shots and we have to be able to handle it,” Pettigrew said. “For them to be able to do it (consistently) at such a young age shows how tough we are as a team.
“We’re just trying to get better each game and I told the guys being 12-0 doesn’t win a state championship,” he closed. “Building chemistry as a team is important, and we’re going to approach (Union Pines) the same way we always do. Every game is a championship game for us.”
Richmond (12-0, 3-0 SAC) will face a tough opponent in Union Pines High School (11-1, 2-0 SAC) on the road Friday, as it tries to extend its undefeated streak to start the season.
The Vikings’ only loss came to Apex High School during the team’s holiday tournament, and defeated Scotland High School by two points on Tuesday. Tip-off between the Raiders and Vikings is set for 7 p.m. in Cameron.
