ROCKINGHAM – Three Richmond Senior High School first-time all-conference basketball players were named to the Sandhills Athletic Conference teams this weekend.
Those earning the honor for Richmond for the 2017-18 basketball season were junior forward Xavier Pettigrew and sophomore guards Keionna Love and Allexis Swiney.
As the teams are announced only when every SAC team has been eliminated from state playoff contention, the remaining three SAC schools all were bounced in the third round Saturday. In the girls’ bracket, No. 12 Lumberton High School fell to No. 4 Green Hope 71-70. In boys’ competition, No. 5 Hoke County and No. 12 Scotland High School lost to South Central (74-55) and David W. Butler (65-43), respectively.
And despite neither Richmond team making it to the big dance, both teams had successful developing years under coaches Rosalind McDonald (girls) and Donald Pettigrew (boys) who are invested in their programs’ futures.
As the only player for the Raiders to make the 16-man team, Pettigrew started the season off as a powerful threat down low in the post. In his first season with the Raiders upon transferring from Temple Christian School, he exploded onto the scene and made the transition pretty seamlessly.
He was averaging a team-best 13.8 points per game through the first four games of the regular season, but he injured his left knee during Richmond’s first matchup against eventual SAC winner Hoke County on December 15. Pettigrew was also named the RO’s Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week in mid-December.
The MCL sprain sidelined Pettigrew for a majority of the season, but he made several valiant efforts late in the season to battle through the pain and help the Raiders win. Most notably. Pettigrew netted a game-high 18 points on January 20 in a loss to Purnell Swett High School.
For the Lady Raiders, Swiney and Love were integral part in growing McDonald’s team. Swiney started every game as the point guard, and Love worked her way up from the bench to the starting five throughout the course of the season.
“This is the first time that either of them were selected to the all-conference team, but I’m guessing it won’t be their last,” said McDonald. “Allexis has the ability to dominate from the court in any position we put her at with her quick speed, great ball handling and aggressive nature. She continues to learn how to direct her team on the floor like a true point guard.
“Keionna came into our program with a great shooting ability and this year she really set herself apart as a true three-point shooter,” McDonald continued. “Her ability to create shots off her dribble makes her a very diverse player.”
Swiney was second on the team in scoring, as she averaged 9.7 points per game, just behind leading scorer senior forward Lexyonna Ingram (10 PPG). She was one of the more consistent two-way players, as she used her speed and ball handling to breeze past defenders down the court and also intercept passes on defense. Swiney was the first Lady Raider basketball player to be named the Official Female Athlete of the Week.
And Love, who was a consistent threat from beyond the three-point arc, wasn’t far behind with 8.6 PPG. Using her signature pump fake, Love was able to get defenders off course and pull up triples all season long. And she wasn’t afraid to get physical, often taking the ball through traffic in the paint for tough buckets. Love’s best performance down the stretch came against Lumberton, as she drilled four second-half three-pointers.
Love and Swiney were also helpers in getting the Lady Raiders past No. 3 seed Jack Britt High School in an upset during the opening round of the SAC tournament. Swiney had a game-high 21 points, while Love’s two big-time three-pointers helped ice the game.
“I’m more confident in their abilities on the court more than they are at times, so it does not surprise me one bit that they were selected as all-conference players,” McDonald concluded. “As the program continues to grow, Allexis and Keionna will play key roles in helping us become top contenders in the conference next year.”
All three players will return to Richmond’s basketball program next year in hopes of being one year older and better prepared to make a run.
Below are the complete boys and girls All-SAC teams, including player and coaches of the year. Hoke County led boys, and Lumberton led the girls, each with four selections and their respective Player of the Year.
Boys All-SAC Team
Girls All-SAC Team
