ROCKINGHAM — Reaching the midway point of the winter sports season, and the halfway point of our feature series, the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team is spotlighted.
The 2025-26 season was one of restructuring and growth for the Lady Raiders and second-year head coach Taneika Reader.
Following a slow start to the season, the Lady Raiders hit their stride and returned to the 7A state playoffs as the No. 16 seed in the West.
In a win-or-go-home scenario, the Lady Raiders won their opening round playoff game against No. 17 Ballantyne Ridge High School.
Using a breakaway fourth quarter, Richmond was led in scoring by Jasiah Gilchrist (27 points) and Madisen Jackson (20 points).
Catch up on the playoff win from Feb. 24, 2026 below:
ROCKINGHAM — It was night and day for the Richmond Senior High School girls’ basketball team between last week’s regular season finale and Tuesday’s playoff game.
Opening the NCHSAA 7A West state playoffs on their home court, the Lady Raiders were back to their old selves en route to a blowout victory.
Playing its usual uptempo style of play, No. 16 Richmond defeated No. 17 Ballantyne Ridge High School 67-48.
Head coach Taneika Reader was relieved to see the Lady Raiders break out of their late-season slump, noting the team played with more energy against the Lady Ridge Wolves.
In what was a close game through the first three quarters, Richmond rolled out to a 15-1 run to start the fourth quarter. That helped break the game open, with the Lady Raiders leading by as many as 21 points.
Combining for most of the team’s scoring were senior Jasiah Gilchrist (27 points) and junior Madisen Jackson (20 points). Senior J’Nasia Neal also reached double digits with 11 points.
Three others scored in the victory – sophomore Erin Drumwright (4 points), senior Olivia Brown (3 points) and junior Armoni Walden (2 points).
Jackson was the main conduit in the first quarter for the ball to travel to on its way to the hoop. She scored nine points in the opening stanza, including the first seven points for the Lady Raiders.
A jumper from Jackson tied the game early at two points and she later hit another jumper in the paint and added the and-one opportunity to give Richmond a 5-4 lead.
With a drive through the lane with 4:31 on the clock, Jackson made it a 7-6 lead. Ballantyne Ridge kept things close in the first quarter with a trio of three-pointers.
Neal made her first basket on a drive to tie the score at nine points, and Gilchrist’s first points of the game pulled Richmond within a point, 12-11, with under two minutes to go.
In the closing 33 seconds, Jackson netted a shot under the hoop and Gilchrist turned a steal into two easy points to give the Lady Raiders a 15-14 lead.
The Lady Ridge Wolves (13-14) scored the first four points of the second quarter to retake the lead, but a Neal floater in the lane cut the deficit back to one point. After a long scoring drought by both teams, Gilchrist cut through the paint for two points to knot the score 19-19 with 2:52 left in the half.
Two free throws by Gilchrist capped her eight first-half points to tie it again at 21 points. Neal had the final five points in the quarter in the closing 30 seconds, as she finished a transition layup and hit a deep triple at the buzzer to send Richmond into the locker room up 26-21.
The Lady Raiders traded buckets with Ballantyne Ridge through the first four minutes of the third quarter. A 12-8 run by Richmond opened its lead to nine points, 38-29.
Several players contributed to the run, starting with a free throw and a layup from Gilchrist. A Neal basket, another Jackson jumper and Brown’s first point from the free throw line maintained a six-point advantage.
Gilchrist and Brown each took advantage of a takeaway on back-to-back possessions to lead to two easy points apiece, putting Richmond up nine points with 4:33 to go in the third.
Jackson and Gilchrist combined for the Lady Raiders’ final seven points of the quarter. Making a basket on an inbound pass and two free throws was Jackson, and Gilchrist made one field goal and one shot from the line.
Leading 46-40 to start the final stanza, three free throws on two trips to the charity stripe by Gilchrist ignited the game-changing 15-1 run. Those points were followed by a Jackson putback, a Gilchrist transition basket, two points on a Jackson baseline drive and another steal and layup by Gilchrist.
Joining the scoring with 3:09 left in regulation, Drumwright snuck around a pair of defenders on the baseline for a shot off the glass. Once more, Gilchrist forced a turnover near midcourt and raced to the hoop for two easy points to end the run.
A transition basket by Drumwright with 2:11 to play gave the Lady Raiders their largest lead of the game, 63-42. Richmond’s final four points were scored on a basket apiece from Walden and Gilchrist in the closing minute.
The No. 16 Lady Raiders (12-11) will try to upset the entire 7A West playoffs when they travel to No. 1 Lake Norman High School (21-1) Thursday.
The top-seeded Lady Wildcats had a first-round bye. An official game time is to be determined at the time of publication.
