SOUTHERN PINES — In sports, sometimes the emotion of the game can get the best of a team.

In the fifth-place consolation game of the Holiday in the Pines tournament, the Richmond Senior basketball team took advantage of an Overhills implosion in the fourth quarter to cruise past the Jaguars 66-49 Wednesday night.

The Raiders outscored Overhills 30-15 in the final quarter to help post their second straight victory and head into the new year with a 7-2 record.

But the game will be remembered for how the Jaguars unraveled in the last period. Overhills was called for five technical fouls in the fourth that led to 12 Richmond free-throws.

Jaguars players Tyree Massey and Larry Sumpter were both hit with technicals. The Overhills’ bench were called for three technicals and Jaguars coach Gary Bell was ejected from the contest with 54.7 seconds remaining.

Richmond finished going 16-for-23 at the charity stripe in the fourth and 21-for-34 overall. The Raiders scored 15 straight points to turn a 45-all tie into a comfortable 60-45 lead after Bell was tossed from the game.

“I thought their team was totally out of control,” Raiders coach David Laton said. “I thought the officials had no choice but to call those technicals. However, I didn’t think it affected the outcome of the game.”

Raider shooting guard Brian Love once again paced the team with a game-high 24 points, including 17 in the second half. Love, who averaged 21.0 points per game in the three-game tourney, was named to the all-tournament team.

“I thought Brian really played consistent during the tournament,” Laton said. “He shot the ball well and made some big shots when we needed them.”

Richmond power forward Will Freeman stepped up his play after halftime by scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half. The Raiders took advantage of Freeman’s size in the paint against the smaller Jaguars’ frontcourt.

Richmond led 36-34 going into the fourth, and Reid’s foul shot with 5:31 left to play increased the advantage to 43-37. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Julian Eleby and Brandon Brewington evened it at 43-all with 4:40 remained. Brewington scored a team-high a 15 points, all coming from beyond the arc as he buried six triples.

Larry Sumpter scored two of his 11 points on a steal and a layup to cap Overhills’ 8-0 run, giving the Jaguars a 45-43 lead with 4:05 to go in the contest. Freeman knotted up the game for the sixth and last time at 45-all on a right-handed hook.

Devonte Lindsey’s two foul shots gave Richmond a 47-45 lead with 3:07 remaining in the game. Following an Overhills’ turnover, Lindsey’s penetration and dish to Freeman for a layup extended Richmond’s advantage to 49-45 with 2:13 left to play.

“Devonte came off the bench and gave us a big lift,” Laton said. “He did a good job handling the ball and making good decisions.”

The game then got away from the Jaguars as empty possessions, fouls and the slew of technicals allowed the Raiders to stretch the lead out to double-digits as Richmond went onto to pull away for a 17-point victory.

“Even before the game got a little out of control, I knew when they started to hold onto the ball and they didn’t attack our defense, that we were going to win,” Laton said.

“They had trouble scoring, and they fell in love with the 3-point shot. (Brewington) made some 3s, but he was also taking some from NBA range. He’s not Kobe Bryant and I thought we did a better job of covering him in the fourth quarter.”

Richmond led 12-10 after the first quarter. However, the Raiders struggled offensively in the second as Overhills outscored Richmond 11-6 to lead 21-18 at halftime.

Overhills scored the first five points after the half to quickly build an early eight- point lead at 26-18 with little more than six minutes remaining in the third. But the Raiders used a 14-5 run to take their first lead since the second quarter at 32-31 on Tedarrius Wiley’s free-throw with 1:35 left before the fourth.

After scoring only six points in the second, Richmond outscored the Jaguars 18-13 to take a two-point advantage into the fourth. The Raiders never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.

“I thought Ouinton Ouick and Tedarrius both gave us good energy on the court,” Laton said. “When they were pressing us, I felt we did a good job of spreading and reversing the ball, and finishing plays.”

Richmond will play two more nonconference home games next week against South Robeson and South View, before starting Southeastern conference play next Friday at Hoke.

Contact sports reporter Corey Davis at 997-3111, ext. 44; e-mail cdavis@yourdailyjournal.com