ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior boys basketball team won’t have to wait until January to get a close look at one of its two new conference foes.

First-year head coach Donald Pettigrew and the Raiders will battle Seventy-First in their opening game of the 2017 Powerade State Games at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. That game begins at noon this Friday.

Seventy-First — along with Jack Britt — will join Richmond and the five other teams (Hoke County, Lumberton, Pinecrest, Purnell Swett, Scotland) from the now-defunct Southeastern Conference to create the Sandhills Athletic Conference this fall.

The Falcons went 25-6 this past season and reached the Regional Finals before losing to Leesville by nine points. Similar to Richmond, they graduated more than half-a-dozen players from last season’s team and will be looking for players to step up.

Richmond, who competed in a two-day tournament at Apex High last week, will continue to try and find its identity now that it has abandoned “The System.” Pettigrew said the team’s main focus will be learning a more inside-out style of play with the addition of a couple of “true post-up guys.”

“We’re going to run when we need to, but for the majority of the time, we’re going to pound it inside,” Pettigrew said earlier this month. “Play bully ball a little bit.”

Of the six returners, rising senior Malik Flowers averaged the most points (8.6) last season. Darius Butler and Rod Newton are more than likely expected to take care of the ball-handling responsibilites, while the team looks for Xavier Pettigrew’s athletic and scoring abilities to be key in his first year at Richmond.

The Raiders, according to the coach, are using this summer to get the guys who haven’t played varsity acclimated to the upgrade in competition and the change of speed and physicality.

Richmond will also face off against Pamlico County (4 p.m., Friday), Ardrey Kell (10:20 a.m., Saturday) and Hickory (2:20 p.m., Saturday) before the final day of the State Games competition on Sunday.

Other boys teams in the tournament are Durham School of the Arts, Garner, Greensboro Day, Hickory, Lee County, Millbrook, Northern Guilford, Northwest Guilford, Overhills, Panther Creek, Pine Lake Prep, Ravenscroft, Southern Guilford and Wakefield.

Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.

Daily Journal file photo
The Richmond Senior boys basketball team will face off against Seventy-First in its noon opener at the 2017 Powerade State Games in Greensboro on Friday. The Raiders will be competing in Pool C with Ardrey Kell, Hickory, Pamlico County and Seventy-First for a chance at the boys tournament championship, which will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_contestweb.jpgDaily Journal file photo
The Richmond Senior boys basketball team will face off against Seventy-First in its noon opener at the 2017 Powerade State Games in Greensboro on Friday. The Raiders will be competing in Pool C with Ardrey Kell, Hickory, Pamlico County and Seventy-First for a chance at the boys tournament championship, which will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25.
Raiders to battle 71st in tournament opener

By Leon Hargrove Jr.

[email protected]