ROCKINGHAM — Victoria DeFrate knows it can be a blessing or a curse to have her team return to the hardwood a day after a loss.
She just hopes it is the former and not the latter after Richmond dropped its third consecutive contest and its second straight to Marlboro County (S.C.) 42-36.
“It’s good because we don’t have time to wallow in our loss,” DeFrate said. “It’s bad because we have things we need to continue to work on in practice.”
One of the things DeFrate would like to improve is the team’s shooting as the Raiders struggled offensively against the Bulldogs, scoring 14 points in the second half.
“Our shots just wouldn’t fall,” DeFrate said. “We’re young. We have to find a way to connect on our shots down the line.”
Shaquail Wall got Richmond (2-3) off to a quick start in the first quarter, draining two 3-pointers and adding another jumper to score eight of the team’s 12 points. However, Marlboro made a defensive adjustment and limited Wall to just four points the rest of the way.
“We have to find someone else to step up,” DeFrate said.
Despite the struggles offensively, the Raiders still had a chance to tie the game in the final moments.
Trailing 39-36, Wall misfired on a 3-pointer from the right wing. Jade Evans grabbed the rebound, but her follow shot also bounced off the rim and the ball was reeled in by Marlboro’s Raquelle Shaw. Shaw was immediately fouled and she hit both of her free throws with 19 seconds remaining to ice the game.
“We had set something up before,” DeFrate said about the opportunity to tie the game. “We knew what we were supposed to do, we just didn’t execute.”
Wall was the lone Raider in double figures, finishing with 12, while Shaw netted a team-high 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Richmond will return to action at 6 p.m. today at Raider Gymnasium to face Cheraw, S.C. Earlier this season, the Braves pulled out a 59-46 victory at home.
— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com.
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