Richmond Senior J.V. player Jesse Simpson eyes the beasket as he goes in for a layup during the Raiders’ 64-44 win over Hoke Friday night at Raider Gymnasium. Simpson had 23 points off the bench to lead all scorers.
Jesse Simpson provided instant offense off the pine for the Raider men’s junior varsity team with a game-high 23 points to help Richmond hammer Hoke 64-44 Friday night in at Raider Gymnasium.
The victory allowed Richmond to improve its record to a perfect 13-0 on the season, and the Raiders also were able to open 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play. Since returning from the holiday break, Richmond has won its last three games by an average of 35 points.
“This team has gelled together very well,” J.V. Raiders coach Donald Pettigrew said. “They’re very unselfish, and they play with a lot of passion. I believe this is probably the most passionate JV team that I’ve ever coached.”
Simpson ignited Richmond’s offense in the first quarter via several fast-break baskets. Simpson’s transition layup capped a 10-0 Raiders’ run that extended Richmond’s lead to 15-5 late in the quarter.
Simpson scored 10 points in the opening period and netted 18 of his 23 points in the first half.
Pettigrew said Simpson gives the Raiders some more depth after starting the season on the varsity squad.
“He should continue to be a good addition to us, now that he’s permanently on the J.V. team,” Pettigrew said. “Jesse does a great job of running the court and that was a big key in this win.”
Jamal Keglar finished with 19 points, 10 coming in the second half. Keglar capped the first quarter with one of his two dunks in the game, giving Richmond a 17-7 advantage. Shydamion Ellerbe was strong off the bench in the middle. Ellerbe had a double-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds along with five block shots.
“Jamal didn’t shoot the ball as well as he has done in the past, but he’s always going to find a way to score,” Pettigrew said. “Shydamion gave us a good presence inside.”
Richmond kept the pressure on in the second quarter, outscoring the Bucks 17-11 to take a 34-18 cushion into halftime. Hoke got no closer than 10 points in the third quarter at 36-26. The Raiders used another 10-0 spurt in the contest that was climaxed by Keglar’s second jam of the game, increasing the advantage to 46-26 with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. The Raiders led 49-32 going into the last period.
In the fourth, Richmond continued to push the ball against a deeper Hoke squad. Trey Little, who had nine assists, dished to Jalen Clarke to give the Raiders their largest lead: 21 points at 55-34 with a little more than three minutes left in the contest.
“This is a good running team,” Pettigrew said. “After a team makes a basket, we like to quickly get the ball down the floor, and we got out in transition a lot in this game. Right now, we haven’t lost a game, and hopefully, we can keep it going.”
The JV Raiders’ next two conference games are on the road next week. Richmond plays at Purnell Swett on Tuesday and Lumberton Friday. Both games are slated to tipoff at 6:30 p.m.
Contact sports reporter Corey Davis at 997-3111, ext. 44; e-mail cdavis@yourdailyjournal.com
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