Starting and finishing strong is usually a good omen of coming out on top in a game.

After taking a 16-point first quarter lead, the Raiders junior varsity men’s basketball team saw its big advantage over Pinecrest narrowed down to three entering the fourth. But Richmond used another surge in the last frame to pull away to a 73-62 victory over the Patriots at Raider Gymnasium Friday night.

The win allowed the J.V. Raiders to continue their perfect season, improving to 16-0. Jesse Simpson came off the bench to pace Richmond with a game-high 24 points, while Jamar Keglar scored 13 points and Justin Green added 10.

Pinecrest’s Alex Goodwin’s 3-pointer before the buzzer cut the Raiders’ lead to 53-50 heading into the final quarter. The Patriots outscored Richmond 20-11 in the third to trail by three points.

“I thought they outhustled us, and did a good job of rebounding,” J.V. Raiders coach Donald Pettigrew said. “They did a better job of adjusting to our press. I thought we got a little tired after starting the game with so much intensity.”

But the Raiders regained their poise, using a 10-2 run to start the fourth. The spurt was capped by Simpson’s layup with a little more than three minutes remaining to push the lead to 63-52.

Simpson totaled 14 of his 24 points in the second half.

“Jesse really carried us in the second half, and made some big baskets at big moments,” Pettigrew said.

Pinecrest only got the deficit under double digit once the rest of the game as Richmond went to pull out the 11-point victory. The Raiders shot 10-for-18 at the free-throw line, but were 7-for-11 in the fourth.

“We started hitting our shots because we missed a lot of layups in the second and third quarter,” Pettigrew said. “We finished around the basket, and we also made our foul shots, when we needed to.”

It appeared Richmond early on was going to cruise to its 16th straight win. The Raiders leaped out to a 12-0 lead and headed into the second with a 27-11 advantage. Richmond forced Pinecrest into 13 first quarter turnovers.

“We came out with a lot of emotion,” Pettigrew said.

“We used a 1-3-1 trap that got them out of their offense. We were able to get some streals and score some fastbreak layups.”

The JV Raiders return to action against Scotland Tuesday at Raider Gym with tipoff slated for 6:30 p.m.

JV Lady Raiders 74, Pinecrest 15

There was no rustiness from the Richmond junior varsity girls basketball team after almost a week off.

The J.V. Lady Raiders jumped out to a 21-4 first quarter lead and went on to pound Pinecrest Friday afternoon. Richmond stayed unblemished on the season, improving to a 12-0 mark.

Deshantia Bell led the way with a game-high 26 points, while Tiara Ellerbe netted 15 points and Shaquitta Brewington scored 13 points. Richmond jumped out to a 12-0 lead and took a 17-point advantage into the second and led by 30 at 40-10 at halftme.

The J.V. Lady Raiders’ hounding defense forced Pinecrest into committing 33 turnovers. The Lady Patriots were limited to single digits in all four quarters.

“We played with a heart-and-soul, and we’re pretty much unbeatable, if we play that way,” J.V. Lady Raiders coach Lisa Bigley said.

“We did a good job of coming out and making our shots and playing together.”

The J.V. Lady Raiders return to action at Scotland Tuesday at Raider Gym with tipoff slated for 5 p.m.

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