MATTHEWS — The Richmond Senior High School Boy’s Basketball program is no stranger to facing a No. 1 seed early in the playoffs.
The Raiders were hoping to break their three-year streak going down in round 2 and leave Matthews with a victory over top-seeded and undefeated Butler on Thursday night.
However, Mecklenburg County’s No. 1 team bested the Raiders with a convincing 108-88 victory. It was the first time this season that the Bulldogs have reached triple digits.
Butler entered the game 27-0 and only allowing 52 points per game. Richmond on the other hand, came into the game following a 123-118 come-from-behind victory against Vance in round 1. Those 241 points are the most ever scored in an NCHSAA playoff game, helping the Raiders preserve their status as the nation’s highest scoring team.
The Bulldogs’ offense got going early with Jah’Lil Carter scoring the first points of the game — and Butler never looked back. D.J. Little’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs an earlier double-digit lead midway through the first quarter at 15-4. The lead would grow to 20 midway through the second at 47-27 before the Raiders could get anything going.
Leon Zeigler — who was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points — finished the first half strong, helping his team whittle the lead down to 15. Butler would take a 55-39 lead into the half, which marked the most points the Bulldogs have scored in a half all season.
Butler would extend its lead to as many as 26 when it took an 85-59 lead into the 4th, with the deficit remaining around 20 for the rest of the game.
Despite the loss, the Raiders can celebrate a successful and memorable season as it broke three state records, multiple school records, and was the second-highest scoring team in NCHSAA history. Richmond also reached the 20-win mark for the first time in two decades.