ROCKINGHAM — An impressive second-half turnaround in a 58-43 victory over Pine Forest was the highlight of the Richmond boys basketball team’s effort on opening day of its second annual Raider Classic Jamboree.

After going into the break with trailing by three points, Richmond came out firing on all cylinders in the final 20 minutes of play thanks to rising seniors Jarvis Tillman, center, and Quamir Sivells, guard, taking matters into their own hands.

Tillman jumped out and scored six unanswered to give the Raiders their first lead since the games’ early stages and then Sivells hit back-to-back three-pointers moments later to put them ahead by 11 points and force the visitors into a timeout.

But the stoppage was a little too late, as the visiting Trojans never recovered from the quick run.

Richmond outscored Pine Forest 37-19 in the second half, where Sivells put up 13 of his team-high 14 points. Tillman also finished with 14, rising sophomore guard Kellan Hood scored 10 and rising junior forward Nygie Stroman added eight.

P.J. McLaughlin, rising junior guard, chipped in six to go along with a team-high in assists.

“We started to find our rhythm,” head coach Donald Pettigrew said of what changed in the second half. “I think we got a better effort defensively and we were rebounding more. It seemed like Jarvis and Nygie were grabbing every rebound.

“And that’s how we’ve got to be. We’ve got to be consistent on the boards,” he continued. “That flow we had in the second half is the flow we played with this past weekend at the Powerade State Games. And that’s a good feeling to have.”

Another thing that made Pettigrew proud was the play of his backcourt.

“P.J. was passing the ball well, finding guys, and Sivells was consistent,” the third-year head coach said. “I’m looking for big things out of (Sivells) this year, man, and he’s answering the bell already. That’s how he played at the State Games.”

The win over Pine Forest was the Raiders’ third and final game on opening day. They started Tuesday off with a victory over Harnett Central and then suffered a loss to Marlboro County (S.C.) immediately after. The game against Marlboro wasn’t originally on the schedule, but the matchup ended up taking place after one of the Bulldogs’ opponents failed to show.

“It was one of those things where guys weren’t expecting to play, but Marlboro did a good job. They made it tough for us with their 2-3 (defense),” Pettigrew said. “We couldn’t knock down shots that game, but the guys played hard.”

Richmond will face off against Rocky River, Southern Lee and Marlboro County on Day 2 of the jamboree.

“It went good. Tiring, but I think it went good,” Pettigrew said of the first-day action. “We had talented teams come and guys played hard. And that’s what it’s all about. Getting teams better before the season starts.”

Leon Hargrove Jr. | Daily Journal
Richmond’s P.J. McLaughlin, right, prepares to throw a no-look pass to Nygie Stroman, middle, during the second half of a 58-43 win over Pine Forest on Tuesday. McLaughlin and Stroman combined for 14 points.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_raidersweb.jpgLeon Hargrove Jr. | Daily Journal
Richmond’s P.J. McLaughlin, right, prepares to throw a no-look pass to Nygie Stroman, middle, during the second half of a 58-43 win over Pine Forest on Tuesday. McLaughlin and Stroman combined for 14 points.

By Leon Hargrove Jr.

Sports Editor

Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. by phone at 910-817-2671 or by email at [email protected]. For stories, scores and updates, follow the Daily Journal’s sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.