ROCKINGHAM — In his first two seasons as Richmond Senior boys basketball coach, Donald Pettigrew has watched his group drop the opening contest in back-to-back years.

History looked to repeat itself early against visiting Anson on Thursday as the Raiders fell into a two-possession hole during the opening minutes of the game.

But Pettigrew’s bunch stormed back to take a sizable lead at the end of the first and never looked back en route to a 73-29 victory.

“It was a nice crowd…. and hopefully, we can just continue to build on what we’re trying to get and our goals,” said Pettigrew after the game.

Anson began the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, the first coming from senior guard Garret Maner, that opened the 6-0 advantage.

Pettigrew credits the early run from the visitors to his team’s willingness to take chances defensively and not getting in the right positions to implement the zone effectively.

“If we run the 3-2 right, it will be tough to score on us,” said Pettigrew.

As his group “settled down” from the first-game anxiety surrounding the gym, the zone defense tightened and the Raiders went on a run of their own to knot the score at 6.

Richmond guard Jalen David hit two of his three triples in the game during the first period on back-to-back possessions. The last trey gave the home team a double-digit lead, 21-10 to finish the period.

Despite having just seven active players, all of those Raiders scored multiple buckets led by junior forward Nygie Stroman who ended with a game-high 18 points.

Stroman’s activity and length around the rim gave the Bearcats problems as he scored on easy layups to help stretch the lead. He had six points to help open the contest in the third period, and his short bankshot widened the margin to 58-25 with just two minutes left in the frame.

Point guard P.J. McLaughlin put in seven of his 13 points in the quarter as the Raiders outscored the Bearcats 20-4 and took a 61-25 lead into the fourth.

“These guys got a chemistry and play unselfishly,” said Pettigrew. “They worked on their craft so I think they deserve, if they’re open, to shoot the ball.”

Junior guard Dylan Lewis flashed his offensive game and was the third Raiders scorer in double-digits, finishing with 10 points. Besides David’s nine points, fellow sophomore guard De’Sh0n Watson also poured in nine on a trio of 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, senior center Jarvis Tillman held down the paint with a game-high five blocks and chipped in offensively with seven points.

Richmond (1-0) visits Anson (0-1) on Thursday in the rematch between the two schools.

In the junior varsity matchup, Richmond ran away from Anson and used good ball movement, spacing and outside shooting to gain the 62-16 blowout victory.

McDougald lifts Lady Raiders past Anson

ROCKINGHAM —Behind a game-high 20 points from junior guard Jayla McDougald, the Richmond Senior varsity girls basketball team easily handled Anson, 56-26 at home on Tuesday.

Richmond (1-0) coach Teddy Moseley was complementary of McDougald’s two-way play, but was especially impressed with how effective she was on the offensive in what proved to be a struggle for both teams early.

“Everything was working for her as far as her shot. She looked good offensively,” he said after the game.

The Lady Raiders sprinted out to a 6-1 advantage before the visitors answered with a run to knot it at 7 midway through the quarter.

With just under two minutes left in the opening frame, McDougald slipped around the defense in transition and finished a short bankshot, plus the foul, to give her team a 12-7 lead.

Despite a slow start to the second quarter that saw both teams go scoreless for more than three minutes, McDougald ignited the Lady Raiders charge again, outscoring the Lady Bearcats 7-3 in the period. She knocked down two straight 3-pointers, the second of which stretched the lead to 21-9.

McDougald’s open-floor layup halfway through the third quarter gave the team its biggest lead at the time, 38-18.

Though Moseley feels his group had too many turnovers and should have finished more short scoring opportunities, he feels the defensive effort was something to build off going forward.

“Defensively, I was pleased,” said Moseley. “Our man defense pressured the ball and our help-side got a lot better.”

Richmond held Anson to just three points in both the second and fourth quarters with the newly-installed pressure defense that raked in a host of steals and created transition opportunities.

Lady Raiders wing Keionna Love chipped in with nine points off the bench, all coming in the third quarter. Anajah Redfearn ended with eight points and Jakerra Covington added six points in the win.

The two teams square off again in Anson on Thursday.

Donnell Coley| Richmond County Daily Journal Junior guard Jayla McDougald looks for room to create off the dribble for Richmond Senior during the first half of Tuesday’s season-opening home win over Anson. McDougald led all scorers with 20 points.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_RGBBansonJayla-1.jpgDonnell Coley| Richmond County Daily Journal Junior guard Jayla McDougald looks for room to create off the dribble for Richmond Senior during the first half of Tuesday’s season-opening home win over Anson. McDougald led all scorers with 20 points.

Donnell Coley| Richmond County Daily Journal
Richmond’s Jarvis Tillman (35) and Nygie Stroman (10) try to block the shot from an Anson guard at home on Tuesday. The two post players combined for eight blocks in the win.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_RBB_Ansonblk-1.jpgDonnell Coley| Richmond County Daily Journal
Richmond’s Jarvis Tillman (35) and Nygie Stroman (10) try to block the shot from an Anson guard at home on Tuesday. The two post players combined for eight blocks in the win.

Donnell Coley| Richmond County Daily Journal Raiders guard P.J. McLaughlin drives the lane at home against Anson on Thursday. McLaughlin had 13 points to pace the 73-29 victory.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_RBB_Ansononline-2.jpgDonnell Coley| Richmond County Daily Journal Raiders guard P.J. McLaughlin drives the lane at home against Anson on Thursday. McLaughlin had 13 points to pace the 73-29 victory.
Raiders start 1-0 with win over Anson

By Donnell Coley

Sports Editor

Donnell Coley can be reached at 910-817-2671 or by email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @Sportsinmyveins.