LAURINBURG — Earlier in the week, the Richmond Senior girls basketball team had one of its worst showings of the season offensively in a loss to Seventy-First and the coaching staff challenged its players to perform better.
Despite not having their head coach, who was absent because of personal reasons, the Lady Raiders answered the challenge with an inspired 51-43 road win over rival Scotland on Friday.
“After Tuesday night’s game, the call was to respond,” said Richmond assistant coach Marissa Toney. “Wednesday and Thursday during practice, we emphasized learning how to make quick decisions in the game, and I think that paid off tonight.”
One of the biggest factors to the season-low production on Tuesday was the lacking of scoring from the supporting cast. Junior forward Jakerra Covington made her presence felt against the Lady Scots, finishing with a double-double, 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Covington put in six points in the first quarter to propel the visitors to a 10-8 lead and temporarily quiet the buzzing crowd.
“She thrives on high energy and that’s what really sealed the deal for her tonight,” said Toney. “The louder it is, the more intense it is…the higher she picks up.”
The Lady Scots came out with a spark in the second quarter and retook the lead 12-10, but it was Covington’s rebound and putback that would knot it back up at.
Meanwhile, Lady Raiders leading scorer Keionna Love continued her hot play of late, netting a team-high 19 points and adding six rebounds.
Love got the group separation in the second period, using a putback and then a coast-to-coast layup to help the Lady Raiders take a 23-17 lead with just 1:10 left in the half.
Scotland’s leading scorer Asjah Swindell matched Love’s 19 points along with a team-high eight rebounds.
The senior forward provided a lift for the home team coming out the break. After the Lady Raiders scored on their first four possessions to open the third, Swindell punctuated her nine-point quarter with an and-1 that cut the deficit, 33-25 with just 1:30 left in the frame.
Teammate Kadence Sheppard added 10 points, including a running floater, plus the foul, with just 7.2 seconds remaining in the third that narrowed the gap to 35-30.
“I know Kadence was a workhorse tonight, so was Asjah,” said Scotland coach Mallarie Snow.
In the fourth, the Lady Scots duo put a jolt in the home crowd with key baskets to close the gap. Swindell hit a short bankshot that cut the deficit to 41-37, then moments later, Sheppard knocked in a pair of free throws to tie the score at 41 with 3:30 to go.
But it was Love who would close out the victory with clutch plays down the stretch.
“We look to her (Love) for our senior leadership,” said Richmond assistant coach Taneika Reader. “She’s a good free throw shooter, so we know when it came down to scoring baskets, she was one of the ones that could get it done.”
Love immediately broke the tie with a layup that made it 43-41, then scored off a turnover moments later to extend the lead and help seal the victory.
“Just too many turnovers from people that I don’t need to be turning the ball over,” said Snow of the late sequences.
Meanwhile, Reader felt the impact of not just the players on the court, but those supporting from the sideline was a big part of the favorable outcome.
“The energy was crazy. I want to put a spotlight on the bench because they did an awesome job,” said Reader.
“I think that was the loudest I heard them all year long…and that’s what we need from here on out.”
Jayla McDougald added eight points for the Lady Raiders in the win.
Sierra Breeden chipped in with six points for the Lady Scots in the loss.
Richmond (11-5, 3-4) is back in action on Monday to face Village Christian at Terry Sanford High. Scotland (5-7, 2-3) plays St. Pauls at Red Springs High for the Martin Luther King Classic.
