ROCKINGHAM — One bad quarter was all it took.
Cheraw (S.C.) blanked Richmond Senior during a five-minute stretch in the second period to pull away for a 49-31 victory over Richmond Senior Wednesday night at Raider Gymnasium.
It was the Raiders fourth consecutive defeat, which dropped them to 2-4 on the season.
After Richmond’s Heaven Smith tied the game at 10 in the opening moments of the second quarter, Cheraw went on a 13-0 run to seize control the contest. Alicia McIver was the catalyst for the Braves, scoring six of her 10 points during this time.
McIver was one of three Cheraw players in double figures. Crystal Owens and Alexis Pitts each netted a game-high 12 points.
The Braves continued to build their lead in the second half, extending it to 26 points at one point in the fourth.
“We couldn’t take care of the ball,” Richmond coach Victoria DeFrate said. “I guess the pressure got to us. I don’t know where the team was tonight because they weren’t in the gym.”
The Raiders ended one streak during the contest by scoring 11 points in the final period. That snapped a six-quarter stretch when the team failed to break double digits.
It also marked the first time this season Richmond didn’t have a player score at least 10 points in a game. Shaquail Wall dropped in a team-high seven points, while Kevyana Stanback and Smith each added six in the loss.
“It’s a part of being young…growing pains, growing pains, growing pains,” DeFrate said. “We need to find a leader on the court. We haven’t found one yet.”
Richmond will return to action at 6 p.m. Saturday when it travels to Cameron to take on Union Pines.
“It’s early in the season and we are still learning a lot,” DeFrate said. “I have a resilient group of girls. They have the talent, they just need the confidence to back it up.”
— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com.
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