Basketball Game Preview: Purnell Swett Rams vs. Richmond Senior Raiders

The Purnell Swett Rams and the Richmond Senior Raiders will face off at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday without much rest, having both just played. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Purnell Swett is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Dillon just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Wednesday. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Wildcats an easy 72-52 victory. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 251st in North Carolina, while the Wildcats are ranked 23rd in South Carolina).

Nylah Johnson

Field Goal Percentage

12/17/25 vs Dillon	50%
12/12/25 vs Cary	50%
12/10/25 @ Red Springs	50%
12/02/25 vs Douglas Byrd	67%

Purnell Swett's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Nylah Johnson, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards, and Kamryn Locklear, who shot 42% from the field to rack up 15 points along with five assists and five steals. Johnson is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as she's posted one of at least 50% in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Zaylee Hunt, who posted nine points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Richmond Senior fought the good fight in their overtime contest against St. Pauls on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 61-59.

Richmond Senior's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Purnell Swett, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-2.

Everything came up roses for Purnell Swett against Richmond Senior when the teams last played back in November of 2022, as the squad secured a 78-30 win. In that matchup, the Rams amassed a halftime lead of 50-20, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.