Preview: Richmond Raiders vs. Riverside-Durham Pirates
The Richmond Raiders will stay at home for another game and welcome the Riverside-Durham Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on March 1st. One thing working in Richmond's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 16 matches.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Richmond walked away with it. They breezed by the Wildcats at home to the tune of 104-47 on Tuesday. Richmond has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 contests by 25 points or more this season.
Richmond's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Paul McNeil Jr., who shot 5-for-12 from deep and dropped a double-double on 32 points and ten rebounds. McNeil Jr. hasn't dropped below 19 points for nine straight games. JV Drake was another key contributor, scoring 30 points along with seven steals and five assists.
Meanwhile, even though Apex Friendship scored an imposing 59 points on Tuesday, Riverside-Durham still came out on top. Riverside-Durham walked away with a 66-59 victory over Apex Friendship.
It was another big night for Corey Hairston Jr., who scored 24 points along with six rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Daniel Kelleh, who scored nine points along with three steals.
Richmond's victory was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-5. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 37.6 points. As for Riverside-Durham, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-9 record this season.
Friday's game is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Richmond have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Riverside-Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
