Jeff Moeller, freelance sports correspondent
For both Richmond Hill basketball teams, it was a long nearly three-hour ride to and from Lowndes High School in more ways than one Tuesday night.
The boys’ team (13-12, 3-7) suffered a heart-breaking 48-46 loss to Lowndes (18-6, 8-1, the top-seeded team in Class 6A Region I.
And along with the boys, the girls’ team dropped a 55-28 decision as well.
Boys’ head coach Bill Henderson saw a victory slip away from his team. The Wildcats missed a potential game winner at the buzzer.
"We had too many missed opportunities to beat a good opponent, especially on the road,” stressed Henderson. “I’m proud of how the guys fought. They battled until the end but unfortunately came up short.”
The Wildcats were led by Josh Mock, who had a team-high 10 points, Sebastian Dorelien added 10, and Drew Nudo, Alonzo Miller, and Brandon French chipped
in with eight points apiece.
Henderson noted the team’s nine-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line was a factor.
Obviously, we have to do better than that against good opponents,” said Henderson. “We have a lot to learn from and that’s where our focus has to be.”
Lowndes stake itself to a 7-0 lead before Richmond Hill took their last lead at 20-15 in the second quarter. However, it was a night in which the Wildcats were chasing their opponents.
They went out to quick 7-0 run at the start, and we were chasing the rest of the game,” said Henderson. “We fell behind 9 or 11 in the second half, but the guys kept fighting. We had a few bad possessions in a row and let them get out on some fast break opportunities.
“Brandon French and Josh Mock hit some big threes to cut into the deficit. We had an opportunity to tie or win, but unfortunately our shot was off the mark at the buzzer.”
Richmond Hill will begin regional play next week, and Henderson plans to tighten up some areas.
“We have a week to prepare for the first round of the region tournament next week,” said Henderson. “We will know on Friday who our opponent will be, but for us the focus will be on improving in the areas we need to improve in - execution on offense, finishing possessions, and taking care of the basketball .”
Richmond Hill girls’ head coach Sarah Jones watched her team overcome a sluggish beginning only to begin to recover in the second quarter and beyond. Unfortunately, the Wildcats (10-15, 0-6) couldn’t piece it all together in their defeat to Lowndes (20-3, 9-0).
Cullen McCormick paced the Wildcats with seven points.
“We got off to an extremely slow start giving up 25 points the first quarter, but only 30 for the last three quarters combined,” emphasized Jones. “If we take away the slow start, we give ourselves a chance. It was just a tough night shooting, with too many turnovers and easy opportunities for Lowndes.”
With her club down 39-11 at the half, Jones was still optimistic. But the Wildcats couldn’t narrow the gap.
“We just couldn’t cut the lead,” added Jones. “We would get stops, but then couldn’t convert on the offensive end. We just couldn’t put together enough offensive scores to cut into the lead even though we would get stops on the defensive end.”
Richmond Hill will begin their postseason play Monday against an opponent yet to be determined. Jones remains confident her team can still make an impact.
“We’ve been pretty close all season,” said Jones. “We just have to put it all together to play our best ball.”