Lakota West has a lot of talented scorers but Richardson plays more of a pass-first point guard role for the Firebirds and he exceled at setting up his teammates and advancing the ball up the court off defensive rebounds and steals. There was a stretch in the game where Richardson had back-to-back assists and set up another couple open shots for his teammates as his quickness allowed for open looks. Richardson is a guy who I’ll want to see at the grassroots level where he’s a featured player, he does an excellent job playing winning basketball with the Firebirds but could show more scoring ability at the grassroots level.

The fourth leading scorer for Lakota West this season, Richardson had double-digit scoring outputs in conference wins over Princeton, Hamilton, Oak Hills and Colerain last season. The undersized guard provides excellent on-ball defensive pressure and can also provide dribble drive slashing ability to the paint with the ball in his hands. Shooting 87% from the free-throw line, I would expect Richardson’s 3-point percentage to jump significantly next season from the 27% he shot this winter. With so much of the Firebirds core expected to return next season, they’ll be among the favorites to win the state title in 2026-27.

One of the biggest reasons why Lakota West won this game was the play of Richardson on both ends of the court. For starters, Richardson played tough on-ball defense and dove on the court for a steal that led to a breakaway layup for his team. Early in the game, Richardson blew by the defense with his left hand and had a tough finish at the rim. Another impressive play by Richardson was on a baseline drive where he took the contact and finished an and-1 layup. Despite being the smallest guy on the court, Richardson competed defensively, handled contact and didn’t back down on either end of the court. After cramps caused him to miss some time in the fourth quarter, Richardson returned to the game to ice it from the foul line, going 4/4 in the final minute.

Another new name to Lakota West this season helping them complete some unfinished business from the year prior, Richardson made some key shots on the perimeter and Lakota West ran some nice actions to get him running off screens for opportunities to either shoot or attack a hard closeout. Late in the game, Richardson had a clutch 3-pointer and forced a 5 second violation. Those are key winning plays for a sophomore to make in a game of that magnitude.

Richardson checks in at No. 31 overall and the 10th combo guard in the 2028 rankings debut out of Panther Creek High. He led the Catamounts in scoring (10.1 points per game) and assists (3.0 per game) as they upset New Bern in the first round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs. He’s a young 2028 name to know given his abilities as a scorer and playmaker.