LUMBERTON — In the third quarter of Friday’s semifinal game, Lumberton basketball coach Matt Hill became uneasy as he watched his team go down by 14 points to St. Pauls with 3:21 remaining in the period, risking the opportunity to compete to win his first Robeson County Shootout title. Hill called a timeout to weather the storm.
“I got a little worried there when we got down by 14. When we came to that timeout, the kids were on the bench and were like, ‘we’re not going to let this happen,’” Hill said.
Coming out of the timeout, the group used high energy on defense and rebounding to snip the lead and eventually close out a 58-56 nail-biter to advance to the championship game on Saturday. The Pirates play Purnell Swett in the final game of the day at UNCP that tips off at 8 p.m.
The run was ignited by senior forward Braylan Grice, who scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the final two quarters. Grice scored six points during the 13-2 spurt that was capped by a Jadarion Chatman 3-pointer to beat the buzzer and close the gap to three, 46-43, heading into the final quarter.
St. Pauls (4-5) wouldn’t allow the momentum of the huge run to carry over to the final frame and traded baskets with Lumberton (7-1) for the majority of the quarter. But according to coach Corey Thompson, a recurring problem would surface in key moments down the stretch that decided the result.
“We knew coming in that they were a very good rebounding team and for the past two days, we worked on rebounding…and at the end of the day that hurt us,” Thompson said.
Grice proved too strong and powerful on the glass, especially in the fourth quarter. He ended with a game-high 21 rebounds and one particular possession late in the contest showcased his dominance on the boards. The Pirates were clinging on to a two-point lead and got a shot up at the rim but couldn’t convert. Grice went up high and snared the ball, and immediately went back up, but his wild attempt failed. That didn’t shake his confidence, however, as he grabbed his own miss two more times until finally banking it in, after his third consecutive rebound, to extend the lead 59-55.
Frontcourt mate Kwashek Breeden finished with 13 rebounds and guard Jordan McNeill added seven. Both players had similar attempts in crucial moments to sway the outcome. McNeill’s was the most noteworthy because of the magnitude. He scored on a put-back with 4:16 remaining that completed the Pirates’ rally attempt and tied the score at 50.
Bulldogs guard Emonta Smith finished with a team-high 18 points and was one of the key contributors who answered the clutch baskets from the home team. He ignited an 11-2 run in the first quarter when the Bulldogs fell behind by nine in the early going. Guard Caleb Henderson added 10 points, most of which came in the third quarter. He converted a layup, then Smith followed with a trey to open their lead to 41-30 with four minutes to go in the period.
In the fourth, Smith scored on a transition layup with 45 seconds left in the game tied it at 56.
McNeill issued the final blow of the bout on the following possession as he winded the clock down and drove with conviction, forcing a foul. He calmly sank the deciding free throws to cement the Pirates place in their third straight Shootout title game appearance.
Fairmont awaits St. Pauls in the third-place game that tips off at 4 p.m.
Lady Pirates sprint past St. Pauls to compete for third straight Shootout title
LUMBERTON — Widely considered the top two girls basketball teams in the area, St. Pauls and Lumberton went toe-to-toe on Friday in an inevitable semifinal matchup as part of the 2018 Robeson County Shootout.
The game didn’t live up to any of the hype surrounding it, however, as Lady Pirates senior forward Madison Canady left no doubt as to who holds the crown as the top lady’s team in the county. She scored a game-high 23 points, pacing a 53-31 win over the visiting Lady Bulldogs on Friday, and in the process, advancing her team to the championship game to compete for a third straight title.
The Lady Pirates will represent the county in Saturday’s title game against Dillon at UNCP for a 6 p.m. tipoff, and St. Pauls will play for third place in a rematch with Purnell Swett at 2 p.m.
Lumberton (6-2) coach Sam Davis said his veteran leader heard the chatter surrounding the highly-anticipated semifinal and had a simple pregame message for him.
“She walked in here today and told me, ‘Coach, I’m ready to play.’ She told me that she wanted to prove that the best team in Robeson County is here,” Davis said of Canady.
Canady backed up her inspiring words with the effort to match. After establishing a 24-13 halftime lead, she hit the team’s first nine points in the third quarter as the advantage ballooned to 33-16 on a short bank shot.
She also spearheaded the defensive effort, attacking passing lanes and collecting three steals. Davis went to a zone defense early and Canady and the rest of the long Lady Pirates kept the visitors out of the paint.
St. Pauls (7- 2) coach Mike Moses was happy with his groups’ defensive effort, but was completely mystified as to the offensive futility throughout the game. Leading scorer T.J. Eichelberger broke her string of seven straight games in double figures, finishing with nine points.
“We just couldn’t get nothing on the offensive end,” Moses said. “I mean, you get in a big like this and you tend to rely on your best players and they were just waiting for T.J. to make a play and it just didn’t go our way today.”
Eichelberger attempted just one shot in the first quarter as the scrappy Lady Pirates defense dictated the action. She scored her first point at the 6:57 mark in the second quarter on a free throw. Lady Bulldogs guard Mackenzie Ranson led the way with 10 points and Shakiya Floyd added six points and six rebounds.
For the Lady Pirates, Alexandria Simpson joined Canady as the other double digit scorer and used a couple of short baskets to push the lead up before the half. Rachel O’Neil added nine points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from 25 feet to end the second quarter.
