FAYETTEVILLE — Lumberton boys basketball entered Friday’s rematch with Seventy-First 1/2 game back in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings. After falling short at home in the late stages of the first meeting, the Pirates were frustrated by the length of the Falcons in the second matchup, posting one of the worst shooting games of the season in an 83-69 road loss.
Lumberton (13-6, 5-4 SAC) coach Matt Hill spoke candidly about the offensive issues after the game.
“We struggled to score the ball. I think their length had a lot to do with that as far as getting to the basket, which is something we’re usually pretty good at,” he said after watching his group shoot just over 35 percent from the field.
The Pirates dug out of an early 13-6 hole, using transition baskets to spark an 8-0 run that gave them a one-point advantage with just under three minutes to go in the first period. They would lead 22-20 going into the second, but the inability to get easy looks inside the paint caused them to trail for the remainder of the contest.
Conversely, Seventy-First (17-3, 7-3 SAC) shot the ball well from the tip. The Falcons finished with three players in double figures, led by forward Xzavier Howard’s team-high 22 points. Fellow wing Brion McLaurin added 21 points. Howard’s 6-foot-5 frame coupled with McLaurin’s 6-foot-7 stature was too much for the Pirates on both sides of the floor.
“There’s not much you can do about that…we played a decent close out on them and they still knocked it down,” said Hill. “You tip your hat to them and move on.”
McLaurin and Howard were especially tough in the second quarter. McLaurin dropped 13 points in the period, imposing his will inside, while also knocking down five free throws. Howard added six points on short jump shots and the Falcons took a 47-34 lead into the half.
Trevon Bell knocked in a trio of triples and finished with 17 points. His 3-pointer in the opening stages of the third quarter stretched the margin to 54-39 and led to a 60-45 advantage heading to the fourth. Bell scored six points in the final period to help close the game.
Pirates guard Jordan McNeill had a game-high 31 points, 11 rebounds and six steals. He scored 14 in the final period, but was over-matched by the widespread Falcons attack that feasted off turnovers.
Lumberton returns to conference play on Tuesday at league-leading Pinecrest.
Lady Pirates falter late, snap five-game win streak
Lumberton girls basketball brought their five-game win streak to Seventy-First on Friday, but couldn’t overcome a late push and fell 50-42 in an important Sandhills Athletic Conference contest.
Coming into the matchup, the Lady Pirates (13-5, 6-3 SAC) were a 1/2 game ahead in the standings having already beaten the Lady Falcons (11-8, 7-3 SAC) in January. In the rematch, the Lady Pirates picked up where they left off, scoring the game’s first five points. Rachel O’Neil led the way early on, scoring all seven of her points in the first half.
Midway through the opening period the tide changed as the Lady Falcons used rebounding to claw back in it and take a 12-11 lead. Nyielah Nick scored eight of her 12 points in the second quarter and paced an 11-2 run that put them ahead 23-13 with 3:40 to go in the half. Amira Coles chipped in with five of her game-high 20 points as they led 28-22 at the half.
Lady Pirates forward Madison Canady scored a team-high 14 points and gave her team momentum to start the second half. She sparked an 8-2 run, capped by a mid-range jump shot that knotted the score at 30 at the five-minute mark. August Smith ended with seven points, none bigger than the 3-pointer that gave the team its first lead, 33-32, since the start of the game.
Coles capped the period with a three-point play near the end of the period that tied it at 35 heading into the fourth. In the final period, Coles hit a shot well beyond the 3-point line that gave them a 42-35 lead. It was part of a 9-0 spurt that wrapped up the victory.
