LUMBERTON — Quame Patterson wouldn't go as far as saying his boys basketball team at Hoke played lazy in the first half of Tuesday's 96-67 victory at Lumberton, but did admit to trashing his original game plan at intermission.

The Bucks' frantic, full-court attack on defense backfired into too many transition buckets for the home team.

"It was my fault the game was close," Patterson said after Lumberton, a team that had lost three straight by double digits coming in, was within striking distance at 43-36. "They did a great job against our press and I should've called it off a lot sooner. That's a scrappy team over there and they make up for their lack of size by how hard they work."

After being held to only two field goals in the first half, Hoke's Tarique Thompson led a second-half charge with the first seven points of the third quarter on his way to a game-high 25. Lumberton's upset bid unraveled early in the period as the Bucks (15-2, 3-0) opened the frame on an 11-0 run highlighted by a layup and a 3-pointer from Thompson and a putback by Brennen Wright.

The Pirates (5-11, 0-3) never got closer than 19 the rest of the way.

"We knew we had to come out and play a little harder," Wright said. "I think we underestimated Lumberton a little bit and it expected it to be a breeze."

For much of the first half, Lumberton matched the co-SEC leaders basket-for-basket with a strong effort at the defensive end. Several leak outs led to easy points in transition while the Bucks struggled to find a rhythm offensively. If not for a brief run to end the second quarter, one of the state's top teams would've trailed at intermission.

Hoke's athleticism and knack for outside shooting took over after Patterson decided to play Lumberton straight up out of the locker room. Thompson was one of five players to hit a 3 for the Bucks.

"We didn't move our feet and didn't play defense," Lumberton senior forward Demetri Sheridan said. "We came out with intensity, then it stopped."

Montrae Strother, Lumberton's leading scorer heading into Tuesday's game, rebounded from a season-low outing last week at Richmond with a 19-point, five-assist effort against the Bucks. He provided the Pirates' lone second-half roar with a driving flush over two defenders with three minutes remaining.

Defense key for Lady Pirates

It didn't take long for head coach Danny Graham to call off the press in Tuesday's win over Hoke.

Just over 10 minutes of game action was plenty of defense for the Lady Pirates during a 47-12 win.

"I was really pleased with our defensive effort," Graham said. "Our defense is solid right now."

Hoke's first basket came midway through the second quarter after Lumberton had already built a 29-point lead. By that point, most of the Lady Pirates' starters were on the bench well on their way to a 3-0 start in the Southeastern Conference.

Azaya Graham was one of three players in double figures, contributing 13 points.