SOUTHERN PINES — In the battle for first place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference, The Lumberton girls basketball team lost 57-51 at Pinecrest, dropping its first league game since 2016.
Leading 29-28 at the half, the Pirates (8-2, 3-1 SAC) were outscored 29-23 in the second half. It’s Lumberton’s first conference loss since falling 61-58 at Scotland on Feb. 9, 2016.
The Lady Patriots sit in first place at 9-0, including a 4-0 mark in conference play.
The Lumberton boys basketball dropped a 74-51 game at Pinecrest on Friday night, dropping to 1-3 in Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
Braylan Grice scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Pirates (4-6, 1-3 SAC), who were outscored 40-28 in the second half. Jordan McNeill had 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Jayson Jones scored a game-high 22 points to lead three Patriots (9-1, 4-0) in double figures. Tyrell Allmond tallied 20 points and Jaaman Bailey added 16 for the hosts.
Pinecrest led 34-23 at the break and outscored Lumberton 23-12 in the third period to carry a 22-point cushion into the final period.
Fairmont splits at East Bladen
The Fairmont basketball teams split a pair of games at East Bladen on Friday, with the girls losing 60-20 and the boys claiming a 70-57 road victory.
The Lady Golden Tornadoes fall to 4-3 on the season with a 3-2 mark in the Three Rivers Conference. The boys improved to 6-0 on the season and kept pace with West Columbus atop the conference standings.
Fairmont had five players finish in double figures, with Kaheem Pittman logging a double-double with 12 points and 20 rebounds. Corry Addison added 14 points, seven rebounds and eight steals. Nalijha Pittman tallied 12 points, Derrick Arnette dropped 11 and Sidney McKeithan had 10 for the Golden Tornadoes.
West Columbus sweeps St. Pauls
The St. Pauls basketball teams were swept in pair of close games at West Columbus on Friday night.
The Lady Bulldogs (4-5, 3-3 TRC) dropped a 46-38 game against the Lady Vikings (6-6, 4-2). The Bulldogs (4-4, 3-2 TRC)
fell 65-59 to the Vikings, who sit atop the Three Rivers Conference standings with a 7-0 record and 4-0 mark in league play.
