LUMBERTON — Coming off a last-second loss in the Robeson County Shootout championship game where a rabid scene served as the background, Lumberton sleepily slugged through the first five minutes of its matchup with Triton on Friday night.
A simple substitution proved to be all the spark they needed, however, as junior guard Shaleek Baker came off the bench, hit a couple of jump shots and dished out a pair of assists that ignited a 76-56 onslaught.
Lumberton (8-2) coach Matt Hill noticed the dichotomy in atmospheres as Friday’s non-conference game was in front of a quaint collection of fans who were kind enough to pry themselves away from their holiday celebrations.
“You could tell we came out a little bit flat, maybe a hangover from the [Shootout] game, because we couldn’t put the ball in the hole for the first three or four minutes,” Hill said. “When we subbed in…that brought us some energy. We started getting stops on defense and converted those into layups.”
Baker finished with 12 points and five assists, one of which came during the 9-0 run to end the first quarter. He leaked out on a fastbreak and slipped a pass to a trailing Jordan McNeill, who laid it in for two of his game-high 27 points.
“When we have big games, that’s always the powder keg that goes off, when we get stops and run,” Hill said. “Our kids play off emotion…we had to get acclimated and once we did, it was off to the races.”
The Pirates used the run to take an 18-10 advantage after the opening quarter. With the energy level heightened, the second quarter featured highlight reel plays that appeased a much more lively crowd. Sophomore guard Jadarion Chatman and forward Kwashek Breeden connected on two alley-oops in the period that brought everyone to their feet and expanded the margin.
The first hook-up came midway through the quarter as Chatman exploded down the right side of the court and led Breeden to the rim with a perfectly-placed lob. The 6-foot-5 high-flyer caught up to the pass and crammed it home with two hands to extend the lead, 28-17. The second connection came just minutes later on a similar breakaway, this time, Chatman lobbed it from the left side to a streaking Breeden on the right who threw it in to take a 40-28 halftime advantage.
Hill was appreciative of his athletic post player and says he wants to see him take even more initiative in upcoming games.
“He’s capable of doing that every night,” Hill said. “I’m just trying to get him to attack the basket. If he can be aggressive, that’s going to definitely better his game.”
Breeden’s activity hiked after the two alley-oops as he finished with a full stat line, 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. His third dunk of the night stretched the lead to 59-37 as he used a crossover to free himself up for a two-handed slam with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
Triton (6-5) seniors Derreon Burnett and Kalil Hodges managed to keep the game within reach for most of the third before Breeden’s jam. Burnett ended with a team-high 16 points and used mid-range and close shots to keep the offense afloat. Hodges added 15 points and hit a couple of outside shots to complement Burnett’s work inside.
By the fourth quarter, however, the damage from the Pirates’ momentum-swinging plays had been done. Hill pulled all the starters for the last period and Baker’s fadeaway from the short left corner put the finishing touches on the victory, as the lead grew to its largest, 69-44.
Up next, Lumberton returns home for a conference showdown with Seventy-First on Friday.
