The Scotland High School junior-varsity basketball teams split a home doubleheader with the Jack Britt Buccaneers in Laurinburg on Friday.

The Lady Scots improved to 10-3 overall and 6-1 in the Mid-Southeastern 4-A Conference with a 69-28 win over Jack Britt. The SHS boys were on the wrong end of a 76-53 loss to the Buccaneers later on Friday.

Girls

The Scotland girls were led by the 1-2 scoring punch of Shantell Smith and Tiera Pate. Smith registered a game-high 27 points against the Bucs, and Pate dropped in 19.

Ariel Gates, Ciera Spinks and Bri Matthews had five points apiece for Jack Britt.

The Lady Scots led 28-16 at intermission, and any doubt of the possible outcome was ended when Scotland outscored Jack Britt 22-0 in the third quarter.

"The girls did a great job, and they played really hard tonight," said SHS JV girls coach Linda Crosland. "We did a lot of pressing, and that helped us out a lot."

Boys

The Scotland boys' hoops team fell to 4-7 overall and 1-6 in the M-SEC following its 23-point loss to Britt on Friday.

SHS point guard Dontay Ratliff led his team with 13 points. Will Gover added eight points for the Scots, Donte Nicholson had seven and Trey McRae scored five.

Scotland trailed 27-14 after one and was out of it with a 42-18 halftime deficit to the Bucs.

"We didn't play defense, we came out and didn't run any of the plays we practice and we're just not playing basketball," said Scotland head coach James Bethea.

The game nearly got out of hand in the second half. Technicals were given to both teams, Britt's coach became enraged after what he viewed as a dirty elbow that dropped one of his players and a couple of extra police officers could be found in the gym near the end of the game, for whatever reason.

If Scotland players so involved in the extra-curricular activities were more concerned with basketball, the Scots might have been a better team on Friday. This thought was not lost on Coach Bethea, who admitted as much.

"I tell them, 'You've got to eat, sleep and think basketball, not just picking up a basketball when you get to the gym," said Bethea. "Your schoolwork comes first, but basketball has to have some importance for you to be good at it.

"You should be going home, running over the plays in your mind, again and again."

The SHS jayvee teams are off until Friday, when they host Westover at 5 (girls) and 6:30 p.m.