PEMBROKE — The game was so lopsided, the main objective of the Scotland High School boys' basketball team in the third quarter was to see if, together, there was a way to set center Seyyan Moody up with an opportunity for a dunk.

Moody, cherry picking just a little bit, got his chance less than two minutes into the quarter, but be clanged a one-handed slam attempt off the back of the rim ... he and his teammates got a good laugh out of it, and guard Isaiah Robinson made a Purnell Swett defender fall as he faked a pass on a fast-break lay-up moments later.

That was funny too.

They won with me-first basketball and they won with great team play. They won because of their skill and despite getting too far away from the fundamentals and too near And 1 basketball at times. They won because they have a nice collective IQ for a ninth-grade team, and despite hardheadedness and individualism that head coach Steve Hamilton would readily acknowledge.

"There's no telling what we could do if they'd listen to me more," Hamilton said at one point this season.

All the Scotland freshmen did in 2008-09 was win. Sixteen wins without a single loss. They crushed most of their opponents, including Purnell Swett, 68-24 on Monday in the Rams' own building.

A Swett team that lost by 12 in their first meeting with the Scots was outscored 20-4 in the first quarter and trailed 41-6 by halftime.

This appears to be a group that could be quite good in the next three years. Four of the five starters for the Scots — point guard Tony McRae, swingman Dominique Green, guard Casion Murphy and the big man Moody — all played together at Sycamore Lane. The team's fifth starter, guard Isaiah Robinson, played at Carver with sharpshooter Cody Bryant.

McRae has already been pulled up for a few varsity games this season. He thinks he and his teammates at the ninth-grade level have a bright future.

"We can be real good. When we move up, in the next few years, our goal is going to be to win a state championship," said McRae. "We know what everyone does well, and what everyone needs improvement on.

"That's what we're going to be working on."

This was Hamilton's first season coaching at Scotland, but he guided Parkton Middle School (Robeson Co.) to a pair of unbeaten seasons before coming to Scotland. Hamilton wanted this team's 16-0 finish to be enjoyed by all. He challenged the Scotland starters to get the team ahead comfortably; they did, and he was able to play his whole bench in the second half.

"I told my guys, I said what we were going to do is come out and have fun," said Hamilton. "We worked hard all season, but we were going to come out and play hard and build us a lead so we could all enjoy it.

"I told my guys we had a good season, and I would hate to come this far and not climb the rest of the mountain."

Robinson led Scotland with 14 points against the Rams. McRae had 11, Bryant scored 10 and Moody added eight.

Monday's game broke a six-game streak during which the Scots had placed four scorers in double figures in each game. Only one team stayed within 10 points of the ninth-grade Scots all season, that team being Lumberton. The Pirates lost 67-62 at home to Scotland on Dec. 15, and 70-63 in Laurinburg on Feb. 2.

Girls

The SHS ninth-grade girls’ team closed out the season with a 53-40 win on Monday. Samril Ratliff had 15 points to lead the Lady Scots, Shae Barnes scored 13 and Quashira Diggs added eight.

The Lady Scots finished 8-4 and turned their season around with a 7-2 finish after starting 1-2.

“They really grew as a team the last 10 games,” said Scotland head coach David Brooks. “Their future is bright if they stick together as a team next year.”