In years past, the Scotland-Lumberton game has basically been a battle for county bragging rights.

Tonight, there's more than just bragging on the line when the two teams square off.

Both the Lady Scots and Lady Pirates come in with identical 3-0 records in the Southeastern Conference.

Scotland (11-4) has had close calls in their wins over Purnell Swett, Pinecrest and Hoke while Lumberton (12-2) has disposed of Pinecrest, Hoke and Richmond convincingly.

Lady Scots coach David Johnson knows that Lumberton brings alot to the table but also knows that his girl's will step up in this big game situation.

"I told our girls that our goal this year is to win a conference championship and to do that we have to be able to win on the road," said Johnson. "Right now, Lumberton's next on our schedule and that's how were going to approach the game."

The Lady Pirates are anchored by Jensine Alvarez, who leads the team in scoring (15.2 points), rebounds (8.8) along with dishing 1.5 assists game.

Along with Alvarez, Brandi McKinney and Kenna McNeill also average double figures per game.

"He does a good job there," Johnson said of Lumberton coach Danny Graham. "His approach is somewhat similar to mine and he gets the most of his players."

Scotland will look to counter with leading scorer Brittany Dockery, who has come on as of late since injuring her back in early December.

"She's been aggressive for us all year long despite playing through numerous injuries," said Johnson of her senior captain. "She's been gutting it out and show that senior leadership that we've needed."

Ariel Ratcliff is another player that the Pirates should zero in on.

The freshman point guard scored in double figures Tuesday night for the first time since Dec. 16. She pulled down seven rebounds and dished out nine assists to go along with that.

One of the main factors for the Lady Scots in the game could be the play of Jonissa Monley.

The sixth person for Scotland has started two of the last three games, including a near double-double (10 points, nine rebounds) in a 51-49 win over Terry Sanford.

“Jonissa (Monley) stepped up big for us vs. Terry Sanford and that's tough to do," Johnson said of the freshman. "She's gotten tougher as the season's gone on and is like a sixth starter for us now. She's able to understand the pace of the varsity game better than at the beginning of the year. She's tough for us on defense, but I also want her to be tough for us on offense as well."

The temperature may have cooled off a bit in the last couple of days, but tonight the action inside Lumberton’s gym should be red hot.