LAURINBURG — Sometimes all you can do is dig and hope your team stays in the rally. Thursday, the Lady Scots gave it their all against the Lumberton Pirates but ultimately fell 3-1.
“This was going to be a battle all year,” head coach Adam Romain said. “We focused on defense and being in the right place. This was one of our best games this season, and it showed me they want to get better and win.”
Entering this game, Lumberton was one of the top teams in the Tri-County 6A/7A conference, posting a 9-2 record with just one road loss. For the Lady Scots, this game served as a measuring stick for what they could be going forward.
Scotland wasted no time, quickly jumping on the Pirates, winning the first set decisively, showing Lumberton this would not be a walk in the park.
“They did not take us seriously,” Romain said. “If we play with this kind of mentality, we will compete and that’s all we want.”
The Scots raced ahead, but the Pirates had the last word. Lumberton rallied after the first set and claimed the next three sets. Though the final score shows a win, Lumberton had to prove just how talented they really were, as Scotland made them earn every point.
“Jordyn Walker played as well as you could. She kept a lot of balls alive so we could run our sets. That’s what made us look so good,” Romain said.
“It would have been great to start 2-0 because it forces five sets, and long term, that’s what we wanted and we let it slip through our fingers. We made mistakes on spots we thought were open, and it didn’t work in our favor,” he added.
Now 7-6, the Lady Scots begin a stretch of two conference games in Cape Fear and Gray’s Creek at home. They’ll open with Cape Fear on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.