Senior guard Zaymon Gibson (1) handles the ball for Scotland High against St.Pauls on Dec. 2, 2025; he scored 21 points in the win.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
Sophomore guard Nazire Campbell(10) drives toward the basket for Scotland High against St.Pauls on Dec. 2, 2025, finishing with 16 points.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — Zaymon Gibson’s 21 points — including a decisive 3-point play in the final seconds — and 16 points from Nazire Campbell propelled the Fighting Scots boys basketball team to a 50–47 win over the St. Pauls Bulldogs in Tuesday’s season opener.
It wasn’t the ideal script for first-year head coach Jarvis Cobb, but he came away with his first victory at the helm.
“The fact that we won, I feel great,” Cobb said. “An ugly win is better than a loss to a team we should’ve beaten. I’m glad the team kept fighting, and I’m proud of them.”
Cobb emphasized before the season that he wanted a fast, athletic team that prided themselves on picking each other up when adversity hit. That approach was put to the test in the season opener, as Scotland jumped out to a 30-21 lead by halftime and appeared to control the game for the majority of the night.
Momentum shifted in the fourth quarter. St. Pauls took their first lead, 46-44, with 55 seconds remaining. After Scotland failed to tie, the Scots forced a turnover on the Bulldogs’ possession. Zaymon Gibson converted it into a 3-point play to put Scotland ahead 47-46. Free throws down the stretch sealed the win.
“In the face of adversity, we came together,” Cobb said. “We tried to give them the game, but we made clutch free throws and huge defensive stops when we needed them.”
Scotland (1-0) will be on the road against Fairmont on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Travis Petty Jr can be reached at [email protected] or 910.506.3171 ext 2027. Follow him on Facebook @Travis Petty Jr.