Scots senior Zaymon Gibson (1) drives past a Terry Sanford defender during Friday’s game.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG —Zaymon Gibson scored 22 points as the Fighting Scots boys basketball team lost to the Terry Sanford Bulldogs in a decisive 69-52 defeat on Friday.
“It was a tough night,” head coach Jarvis Cobb said. “They [Terry Sanford] made 13 3-pointers, and a lot of them were open and that’s on us; we have to communicate better.”
Scotland experienced one of their most challenging shooting performances this season, finishing with a shooting percentage of 48% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. Zaymon Gibson was the only player to score in double figures, while Khalil Ellis followed as the second leading scorer with nine points.
“Someone has to step up. We missed the presence of Kam [Prince], but Khalil Ellis gave some great minutes; that’s something we can build off of,” Cobb said.
“We just have to stay the course and control what we can control. We have some guys who are going to be ineligible, but we have to step up.”
Junior Tomek McFadden will be ineligible for the rest of the season, a significant loss off the bench for Scotland. McFadden averaged 3.7 points, two rebounds and one steal per game. Seniors Braeden Wallace and Lashawn Pittman are no longer with the team.
Scotland (8-7) will be on the road against Purnell Swett on Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Travis Petty Jr can be reached at [email protected] or 910.506.3171 ext 2027. Follow him on X @T_PettySports.