‘It’s only up from here’: Scots look to build after playoff loss

LAURINBURG —The quote “It’s only up from here,” from head coach Jarvis Cobb, after Tuesday’s first-round defeat, echoed across the locker room. The foundation is set, but how will the Scots build next year?

Here are three things that need to improve for the Scots to be considered among the elite.

Rebounding

In 9 out of 25 games this year (for which stats are available), the Scots were outrebounded. Too many times, you would hear Coach Cobb yelling from the bench, “We need to grab rebounds; we’re losing because we can’t get rebounds.”

After Tuesday’s playoff defeat, he said, “We gave up too many rebounds.”

Scotland’s leading rebounder this season was Collin Hill, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game. Kam Prince ranked second with 5.4 per game, followed by Zaymon Gibson at 4.8. Jesse Clifton would have been the third with 5.2 per game, but he missed part of the season due to injury.

The drop-off from Hill to Prince and Gibson is significant. Additionally, it is noteworthy that Gibson is the starting guard; typically, a starting guard should not be among the top three rebound leaders.

Playing an Entire Game

Scotland got off to a 4-1 start, cruising past opponents. But as the season unfolded, a recurring issue emerged: blowing leads and playing hard for only one half.

Three notable games included those against Dillon, Lumberton and Gray’s Creek. In the game against Dillon, Scotland held the lead for over three quarters, with a score of 44-37 heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Scots faltered, allowing Dillon to outscore them 25-16, resulting in a 62-60 victory for Dillon on Scotland’s home court.

In their final matchup versus Lumberton on the road, the Scots held a 28-27 lead at halftime before being outscored 39-17 in the second half and falling 66-45.

On the road versus Gray’s Creek in their last showdown, history repeated itself. The Scots led 27-20 going into the half but were outscored in the second half 38-21, losing 58-48.

These three games, if the Scots could have pulled out at least two, could have been the difference between the No.23 seed in the playoffs and being a Top-20 seed.

Improvement

With the loss of Zaymon Gibson, Shylan Harrell and Evan Taylor, improvement will be needed from these core players if the Scots hope to take the next step.

Freshmen Cornelius Davis and Ja’reem Jones made valuable contributions late in the season. Davis, who was promoted from the junior varsity team, scored a season-high 12 points in the game against Red Springs and earned significant minutes as a freshman. Jones was called up after Christmas break and served as the backup center for Collin Hill, averaging 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

“Ja’reem Jones and Cornelius Davis are only freshmen but took a tremendous leap the last four games and have me excited for next year,” head coach Jarvis Cobb said.

Sophomores Maddox McNickle, Nazire’ Campbell, Bryson Crosland and Kam Prince represent the future of the Scotland High basketball team over the next two seasons. McNickle and Campbell appear poised to step into the starting guard roles next year.

Prince offers the versatility to play anywhere between small forward and center. Crosland, who moved up to varsity, should provide valuable minutes after gaining some experience at the varsity level.

Juniors Collin Hill and Javeer Pasley held down the starting power forward and center positions this season. Both were asked to take on increased minutes after Jesse Clifton’s injury and Braeden Wallace’s departure due to off-the-court issues.

Pasley, a 6-foot-5 power forward, brings a vertical presence to the frontcourt and found his groove in the post late in the year, consistently knocking down his jump hook. Hill battled all season at 6 foot 4 as an undersized center but never wavered, leading the team in rebounds and blocks.