LAURINBURG — After a third-place finish at the Adidas Christmas Tournament at West Bladen last week, Scotland boys basketball coach Matt Justin hopes the Fighting Scots will carry some momentum into their first game of 2019.
Scotland (3-8, 1-1 SAC) hosts Hoke (6-4, 0-2) in a conference matchup at St. Andrews University on Friday night. The game was relocated from Sycamore Lane Elementary School to St. Andrews to accommodate what administrators believe will be a larger crowd than usual.
Friday’s game is the start of a tough stretch in which the Scots will face some of the top teams in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. After facing the Bucks, Scotland plays at Seventy-First on Tuesday before traveling to Pinecrest next Friday. Scotland will then host Lumberton on Jan. 15.
“We’re obviously feeling better,” Justin said. “We’ve won three of our last four.”
After getting their first win of the season against Purnell Swett on Dec. 14, the Scots finished 2-1 at the Christmas tournament. They defeated host West Bladen 81-59 before losing 61-52 against Whiteville in the second round. Scotland beat South Brunswick 49-41 for the third-place trophy.
Justin said things are starting to click after his team lost its first seven games.
“We got a little bit of momentum from the holiday tournament,” Justin said. “I think kids are starting to get a little comfortable.”
The Scots have been hampered by inexperience, but the team’s younger players have benefited from varsity experience early in the season.
And the team’s offense, which is spearheaded primarily by guards Garrett McRae and C.J. Settles, is starting to find its groove. The Scots previously struggled to make open shots and take care of the ball.
That changed during Scotland’s run at the Christmas tournament, which started with Settles making eight 3-pointers against West Bladen and 16 overall.
“I think they’re more confident now,” Justin said. “They’re a little more relaxed when they’re on the floor.”
Justin said ball control will be key against Hoke on Friday night. Turnovers continue to be an issue for the Scots. They had 26 giveaways against South Brunswick.
But the team’s primary focus is overall improvement.
“We’ve just got to take it one day at a time, and keep getting better each day, which I think we have,” Justin said.
Austin Norton, a 6-foot-2-inch senior post player, joined the Scots for the holiday tournament after playing on the offensive line for Scotland’s football team. Norton, a standout baseball player who wants to play the sport in college, left the basketball team after the tournament in order to focus on baseball.
That’s a tough loss for Scotland in terms of post play, but Justin said other players will have to continue to step up.
One of those players is junior Trevion Graham.
“He was our best player this summer,” Justin said. “He started to play in that tournament, finally. He made some plays for us. I’m hoping that continues tomorrow (Friday).”
Scotland’s girls team will play Hoke at 6 p.m. on Friday. The boys game will start at approximately 7:30 p.m.
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