LAURINBURG — Scotland’s boys basketball team couldn’t take advantage of its two opportunities to earn a postseason bid. Now the Fighting Scots are looking to gather a dedicated group of players who won’t let that happen again.
Scotland lost its season finale at home against Richmond on Friday. If they hadn’t lost, the Scots would have finished with sole possession of fifth place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference and most likely would have landed a spot in the playoffs.
Instead, the Scots finished in a three-way tie for fifth with Hoke and Jack Britt. Whichever team had the longest run in the conference tournament would win the tiebreaker and get a playoff bid. All three teams lost in the first round of the tournament. Scotland, which had the worst overall record (8-17) of the trio, had its playoff chances erased.
Three seniors — Adonis Jackson, Khalib Simmons and Bryant Williams —played their last games in Scotland jerseys. Head coach Matt Justin is looking for younger players to step up and fill those voids, as well as several other roles, as the offseason begins.
“I let the younger kids know if they’re wanting to experience more success, there needs to be a larger commitment from a bigger group of guys this offseason,” Justin said after their conference tournament loss at Pinecrest on Monday. “We need 10 or 12 guys, underclassmen, who will show up to work out, so when we show up in June to play, they’ll be there every time.
“Last summer it was hit-or-miss with who would show up,” he added. “That hurts you a little bit, trying to get continuity going into the next year.”
Scotland’s roster took some hits this year, shrinking from 12 players to nine late in the season. They finished the season with a group of six juniors. That group includes starting guards Garrett McRae and C.J. Settles. They are joined by Kris McLean, a 6-foot-3-inch player who brings some versatility to the rotation; Trey Graham, a 6-foot-4-inch post player who showed some promise while competing against larger opponents this year; and the duo of Drequan Monroe and Zyrek Watkins, two players who saw limited time this year but could take on bigger roles in the future.
Two players from Scotland’s jayvee squad played some varsity minutes in the tournament loss at Pinecrest, and they made the most of the opportunity. Grayson Smith scored five points and Ladarrius McNeill added two points for the Scots.
Scotland found some traction in conference play after losing its first seven regular-season games. Their accomplishments this season include a third-place finish at the Adidas Christmas Tournament, and sweeps of Lumberton and Purnell Swett.
Despite those achievements, the Scots consistently struggled in several areas. Turnovers, rebounding, free throws and defensive lapses were some of the team’s biggest weaknesses, and those issues became apparent as the Scots struggled to compete in the late stages of several games this year.
The offseason is a time to address those issues, and it is also a time for Justin to find out who is serious about taking the team to the next level.
“I told them we’ll talk more about it, but there’ll be season-ending exit interviews or meetings,” Justin said.
