LAURINBURG — What started as a back-and-forth battle between Scotland and Lumberton’s boys basketball teams evolved into a heated double-overtime showdown — packed with emotion, grit, big shots, missed opportunities and just about everything in between.
Led by Mandrell Johnson’s 22 points, the Fighting Scots prevailed with a 69-67 victory.
Lumberton (18-4, 9-3 SAC) had many opportunities to tie the game at 69 in the game’s final seconds. Lumberton’s Matt Locklear missed a jumper from inside the 3-point arc with nine seconds left in the game. Locklear grabbed the rebound, but missed his second-chance attempt. That was followed by three more unsuccessful put-pack attempts by the Pirates.
But Scotland guard Garrett McRae then knocked the ball out of bounds while fighting for a rebound. Lumberton retained possession with a half-second remaining on the clock.
Following a timeout, Lumberton got one of the best possible looks they could have hoped for in that situation — an alley-opp inbounds pass from Charlie Miller to Jadarian Chatman. But Chatman’s shot rolled off the rim, and Scotland (12-10, 8-5 SAC) held on for the win on senior night.
“It was a wild game, to say the least, for sure,” Scotland coach Matt Justin said. “It was a game of runs. Both teams made a ton of plays.
”. …I’m happy for the kids and our program. It’s a big win against a top-10 team in the state.”
Johnson had a major role in keeping the Scots rolling late in the game. He sent the game to a second overtime with a last-second 3-pointer, and he later scored what proved to be the winning basket in the final minute of the contest.
“He’s a stud. To me, he’s a stud,” Justin said. “He had some silly turnovers , and he knows that — he recognizes it, and he gets frustrated. He’s certainly hard to handle offensively. … Tonight he just took over in the second half.
“I love him. He’s a good kid. He gets frustrated, but he’s gotten better at controlling his anger. He made a ton of plays for us down the stretch. He made a ton of baskets that were huge for us.”
Scotland had a chance to end the game in regulation. After Chatman tied the game at 57 by converting a three-point play, Scotland had about 15 seconds to get the ball down the court and look for a game-winning shot. But a last-second attempt by Bruce Wall was short.
Late in the first overtime period, Lumberton’s Charlie Miller hit a 3-pointer to give the Pirates a 63-59 lead. Scotland’s Grayson Smith was then fouled and made one of two free throw attempts with 38 seconds left.
Scotland allowed Lumberton to take some time off the clock before intentionally fouling Chatman with 14 1/2 seconds left. Chatman missed both free throw attempts.
Wall grabbed the rebound, and the Scots quickly pushed the ball down the court. Wall eventually got an assist by finding Johnson in the corner for a 3-pointer that tied the score at 63 and sent the game to double-overtime.
Scotland jumped out to a 67-63 lead in the second overtime period, but Lumberton tied the score again with baskets by Locklear and Jordan McNeill.
Johnson scored the deciding basket after Scotland called timeout with just under two minutes on the clock. Lumberton’s Dwayne Davis then came up empty on a trip to the free throw line, but Scotland turned the ball over with 15 seconds left after grabbing the rebound.
Scotland’s C.J. Settles finished with 11 points. Trey Graham added 10 points, and Garrett McRae chipped in eight. McNeill led the Pirates with 23 points. Miller added 13 points, including four 3-pointers.
