One boys basketball team from the Sandhills Athletic Conference will play for the NCHSAA 4A state championship on March 14.
Two SAC teams will battle for that opportunity on Saturday. Ninth-seeded Lumberton and third-seeded Pinecrest will face off in the 4A East Regional final inside Fayetteville State University’s Capel Arena at noon. Tickets can be purchased online at https://gofan.co/app/events/85624. The fee is $10.
Lumberton advanced to the regional final by overcoming an early 11-2 deficit to defeat No. 4 Hoggard 68-58 in the fourth round on Tuesday night. Led by Bradlee Haskell’s 30 points, Pinecrest beat No. 2 Leesville Road 63-59.
The East Regional final will be the third time Haskell and Lumberton guard Jordan McNeill have played against each other this season. Haskell and McNeill are two of the best players in the SAC.
Pinecrest won both of its regular-season matchups with Lumberton. The Patriots narrowly defeated Lumberton 52-50 in Southern Pines; Pinecrest finished off the sweep with a 57-49 win in Lumberton.
The winner of the East Regional will face the winner of the 4A West final between No. 1 North Mecklenburg and No. 2 Olympic.
The Lumberton-Pinecrest matchup will be the first of four regional games played at Capel Arena on Saturday. E.E. Smith’s girls will face Jacksonville High in the 3A East final 2 p.m. Millbrook’s girls will face Southeast Raleigh for the 4A girls East Regional title at 4 p.m. In the last game of the day, Westover and Northwood will battle for the boys 3A East title at 6 p.m.
