Lady Scots overcome slow start, defeat Union Pines in SAC tourney semis

LAURINBURG — For the first 16 minutes of Wednesday night’s semifinal matchup in the Sandhills Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament between second-seeded Scotland and the No. 3 Union Pines Vikings, Scotland struggled against the zone defense of the Vikings; in the final 16, the Lady Scots were scoring almost at will.

Playing with a change of pace from half to half, Scotland came back from a halftime deficit to win with a lopsided score of 49-34, advancing the Lady Scots to the tournament championship against No. 1 Richmond in Rockingham on Friday, after the Raiders beat No. 4 Lee County 57-32 in the other semifinal.

“Speeding them up was important because I already saw them (the Vikings) play; they’re really six (players), maybe one person, two off the bench,” Scotland coach Roshien McClain said. “But I knew speeding them up would do something, and doing that, that would really turn the tide.”

In a 20-15 halftime hole, Scotland (21-3) and Union Pines (14-11) went back and forth with two-point possessions twice to begin the second half before Scotland’s Madysan Hammonds drained a corner 3-point shot, which was responded to with a jumper from the free-throw line by Union Pines’ Taryn Pekala; Hammonds connected on another trey the ensuing possession and Alicia McClain gave the Lady Scots their first lead of the night at 27-26 at the 3:12 mark — all part of a 9-0 run to finish the third quarter and go up 31-26.

“(Roshien McClain) told us (at halftime), ‘Keep playing,’” Scotland’s Morgan Thompson said. “Got to get our heads in the game because we’re thinking about the state playoffs right now, and we ain’t want to go down in ranking.”

Pekala knocked down a 3 less than 15 seconds into the fourth, but Scotland’s momentum took over again with nine more consecutive points for a 40-29 advantage; Alley Hise finished a layup on the game’s next bucket to try and keep the Vikings in it but five points in succession by Thompson and a layup from Kayla Simmons put Scotland’s lead at 47-31 with 2:04 remaining. Hise hit a layup-and-1, and Alicia McClain made two free throws to end the scoring.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to do all year, and it finally comes,” Roshien McClain said. “Sometimes, (it’s) a process. So that’s what we wanted.”

Thompson scored 20 points to lead Scotland; Alicia McClain had 15, and Hammonds finished with nine on a trio of 3s.

Hise led Union Pines with 19 points, and Pekala scored 10.

The Vikings opened the first quarter with 10 straight points before Alicia McClain scored Scotland’s first basket with 2:49 left; after a Pekala 3-pointer, Thompson made a layup, and Hammonds splashed home a triple, but Scotland still trailed 13-7 after one quarter.

“I wanted to keep working,” Thompson said. “I ain’t want to lose in the semifinals. I want to be in the championship (Friday). We’ve got to get our payback from (losing to) Richmond.”

The Lady Scots scored eight of the first 10 points in the second to tie it at 15-15; however, Corryn McCutchen’s right-corner 3 and Hise’s layup sent Union Pines into the break with their five-point lead.

With Scotland getting its third rematch against Richmond in Rockingham, with a conference tournament championship on the line this time, the Lady Scots will look to earn their first win against the Raiders this season, as they’ve lost the other two matchups this year by a combined 29 points.

“It’s one and done from this point on,” Roshien McClain said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to just let it all hang out. So, everything you’ve got in your bag, just bring it out. You’ll see more bringing it out. I don’t care who it is, Richmond, whoever. It’s going to come out.”