WINTERVILLE — After being downed in the third round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A state playoffs in 2023, the Scotland women’s basketball team had the same result occur in this year’s third round at South Central Tuesday night, falling 63-55.

Scotland (23-5), the ninth seed in the 3A East, was tied 15-15 with No. 1 South Central (27-2) after the first quarter before the Falcons took a 29-26 halftime lead; South Central won the third-quarter scoring battle 21-11 to lead 50-39 at the end of the period. In the fourth, the Falcons led 56-44 with just under three minutes left, but the Lady Scots cut it to 58-50 with 1:22 remaining before South Central held on by making free throws.

“Even though they were the No. 1 seed, they were beatable,” Scotland coach Roshien McClain said. “We had some missed shots around the basket, some turnovers here and there. And we were in the game. Their guard play was pretty good though. They had some good guards that could really put a lot of pressure on, defensive-wise. But I still felt that we were right there, like, we were right there to win this game.”

Jaidyn Boswell scored 21 points to lead South Central; Niyani Mayo and Brooklynne Evans scored 11 each and Kaelyn McCarter had 10.

Morgan Thompson led Scotland with 28 points, and Alicia McClain scored nine. Madison Dixon, a starter for the Lady Scots, did not play after suffering an undisclosed injury against Fike last Friday, which placed Kayla Simmons, who scored eight points, in Dixon’s spot against the Falcons.

“Having her … would have been a bigger help, too,” Roshien McClain said on Dixon. “But like I told the girls, injuries are a part of a season.”

South Central will host No. 4 Western Alamance in the fourth round on Friday.

Scotland finishes with its most wins in a season since at least 2000.

Scotland softball blows by Hoke County

The Scotland softball team won 16-0 against the Hoke County Bucks in the Sandhills Athletic Conference opener for both teams Tuesday night in Raeford.

Scotland (2-0, 1-0 SAC) scored two runs in the first inning, three in the second, five in the third, one in the fourth and five more in the fifth.

Scotland’s Addison Johnson and Dawson Blue scored three times; Marissa Smith, Addison Lewis and Nateya Scott scored twice and Avery Stutts, Lindsay Locklear, Ramsey Hale and Kinsey Hamilton had one run. Scott also finished with four hits and two RBI; Stutts finished with two hits, including a solo home run in the fifth, and four RBI; Lewis finished with two hits and an RBI and Hale finished with a three-run homer in the fifth and two RBI.

Stutts pitched a complete game, one-hitter with seven strikeouts for Scotland.

Adriana Miller took the loss in the circle for Hoke County (2-1, 0-1 SAC).

Scotland heads to Fayetteville for a nonconference game against South View on Thursday.

Scotland baseball routs Hoke County

Also competing in its first Sandhills Athletic Conference game of the season on Tuesday, the Scotland baseball team had no trouble with the Hoke County Bucks, winning 11-1 in Raeford.

Scotland (2-0, 1-0 SAC) scored its first runs in the second inning and led 2-1 going into the third; Scotland added two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and three again in the seventh.

Dylan Tilson scored four runs for Scotland; Kaden Hunsucker had two runs and two hits; Thomas Taylor had a run, a hit and an RBI and Cameron Cole and Garrett Manning also had one run each. Manning pitched six innings, allowing one run on one hit with 10 strikeouts to only one walk to take the win.

X’Zavier Stephens-McIntosh had Hoke County’s only run, hit and walk of the game. Caleb Slocumb tossed 3 2/3 innings and was the losing pitcher for the Bucks (0-3, 0-1 SAC).

Scotland rematches Hoke County in Laurinburg on Friday.

Lady Scots soccer defeats Whiteville in rematch

The Scotland women’s soccer team earned its second win of the emergent season against the Whiteville Wolfpack with a 6-4 decision in a nonconference contest Tuesday night in Laurinburg.

Scotland won the first meeting between the schools 4-2 on Feb. 27 in Whiteville.

Emma Clark scored five goals, and Joana Vanencio-Flores scored the other with an assist for Scotland (2-1); Addison Anderson had 10 saves in goal.

Whiteville’s Leslie Pham scored two goals and added an assist; Emmy Williams and Kaitlyn Hasty scored once and Bailee Thompson had an assist.

Whiteville dropped to 0-3 with the loss.

Scotland begins Sandhills Athletic Conference play against Lee County in Laurinburg on Thursday.