Preview: Lumberton Pirates vs. Purnell Swett Rams
Lumberton has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Purnell Swett Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Lumberton focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Friday.
Last Friday, Lumberton came up short against Seventy-First and fell 61-51. While losing is never fun, Lumberton can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 287th, while Seventy-First is ranked 72nd).
Despite the defeat, Lumberton had strong showings from Dimetrious Jones, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Jaiden Shephard, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Shephard is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Brady Chavis was another key contributor, scoring three points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Purnell Swett's seven-game losing streak came to an end on Friday. They came out on top against Douglas Byrd by a score of 66-53. Purnell Swett's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Collin Sampson was his usual excellent self, scoring 30 points along with three steals. Another player making a difference was Timothy Locklear, who scored 14 points along with six steals.
Lumberton's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Purnell Swett, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-9.
Lumberton skirted past Purnell Swett 58-55 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Purnell Swett's Connor Harris, who scored 21 points along with three steals. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Lumberton to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
