Basketball Game Preview: Gray's Creek Bears vs. Lumberton Pirates

Gray's Creek is 1-8 against Lumberton since January of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Gray's Creek Bears will take on the Lumberton Pirates at 7:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Gray's Creek is headed into Monday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Friday. They fell 67-58 to Cape Fear.

Meanwhile, Lumberton was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Purnell Swett 80-48. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 22 points or more this season.

Gray's Creek better keep an eye on Jaiden Shephard. He was instrumental in Lumberton's win, shooting 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and dropping a double-double with 41 points and 25 boards. Shephard is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in each of the last 47 games he's played dating back to last season. Amare Jones was another key player, putting up eight points along with ten assists and seven boards.

Lumberton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 19 consecutive games.

Lumberton's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-4. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points over those games. As for Gray's Creek, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-15.

Gray's Creek lost to Lumberton on the road by a decisive 61-45 margin when the teams last played two weeks ago. Can Gray's Creek avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.