Basketball Game Preview: Lumberton Pirates vs. St. Pauls Bulldogs

Lumberton is 7-2 against St. Pauls since December of 2014 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Lumberton Pirates will take on the St. Pauls Bulldogs in a tournament on Thursday. Lumberton will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Lumberton is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Whiteville: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lumberton blew Whiteville out of the water with a 61-29 final score. That 32 point margin sets a new team best for the Pirates this season.

Jaiden Shephard continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 28 points and 21 boards. He has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last 32 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Amare Jones, who posted 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists.

Lumberton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in February.

Meanwhile, St. Pauls can finally bid farewell to their seven-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Tuesday. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 51-33 win over Red Springs. The Bulldogs' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Lumberton has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points per game. As for St. Pauls, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.

Lumberton didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against St. Pauls when the teams last played back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 55-49 win. Will Lumberton repeat their success, or does St. Pauls have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.