Pinecrest has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Lumberton Pirates at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in Pinecrest's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four games.
Last Wednesday, Pinecrest was able to grind out a solid victory over Clayton, taking the game 58-50.
It was another big night for Javion Saunders, who scored 24 points. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Elijah Melton was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Meanwhile, the matchup between Lumberton and Cape Fear on Friday hardly resembled the 2-0 effort from their previous meeting. Lumberton walked away with a 67-57 victory over Cape Fear. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Lumberton has managed all season.
Lumberton's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jaiden Shephard, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 17 rebounds, and Dimitrious Jones, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. Those 17 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Amare Jones, who scored seven points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Pinecrest has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. As for Lumberton, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-3.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Pinecrest hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 62.3 points per game. It's a different story for Lumberton, though, as they've been averaging only 46.2 points per game. The only thing between Pinecrest and another offensive beatdown is Lumberton. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Pinecrest came up short against Lumberton in their previous matchup back in February of 2021, falling 54-50. Can Pinecrest avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
