The Seventy-First Falcons entered their tilt with the Lumberton Pirates with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. Seventy-First walked away with a 61-51 win over Lumberton on Friday. Given Seventy-First's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 72nd, while Lumberton is ranked 287th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Seventy-First's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jacquez Foster, who scored seven points along with six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Xavier McBryde, who scored six points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Dimetrious Jones and Jaiden Shephard certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Jones dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Shephard 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.
Seventy-First's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for Lumberton, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Seventy-First's road trip will continue as they head out to face Douglas Byrd at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. Douglas Byrd is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for Lumberton, they will head out on the road to challenge Purnell Swett at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Purnell Swett has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 8.
