PEMBROKE — The intimidation factor set in early during Saturday’s Robeson County Shootout boys championship game at UNCP’s English E. Jones Center.

Fairmont may have been the tournament’s defending champion, but it was clear from the opening tip Michael Baker’s team was a heavy underdog against a taller, more talented starting five.

Flora Macdonald became the first private school to appear in and win the Shootout, dismantling the Golden Tornadoes, 74-44.

“I don’t care what scores were, I was nervous before every game in this tournament,” FMA coach Derrick Bond said. “Each team we played presented a different animal and Fairmont and their athleticism was no different. I’ve been coaching for eight years and this is one of the best events I’ve been associated with.”

FMA took advantage of its time in the spotlight with an array of acrobatic three-point plays and strong finishes in the lane. Tournament MVP Darrin Williams scored 16 points, acted as the Cougars’ facilitator on the fastbreak and ignited a 9-0 in the third quarter with a left-handed outlet pass to a streaking Anton Wilson for an easy layup.

“We wanted to come out and play our game regardless of who we played,” Williams said. “They said we didn’t belong here, but we wanted in and we won it. We showed everybody how we do it at Flora Macdonald.”

Two of Wilson’s 21 points gave the Cougars a commanding 49-25 lead.

“This environment, this floor and the size of this court is conducive to what we want to do,” Bond said. “A college court gives us space to operate. When we got space to operate I think we can play with anybody in the country.”

Second-chance points damaged Fairmont’s upset hopes in a contest that was never close. Demetrius Washington scored the Golden Tornadoes’ first basket with 2:41 left in the first quarter after his team has missed its first eight shots from the floor.

FMA’s length disrupted Fairmont’s plan to get out an run against the Cougars and led to 19 turnovers.

“We came out intimidated by the opponent,” Fairmont coach Michael Baker said. “We played with them the last three quarters.”

Fairmont’s focus now shifts to the Holiday in the Pines tournament hosted by Pinecrest on Dec. 27. The three-day, eight-team field includes West Bladen and Durham Hillside. The Golden Tornadoes’ first-round opponent is Southern Lee at 6 p.m.

Third-place game

For the first time this season, no overtime was needed Saturday for the Pirates and Bulldogs, but from the way it looked after three quarters, the crowd at UNCP was well on its way to seeing free basketball.

St. Pauls erased a 16-point second-half deficit in the Shootout’s third-place game but Lumberton — for the third time in three tries — played well enough down the stretch to secure a 60-54 victory.

“I’ve had some not-so talented teams that can think and some talented teams that can’t think,” Lumberton coach Ted Gaskins said. “For the most part in high school ball, teams lose games more than they win them. I’m glad we won tonight, but we’re still looking for an identity.”

After watching two double-digit leads evaporate the first two meetings, it was St. Pauls’ turn at UNCP to rally against the Pirates. Trailing 34-18 in the third quarter, the Bulldogs responded with a 17-2 run that spilled into the fourth.

Antonio Henderson’s mid-range jumper with 7:39 left to play supplied St. Pauls with its first lead since the early going. Junior guard Deion Gilchrist, who scored eight points, fouled out on the Bulldogs’ next possession, crippling St. Pauls’ transition attack.

Three turnovers and three fouls in the final 1:08 for the Bulldogs was too much to overcome. Dorian Davis put the finishing touches on Lumberton’s seventh victory with a two-handed slam in the waning seconds.

“Once again, we were right there then made some bonehead plays down the stretch,” St. Pauls coach Travis Lemanski said. “We had a couple ill-advised turnovers and missed a couple puppies inside. We expended a lot of energy getting back into the game and sometimes that sneaks up on you.”

Lumberton’s first-half lead swelled to 16 late in the second after Colby Johnson drained two free throws following a technical foul on Lemanski.

The Bulldogs’ deficit was 13 at the break, forcing the visiting coach to rework his gameplan.

“I told our guys in the locker room to kind of take it personal and get back in this thing,” Lemanski said. “We played more aggressive and really did some good things early in the third. I just wish we played that way in the first quarter.”

Austin McNeill led the Pirates with 17 points and along with Henderson, was named to the all-tournament team.

St. Pauls finishes its non-conference schedule at 2-9, but Lemanksi says he has seen improvement from his team.

“I like where we are even though it hasn’t shown up in the record,” he said. “We come back with South Robeson on Jan. 6 and I think that’ll be a game that is manageable for us.”

Gaskins, meanwhile, wishes Lumberton’s two-point road loss to South View on Nov. 22 would’ve ended differently.

“We should be 8-4 right now, not 7-5,” he said. “We missed a 1-on-1 in the last 40 seconds and gave that one away. Two of our losses are to Pinecrest, a team I think is the best in this region.

Fifth-place game

Purnell Swett captured fifth place in Saturday’s early game with a 68-54 victory over Dillon. The Rams improved to 8-2 this season with the win and won their second straight game after falling in Thursday’s opener at St. Pauls.

Swett took the lead for good with 5:44 to play in the third quarter following Mitchell Hill’s tip-in off a missed jumper by Juwan Jones. Hill and Tyrell McDonald combined for 29 points and 17 rebounds for the Rams.

“I think our guys are a little disappointed we didn’t play in the championship game but I told them to be proud that we’re 8-2,” Swett coach Jeremy Sampson said. “Dillon is quick, but I thought we did a good job of getting to the boards and making easy baskets.”

Jones scored 11 points and was the Rams’ lone all-tournament representative. His three-point play with 2:11 remaining gave Swett its largest lead since the first quarter, a 60-50 advantage.

“I went with a small lineup with our guards and Mitch and Tyrell and I think we’re going to stay with that,” Sampson said. “That mix seems to work for us.”

Backed by nine steals and a rebounding edge, the Rams opened the game on a 14-3 run before the Wildcats ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run. Breon Page hits two shots during the stretch to ignite Dillon’s offense. Page knotted the score at 18 with 6:15 to play in the second with a 3-pointer from the left wing, nullifying what was once a 13-point lead for the Rams.

Page later gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 23-20 with a hoop-and-harm with 3:58 left in the first half.

He finished with a team-high 16 points and was an all-tournament selection.



Read more: The Robesonian - Shootout Day 3 FMA dominates title game against Fairmont Lumberton edges St Pauls for 3rd