Matthews posts triple-double in Hoke win over Scotland

By Jordan Hadding

Raeford, N.C. — Hoke County's girls basketball team topped Scotland County 60-35 to claim a huge conference win on Friday night.

The Bucks started out the game strong with a 7-0 run early in the first quarter to take control. The Scots responded by outscoring Hoke County 7-3 in the remainder of the quarter to get the deficit down to 10-7.

Hoke County shot the ball well in the second quarter. The Bucks outscored the Scots 17-9 in the quarter to take an eleven-point lead into the halftime break, 27-16.

Hoke County continued to improve its play on both ends of the floor out of halftime. The Bucks dominated the third quarter, outscoring Scotland 22-5 in the the third to take a 49-21 lead into the final quarter of the game.

Scotland County improved its game in the fourth quarter. The Scots outscored the Bucks 14-11 in the quarter but could not erase the large deficit and fell to Hoke County, 60-35.

Hoke County was led by senior Mahogany Matthews who recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 13 blocks. Matthews also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career in the game.

Scotland County was led by NiNi Leach who scored a team-high nine points in the game. Navika Moore helped out by scoring eight points.

Hoke County returns to action on Tuesday night when it travels to Richmond. Scotland County plays Saturday night at Lumberton.