Chris Stiles | The Robesonian
                                Lumberton’s Jadarion Chatman, 3, is fouled as he attempts a layup against Purnell Swett’s Cameron Ferguson, 35, and Nate Henderson, 33, during Monday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal game in Lumberton.

Chris Stiles | The Robesonian

Lumberton’s Jadarion Chatman, 3, is fouled as he attempts a layup against Purnell Swett’s Cameron Ferguson, 35, and Nate Henderson, 33, during Monday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal game in Lumberton.

<p>Chris Stiles | The Robesonian</p>
                                <p>Lumberton’s Charlie Miller, 0, takes a shot over the outstretched arms of Purnell Swett’s Nolan Locklear, 22, during Monday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal game in Lumberton.</p>

Chris Stiles | The Robesonian

Lumberton’s Charlie Miller, 0, takes a shot over the outstretched arms of Purnell Swett’s Nolan Locklear, 22, during Monday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal game in Lumberton.

LUMBERTON — The first time the Purnell Swett boys basketball team scored against Lumberton Monday, the Chandler McNeill 3-pointer 43 seconds into the game opened the scoring and gave the Rams an early lead.

The second time the Rams scored, nearly eight minutes later, it only pulled them back within 19.

Lumberton scored 27 straight points over most of the first quarter and the early moments of the second, and the rout was on in what would become a 79-35 win over the Rams in the Sandhills Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Pirates’ win was their second straight over No. 7 Purnell Swett (1-9, 1-7 SAC), who Lumberton (9-1, 7-1 SAC) beat 66-33 on Friday in Pembroke. In that game, Lumberton coach Bryant Edwards felt his team played sluggishly, despite the one-sided score; Monday, he was far more pleased with their performance, including the big early run.

“Our team responds really well to how they played the game before,” Edwards said. “Right after that game, I handled it the way I always handle things, and they were receptive, they understood, they knew. Shootaround today was locked in, they were focused, they were ready to go. Ultimately our seniors have made it clear, we’ve got one goal this week and that’s to win the (championship) game on Friday night.”

After McNeill’s opening triple, Matt Locklear hit Lumberton’s first three field goals of the game, including one to give the Pirates the lead at 5-3 with 5:48 left in the period. Charlie Miller had a personal 8-0 run later in the quarter, taking the score from 11-3 to 19-3 at the 2:32 mark; Jadarion Chatman also scored four points in the opening stanza. Lumberton led 25-3 after the period and added two Chatman free throws for a 27-3 lead before Josiah Brooks hit a 3-pointer to make it 27-6 with 7:21 left in the half.

“We already knew they were going to try their best,” Chatman said. “We want the conference tournament, we want to win one, so we’ve just got to make a statement now that we’re going to try our best to get what we need.”

Lumberton outscored Purnell Swett 21-15 in the second quarter to take a 46-18 halftime lead, leading by as many as 31 points in the period.

“They blitzed us from the beginning,” Purnell Swett coach Jeremy Sampson said. “We practiced for an hour before we came; of course when you get in here it’s a little different. We can’t simulate their defense, their quickness. It went south early. We’ve just got to get better offensively, take care of the ball and finish around the rim. They blitzed us early and it was tough to battle back. Their guards are strong, quick, and they can make a (playoff) run.”

The Pirates led 63-27 after the third quarter, and the margin reached the 40-point running-clock threshold early in the fourth.

Chatman, the Pirates’ offensive facilitator who typically doesn’t score as much as he helps others score, was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points.

“Coach always tells me to take what they give, so I took what they gave,” Chatman said. “Once they started picking up, I started dishing out. It was just everything we always do; just go out there and play ball.”

“He’s gotten so much better feel from last year to this year,” Edwards said. “He’s good at changing pace; going fast, slowing things up, he knows when to put pressure on. He’s definitely our engine and makes things go, but he’s evolved so much as a player and it’s really fun to watch.”

In addition to Chatman, three other Pirates also scored 12 or more points: J.B. Brockington had 14 points and Miller and Locklear each scored 12.

“That’s just showing we’re all in cahoots, we’re all going to play together, we’re all going to find the open man,” Chatman said. “We love playing together, we ain’t no selfish team, so that’s where it comes from.”

The Pirates will host No. 3 seed Richmond in the SAC Tournament semifinals Wednesday, a rematch of last year’s tournament semifinal won by Richmond; the Raiders defeated No. 6 Hoke County 61-53 Monday. No. 1 Pinecrest hosts No. 5 Seventy-First in the other semifinal.

“We’ve got to start the game off with a better sense of urgency than we did last year in the conference tournament. Last year, we had beaten them by 30-plus both times, and kind of took them for granted in the conference tournament and we were already looking at Pinecrest. So going into this tournament, we’re focused on Richmond, we’re focused on the task at hand, we’re going to prepare for them a lot tomorrow.”

“We’re ready, because we all feel like we owe them one,” Chatman said. “We’re going to go out there and give them our best; we know they’re going to come and give their best. We already know, we’ve got to play hard, everybody’s got to come as one and win the game.”

Purnell Swett will play at No. 6 Hoke County in the consolation round, which is unique to this season and ensures every team gets three tournament games. No. 4 Jack Britt will host No. 8 Scotland.

“I told the guys, hey, you win the next two you finish fifth; we finished seventh in the regular season,” Sampson said. “Just keep battling.”

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.