North Duplin’s Lady Rebels faced off against the Lady Leopards for the first round of the Carolina 1A tournament. North Duplin kept the Leopards caged all year. In their last two encounters, Lakewood only took one set out of six. Vengeanace was sweet as the Leopards returned the favor against their rivals and sent them home with the loss, 3-1.

Lakewood was looking for a little payback as they had to face a consistent thorn in their side from their conference foe, the North Duplin Rebels.

The first set saw an organized, persistent and focused Leopard squad. Lakewood came out swinging and played well in the early round. Danica Carter made her presence felt early with three sharp digs to keep possession. Brennyn Rouse and Kiyah Braxton kept the hits coming, they kept swinging and soon after Lakewood found themselves in the lead. Everyone was in sync and the Rebels were caught off balanced. North Duplin took a timeout after a vicious Leopard rally, the score was 12-7.

North Duplin in stride held Lakewood captive as they brought it to within one after Duplin put it into overdrive, putting them on guard, 12-11. The Lady Leopards went off and placed sets from Braylin Blackwell, athletic saves by Kenley Cannady and Anna Cashwell continued to bully the Rebels. Rouse had sent down a series of spikes that rendered the Rebels helpless as Lakewood plowed ahead 22-16.

North Duplin managed to rally together and put up a hard fight that kept Lakewood on their toes. However, they stood firm and took the first set, 25-19.

Entering the second set, the Rebels came in with more moxie. An even split for the first two scores started things off. What followed was an intense and lengthy battle ensued for the third point. Neither team budged, with Braxton playing a pivotal role in keeping the play moving with some athletic saves and well timed hits. The Rebels remained resilient and brought the play back inbounds twice and kept coming at them. They’d eventually take the point and put Lakewood on the defensive.

Alyssa Faircloth made two big blocks, one that included her saving the point with a rebound. Braxton proved tough to handle as she smacked in a handful of shots unabated. The grind was real in this set as the two teams kept exchanging point for point. Finally, the Lady Leopards gained steam after it was tied 12 all. They pulled away from the Rebels by three, before they called a timeout with the score, 15-12.

The Rebels would then, again, push back hard against Lakewood. The lead changed after some arduous battles at the net, but it didn’t take long before the Leopards would retake the lead. Carter found success behind the line pulled them to within one after three solid serves that, two of which were aces.

The Rebels rallied and it was a nail biting finish as they showed off their skill and prowess on the court. After tying it up at 22 all, they were threatening to take it to extra points. At 24-23, the Rebels were up to serve but the hit sailed out of bounds, giving Lakewood their second set win, 25-23.

The Lady Rebels had came out looking to bury the Leopards in the third. A series of exquisite plays from Duplin had Lakewood crossed up. They rallied ahead by four and they were in a groove. Lakewood held course and closed up the gaps. After the tumultuous contests and desperate dives, the Leopards took their first lead in the round at 8-7.

It morphed into another tough row with no shortage of action between this fledgling rivalry. The Rebels kept fighting and started pulling away, leading by three, with Duplin only needing four for take their first win of the evening at 21-18. A slew of miscues grew during the next two points and the Leopards called time, trailing by five, 23-18. Lakewood couldn’t escape the Rebel’s grasp and they knocked out their last two and won the set, 25-18.

The ferocity continued into the fourth with point for point action. It was an uphill battle with both teams on their toes. The Leopards pressed ahead and held a three point lead, only for the Rebels to tie it up and stay on their tail at 9-9.

The teams wouldn’t quit, showing limitless energy. Jumping, strafing, diving, blocking and spiking were all on the menu for this battle of attrition. At 13 all, the Leopards pulled ahead again and took over. They powered ahead after multiple long rallies and forged ahead by six at 23-17. as they eyed the finish line. North Duplin pressed the issue and managed to get it back into it and put themselves within range to topple Lakewood.

Carter was up to serve with the win on the line as they need just one more point. With the wind up and a hard overhand swing, the ball sailed over the net and the Rebel rebound trickled off their hands onto the ground. She would jump in the air and the team embraced as they finally put down their foes and advance to the second round of the conference tournament with the final set score, 25-20.

“Watching the girls play the game that I knew they were capable of playing was a lot of fun to see. It was a great win for us.” Head coach Angela Neal said regarding their win.

Lakewood has a big challenge ahead as they travel to Cougar territory and compete against the No. 1 Neuse Charter on the court.