Lakewood senior Honestee Williams (11) scores a first-quarter basket as North Duplin’s Lilly Fulghum defends. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Reece Outlaw, right, drops in a second-half bucket against Lakewood’s LaShauta Joyner during second-half action. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin sophomore Lilly Fulghum passes the ball to an open teammate against Lakewood. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin junior center Tateyawna Faison scores in front of Lakewood defender Jahmai Rich during second-half play Tuesday evening. Faison tallied a double-double - 11 points, 14 rebounds - for the Rebels. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin senior forward Meghan Martin, far left, tosses the ball over Lakewood’s Kiyah Braxton to teammate Reece Outlaw, right, during first-half play.
North Duplin junior point guard Addy Higginbotham pushes the ball upcourt against Lakewood’s Amiyah Smith. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — North Duplin has been an enigma all season.
Tuesday evening was no exception.
With four starters back off last year’s conference championship team, the Rebels once again played ragged and to the level of their competition.
“I tell them all the time, you want to play to the other team’s level, let other teams come close,” ND head girls’ basketball coach John Oliver said. “It was ugly, but we got the win and that was the important thing.”
Indeed.
North Duplin’s 48-39 conquest of Lakewood kept it in position to collect its third consecutive Carolina 1A regular-season championship.
An inauspicious start bothered Oliver.
The Rebels converted just four of 17 field goals in the opening eight minutes. At least 10 of those misses occurred underneath the basket.
Yet, North Duplin scratched out a 12-6 lead.
After a 2 1/2-minute drought to start the second quarter, Reece Outlaw sparked a short scoring surge with an offensive putback.
Tateyawna Faison scored in transition off Addy Higginbotham’s assist. Abigail Norris and Faison each converted an offensive rebound. Higginbotham added a free throw, which extended the margin to 21-10 at halftime.
Lakewood found some offense after halftime.
The Leopards pulled to within single digits off perimeter baskets.
“I told them to put pressure on the ball and they kept moving back [in the zone],” Oliver said of his team. “They got back in the ballgame. You have to go out and contest players up top.”
Higginbotham’s 3-pointer silenced the momentum.
A turnover fest ensued in the fourth quarter, but North Duplin generated enough offense to stay unbeaten at home (7-0) this season.
Outlaw provided a team-high 14 points to go along with three steals and four rebounds. Faison supplied a double-double — 11 points, 14 rebounds — and blocked six shots. Higginbotham turned in a solid floor game with 11 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists.
Lilly Fulghum had six points, two assists, three steals and eight rebounds. Norris chipped in four points, two steals and three rebounds.
North Duplin (13-6 overall, 6-1 Carolina) hits the road Friday for a pivotal contest at Union. The Spartans are 6-1 in league play.
