North Duplin’s Micah Lesesane (40) has the ball knocked away from behind by Lakewood’s Dashaun Carr, who was not whistled for a foul on the play. Lesesane scored 22 points in the Rebels’ eight-point win over Lakewood on Wednesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Trashawn Ruffin (54) tallies a basket against Lakewood’s Cameron Williams. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Trashawn Ruffin (54) attempts to keep control of a rebound while Lakewood’s Cameron Williams (33) and J’Kwon McKoy defend on the play. At right is North Duplin’s Branson Martin. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Donovan Armwood (44) passes off to teammate Branson Martin (20) as Lakewood’s Cameron Williams defends on the play. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Dylan Tyndall (left) and Brady Byrd (right) execute the trap perfectly and force Lakewood’s Dashaun Carr into a first-half turnover. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — North Duplin nearly derailed itself Wednesday evening.
Micah Lesenane provided some steam at the right time.
The junior forward poured in 22 points for the top-seeded Rebels, who chugged past nemesis Lakewood, 76-68, and into the Carolina 1A tournament championship game for the first time since 1999.
Lesenane and his teammates oppose the winner of tonight’s Rosewood-Neuse Charter game Friday on the Rebels’ hardwood.
“The tide turned on us one time when we blew that big lead and they actually took the lead in the third quarter,” ND head coach Jeff Byrd said. “We just never quit … the most proud I’ve been of our team. You could have laid down and started pouting a little bit.”
Byrd’s team resembled a runaway locomotive early.
Lesesane, frontcourt mate Trashawn Ruffin and heady guard combined to score 14 first-quarter points. The trio helped spark a 9-2 run that pushed the Rebels in front 22-7 after one period.
Lakewood didn’t back down.
The Leopards dominated the second quarter. They tightened defensively, forced the Rebels (14-9 overall) to take ill-advised shots and flourished in the transition game.
North Duplin’s double-digit lead dwindled to a single point after Dashaun Carr drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer just before halftime.
“They hurt us on the boards there,” Byrd said. “That one spell where I don’t think we were hustling back on defense. We allowed them to get back in it. They’ve got a good basketball team
Fourth-seeded Lakewood grabbed its first lead, 36-35, on Kristofer Robinson’s offensive putback early in the third quarter.
The Rebels answered quickly.
Lesesane, Ruffin and DuJuan Armwood provided key baskets that kept the Leopards at bay after three periods.
“I told the guys we had to relax, let the game come to you … keep doing what you’ve been doing [all season],” Byrd said. “I like our team effort, is the way we’ve played against a lot of people and it’s been a big advantage for us.”
Playing primarily with their big lineups, each team crashed the glass and hustled after loose balls in the final eight minutes of regulation. Ruffin, Lesesane and Donovan Armwood handled the “dirty” work underneath, which eventually sent Lakewood (9-13) back to Salemburg with a season-ending loss.
“It’s about surviving and advancing right now, no matter how ugly it looks,” Byrd said. “We go on to the next night.”
DuJuan Armwood poured in 16 points for the Rebels, who extended their win streak to 10 and collected their ninth home victory of the season. Donovan Armwood notched 11 points, while Martin provided 10.
Ruffin and Dylan Tyndall scratched for seven and five points, respectively.
Carr finished with 21 points for the Leopards. Cameron Williams tallied 19, while Robinson supplied 15. Lakewood lost three consecutive games to North Duplin for the first time since 2019.
Byrd told his team not to get satisfied after the game.
“We’re playing for another championship,” he said. “Just give yourself the opportunity. Don’t be satisfied that we made the playoffs for the first time in 20 years [since 2007]. Now, we’re going on to the next stage.
“Everybody was 0-0 going into this week. This is our third season. We’ve got to stay motivated and I think we will stay motivated.”
