North Duplin’s Holden Williams, left, scores against Rosewood’s Braxton Waters during fourth-quarter play Friday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Rosewood’s Tizlen McCrae passes over North Duplin’s Lucas Gregory to an open teammate during first-half play Friday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Lucas Gregory scores against Rosewood’s Bryson Hobbs during third-quarter play Friday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Vance Carter defends against Rosewood’s Ethan Farris during first-half action Friday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin players, from left, Lucas Gregory, Lucas Dail and Holden Williams listen to coaches Matt Hines (right) and Nick Nielsen at halftime against Rosewood. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin claimed the inaugural Carolina 1A Conference JV boys’ tournament title with a victory over Rosewood on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — Redeem two regular-season losses.
Play for Kayden.
North Duplin had those two objectives in mind during its season-ending battle against Rosewood in the Carolina 1A tournament final Friday afternoon.
The Rebels completed their mission.
Holden Williams pumped in a team- and game-high 22 points to lead North Duplin past Rosewood, 57-48. Fittingly, Vance Carter held up Kayden Bowden’s jersey for a post-game team photo in the locker room.
Bowden is currently battling a rare blood condition that requires platelet transfusions. Head coach Nick Nielsen and assistant coach Matt Hines visited the sophomore in Durham before Thursday’s semifinals.
“He’s in good spirits,” Hines said.
The Rebels are, too.
Coming off a grinding, double-overtime victory just 24 hours earlier, Nielsen wondered if his team had anything left in the tank. Top-seeded Rosewood benefited from a day of rest after winning its semifinal-round game Wednesday.
North Duplin did.
Nielsen watched in surprise as the Rebels seized a 7-0 behind the play of Carter, Williams and Lucas Dail. The Eagles’ Braxton Waters momentarily halted the run with a 3-pointer, but found themselves down 12-3 with approximately 90 seconds left in the quarter.
“They [Rosewood] got out early [on us] in the last game we played, so getting off to that start [today] gave us the confidence that we could play with them and stay ahead of them,” Nielsen said. “I was really proud of them for them for doing that. They played hard and they had more than enough [stamina].”
Up 13-9 with 4:02 left before halftime, Nielsen called a timeout.
When play resumed, Williams buried a 3-pointer from the right corner and converted a driving layup. Carson Barwick, who helped spark Thursday’s comeback against Union, kissed a couple of high-light reel reverse layups off the glass.
Dail capped the quarter-ending 11-3 with a buzzer-beating, offensive putback just before intermission.
North Duplin extended its lead to 43-27 with 5:44 left in regulation. The Rebels (13-8 overall) scrambled after loose balls, forced held-ball possessions and came up with timely plays to thwart each short offensive outburst by the Eagles.
“I think they played as hard as I’ve ever seen them play, just flying around on defense,” Nielsen said. “The last time we played them, we got down on ourselves and weren’t as quick. We just didn’t put in the effort. They gave it everything tonight and you could tell it.”
Turnovers and missed free throws proved pivotal down the stretch. Each team displayed fatigue and frustration, particulary for Rosewood, which failed to convert free throws with the clock stopped.
The Eagles shot 16 of 35 at the stripe.
Carter finished with 10 points, while Dail chipped in nine. Christopher Kornegay collected seven points. Barwick scratched for five points in the scorebook.
Bryson Hobbs paced the Eagles with 21.
“I think that first game [against RHS] losing in overtime, we felt like we should have won that one and they came over here the second game…really kind of embarrassed us,” Nielsen said. “We said, ‘I don’t think anyone is expecting us to win this game, so you’ve got nothing to lose. Go out there, play free, have fun, give it everything you’ve got and surprise some people’.”
North Duplin did.
