Kayden Bowden makes a swift pass to evade two Eagle defenders. (Robert Taylor|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Holden Williams sinks one of two foul shots in the Rebels win against Rosewood Monday night. (Robert Taylor|mountolivetribune.com)
Rebel Holden Williams exhibits his ball handing against a Rosewood defender. (Robert Taylor|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s boys’ basketball team continued its season with a commanding 74-53 victory over Rosewood Monday night. The Rebels jumped out to an early lead, setting the tone on both ends of the court, and they never looked back. Behind the strong performances of Donavan Armwood and Branson Martin, North Duplin capitalized on turnovers and fast-break opportunities to overwhelm their opponent and secure another conference win.
The Rebels opened the first quarter with high energy and quickly established control. Branson Martin scored the game’s first points with a smooth layup, and Donavan Armwood followed by sinking two free throws to push the lead to 9-0. The defense came alive shortly after, as Martin swiped a steal and dished the ball to Noah Price for an easy layup. Rosewood finally responded with a 3-pointer to get on the board.
Rosewood attempted to chip away at the lead, converting a pair of free throws and adding another 3-ball to close the gap to 13-8. But North Duplin answered right back. Martin powered his way to two quick layups in transition, and Lucas Dail and Kayden Bowden both recorded steals to help the Rebels extend their lead to 17-8 by the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles started the second quarter with renewed focus, forcing a North Duplin turnover and scoring on a fast break to cut into the lead. After a foul, Rosewood knocked down one of two free throws to make it 17-11. The Rebels, however, quickly found their rhythm again. Dail connected with Price for a layup, and Armwood came up big with a couple of key plays, converting a layup and later sinking two free throws to extend the lead to 30-18.
Rosewood kept battling, hitting a trey to trim the deficit to 31-21. Price responded with a free throw, and Armwood followed up with two more from the line, helping North Duplin regain control. By the end of the quarter, Holden Williams hit one of two free throws to give the Rebels a 35-21 lead heading into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Rosewood made a brief push with a 3-pointer and a layup to close the gap to 35-26. But North Duplin’s defense, led by Armwood, tightened up and began forcing turnovers that led to easy baskets. Armwood scored back-to-back layups to push the lead to 39-26. Price and Williams added to the momentum, with Price grabbing a steal and Armwood converting a layup on the other end.
By the midway point of the third quarter, the Rebels were in full control. A timeout by Rosewood at the 4:08 mark did little to slow down North Duplin’s pace. Armwood hit a three right out of the break, followed by another basket from Martin, extending the lead to 48-26. Price and Martin continued to press the action, each scoring layups to push the margin to 52-28 by the end of the third quarter.
In the final quarter, Rosewood tried to mount a comeback, but the Rebels were relentless. Anthony Kornegay came up with a steal and fought through contact to get to the free-throw line, hitting one of two to make it 57-32. Rosewood answered with a 3-pointer and added a couple of quick baskets, forcing North Duplin to call a timeout at the 4:16 mark. However, the Rebels quickly regrouped and closed the game on a strong note.
Armwood once again, led the charge, scoring back-to-back layups to stretch the lead to 65-43. Even as Rosewood continued to press, North Duplin stayed composed, with Martin and Armwood combining for a few more key plays in the final minutes. Martin finished the game with a layup to seal the Rebels’ 74-53 victory.
With this win, North Duplin improves to 8-10 overall and sits in second place in the 1A Carolina Conference. They are currently behind Lakewood, who holds the top spot, and just ahead of Rosewood.
