JACKSONVILLE — Southern Wayne’s “turnaround season” on the hardwood came to a close Tuesday evening.
DuJuan Armwood knocked down 13 points for the Saints, who fell 58-46 to White Oak in round one of the NC High School Athletic Association 3A playoffs.
“We battled all year and to not come up with what we wanted, a win to play on [in the postseason], was a tough loss,” SW head coach Brian West said.
Coastal Conference champion White Oak led 12-8 after one quarter and extended its margin to 27-15 at halftime. Each team scored 31 points in the second half.
Senior Chris McDuffie collected seven points Southern Wayne, which last made a playoff appearance in 2018. Fellow senior D’Untae Wright supplied six points.
The Saints’ last 13-win season occurred in 2018-19.
A 9-5 worksheet in Quad County Conference play matched nine league wins recorded in 2011-12.
West said the program also won on the “flip side” this season.
“We’ve seen characters being built off many adversities we experienced as a team, which meant boys became men and we did some things that haven’t been done here in Dudley in a while,” West said.
“Getting the feel of winning back and touching the playoffs will now put a up standard bar for the future of our program here at Southern Wayne. I’m extremely proud of our young men who battled, sacrificed and put the work into turning it around.”
