North Duplin’s Lilly Fulghum (22) and Neuse Charter’s Leah Sheppard battle for a rebound during first-half action of their Carolina 1A game Tuesday. The Rebels won 55-33 and extended their conference win streak to 14. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Meghan Martin (3) cuts off the passing lane against a Neuse Charter player on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Levi George (20) blocks a shot by Neuse Charter senior Sire Holmes while teammate Cole Beavers watches in the background. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin head coach Jeff Byrd, right, talks with his starters, from left, Eli Morrisey, Brady Byrd, Richard Noble, Levi George and Trashawn Ruffin before tip-off of their game against Carolina 1A rival Neuse Charter on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — “We got a win,” said Addy Higginbotham.But she and her North Duplin teammates had to work for it.
Playing without their leading scorer and court general, Reece Outlaw, the Rebels overcame a lethargic start and turned back Neuse Charter, 55-33, on Tuesday evening.
It was the Carolina 1A opener for both teams.
Outlaw missed the game due to illness.
The junior’s absence didn’t go unnoticed. The Rebels (9-1 overall) toiled through a turnover-plagued opening quarter and trailed 7-6.
“They understand how valuable she [Outlaw] is on the basketball court,” ND head coach John Oliver said. “She is the best player on our team and everybody has the sense to know that. But, they also know they can win without her.”
Higginbotham, sophomore Tateyawna Faison and Lilly Fulghum spearheaded a 13-1 run that eased Oliver’s tension — a little bit. The one-point deficit morphed into a 19-9 advantage with just over three minutes left before halftime.
North Duplin led 22-14 at the break.
The Rebels extended their margin to 29-14 before the Cougars answered with a 14-8 surge over a three-minute period. Though she didn’t call “bank,” Tionna Shelton hit her only a basket — a 3-pointer — as time expired to end the third.
Oliver wasn’t satisfied.
By this time, he had shed his trademark gray pullover and issued a challenge before the fourth quarter began.
“I challenged them on the bench that I need four [hard] minutes,” Oliver said. “If you give me four minutes of pushing the basketball, you will win the ballgame.”
Eva Quintanilla’s offensive putback off a Higginbotham miss helped ignited a 10-0 run that all but deflated the Cougars’ hope of a comeback. It was Quintanilla’s lone field goal of the game.
Faison finished with a monster double-double — 23 points, 15 rebounds. Higginbotham logged 20 points, five assists and four steals. Lilly Fulghum chipped in with a basket, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
North Duplin extended its conference win streak to 11.
Boys
Neuse Charter did what North Duplin couldn’t do — convert baskets which allowed it to employ a suffocating, active defense to fuel its offense.
“They sped it up. Turnovers is what hurt us,” said Rebels head coach Jeff Byrd after a 67-50 loss. “I think several times we’d get rebounds and turn it over instead of just holding the ball. We panicked a little bit.
“We were standing around watching. We have to learn to come to the basketball and execute our offense.”
The Rebels (5-6, 0-1) stayed within striking distance, but could never find a rhythm offensively. The Cougars built on a comfortable 10-point lead and cruised to their fifth straight victory in the series.
Miles Branch led North Duplin with 10 points on 10 of 12 shooting at the free throw line. Richard Noble supplied nine points. Levi George and Billy McCoy contributed eight and six points, respectively.
JV boys
Tev Collins tickled the twine for 27 points during North Duplin’s 71-58 over Neuse Charter.
Branson Martin, despite foul trouble, scratched for 18 points in the scorebook. Ben Bullard contributed 12 points, while Rahmear Gates supplied seven points.
The Rebels improved to 10-1 overall.
North Duplin is the guest of Bear Grass Charter on Thursday and plays host to Carolina 1A rival Lakewood on Friday.
