The crowd at Thursday's non-league challenge between the East Columbus Gators (Lake Waccamaw, NC) and the host Whiteville Wolfpack (Whiteville, NC), observed East Columbus's basketball team edge Whiteville by a score of 59-57.

The Gators (4-11) will now prepare for their challenge against Heide Trask (Rocky Point, NC). The Titans come into the challenge with a 10-7 record. In their last challenge, Heide Trask edged South Columbus (Tabor City, NC), 45-41, in a league challenge.

In their next game, the Wolfpack battle the Pender Patriots (Burgaw, NC) in a challenge, on Friday, February 7. Whiteville will attempt to improve on its 5-5 season record. The Patriots come into the challenge with a 8-3 record after their 54-35 league win over Heide Trask (Rocky Point, NC).