Basketball Game Preview: East Duplin Panthers vs. East Bladen Eagles

The East Duplin Panthers and the East Bladen Eagles will round out the year against one another at at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

East Bladen is hoping to do what Princeton couldn't on Friday: put an end to East Duplin's winning streak, which now stands at eight games. East Duplin claimed a resounding 56-19 victory over Princeton. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 488th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Jamyah Pickett and Anamarie Rodriquez were among the main playmakers for East Duplin as the former went 6 of 8 en route to 13 points along with eight rebounds and three steals and the latter went 6 of 9 on her way to 12 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Andraia Scarborough, who posted seven points and five steals.

East Duplin smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 34 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, East Bladen entered their tilt with East Columbus on Friday with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. They really took it to the Gators for the full four quarters, racking up a 63-30 win. With the Eagles ahead 39-12 at the half, the match was all but over already.

East Bladen had a senior duo take command as Laila Smith dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten boards and NeNe Ward went 6 of 11 on her way to 17 points and seven steals. Ward has been hot for a while, having posted three or more steals the last 11 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ariel Cromartie, who put up ten points in addition to seven boards and four steals.

East Duplin pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.4 points per game. As for East Bladen, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.