The East Duplin Panthers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They fell to Richlands 52-47. East Duplin has not had much luck with Richlands recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite the loss, East Duplin saw an underclassman step up: Zachary Ball scored 15 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Garrett Johnson was another key contributor, scoring five points along with three blocks and two steals.
East Duplin bumped their record down to 1-9 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home. As for Richlands, their victory bumped their record up to 5-8.
East Duplin won't have much time to rest: their next match is against James Kenan at 8:00 p.m. on January 11th. James Kenan knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully East Duplin likes a good challenge. As for Richlands, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Swansboro at 7:30 p.m. Swansboro will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
