Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North Johnston). They walked away with a 64-54 win over the Princeton Bulldogs on Tuesday. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 47-39 back in November.
North Johnston's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaleb Pone, who went 8-for-20 en route to 24 points along with seven assists and six boards. That makes it three consecutive games in which Pone has scored at least a third of the Panthers' points. Another player making a difference was Aamari Dunston, who shot 50% from the field to rack up 16 points in addition to six rebounds and five steals.
Panthers
| 12/09/25 @ Princeton | 17 |
| 12/05/25 vs Beddingfield | 13 |
| 12/02/25 @ Smithfield-Selma | 15 |
| 11/25/25 vs Smithfield-Selma | 7 |
| 11/21/25 @ Louisburg | 8 |
| + 16 more games |
They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: North Johnston was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2024.
When it comes to explaining why Princeton lost, don't look at Evan Pate. Despite the final result, he went 5-for-9 on his way to 17 points and six boards. Thanks to that strong game, Pate now owns an excellent 45.1% field goal percentage. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordyn Gaines, who posted 11 points.
The win snapped North Johnston's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-4 record. As for Princeton, they moved to 4-3 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak.
North Johnston will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Washington at 7:30 p.m. on the 19th. As for Princeton, they will face off against Midway at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bulldogs will be up against the Raiders' rather soft defense (which has allowed 57 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
