It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but North Duplin ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the East Columbus Gators, sneaking past 57-54. That's two games straight that the Rebels have won by exactly three points.

Jae'Lyn Ingram
| 01/23/26 @ East Columbus | 13 |
| 01/09/26 @ Hobbton | 13 |
| 12/22/25 vs Southern Wayne | 11 |
| 12/18/25 @ Union | 11 |
| 12/10/25 @ Clinton | 9 |
| + 10 more games |
North Duplin found their leader in sophomore Jae'Lyn Ingram, who dropped a double-double with 26 points and 13 boards. Ingram has become a key player for the Rebels: the team is undefeated when he posts at least ten rebounds, but 4-8 otherwise. Lucas Dail was another key player, putting up eight points and five boards.
East Columbus lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Tymarion Baldwin, who posted 13 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Adrion Jenrette, who went 5-for-10 en route to 11 points and three steals.
North Duplin has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.3 points over those games. As for East Columbus, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-8.
North Duplin wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 64-46 win against Union on the 27th. As for East Columbus, they have also already played their next matchup, a 65-54 victory against Whiteville on the 29th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps