The East Duplin Panthers were the 58-44 winner over the Wallace-Rose Hill Bulldogs when they last played one another back in February of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. East Duplin took a 59-44 bruising from Wallace-Rose Hill on Friday.
When it comes to explaining why East Duplin lost, one person who can't be blamed is Calvin Harper. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Hughes, who scored six points along with two steals.
East Duplin's loss dropped their record down to 2-12. As for Wallace-Rose Hill, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-6.
East Duplin will play host again and welcome Southwest Onslow, where tip off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Southwest Onslow presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than East Duplin in North Carolina (Southwest Onslow is ranked 223rd, while East Duplin is ranked 605th). Wallace-Rose Hill won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Pender at 5:30 p.m. on January 20th. Pender has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
