DEEP RUN — Jacksonville Northside was ranked fourth in the season’s first NCPreps.com statewide 2A high school boys basketball poll released on Monday.
Thanks to South Lenoir, the Monarchs’ time as a top-five team will be short lived.
Freshman Jonte Midgette scored a career-high 33 points, including the game-clinching basket in the final seconds as South Lenoir handed the Monarchs their first defeat of the year, 73-72, in a key East Central 2A Conference contest on Tuesday.
Midgette’s contested layup with just over 10 seconds to play gave the Blue Devils (8-4, 4-0) a 72-70 lead. Teammate Dion Jones then sank one of two free throws a handful of seconds later for a three-point lead that held.
“I just did what I could to help my team win,” said Midgette, who hit 10 of 12 free throws and scored 25 of his points in the second half.
“This was a big win for us and I am just glad to be a part of it.”
The win broke an early-season three-way tie for first place with Clinton, Northside and South Lenoir.
Although there are still 10 games left in league play for each of these teams, it felt like a title was on the line.
The game was nip-and-tuck throughout, especially in the first half. The lead changed hands six times, and was tied four before South Lenoir used a little run to give itself a four-point lead heading into the break.
The Blue Devils, who got a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds from senior Ishmael Baldwin, extended that lead to 46-36 before the Monarchs (11-1, 3-1) used a 10-0 run to pull even with 2:32 left in the third period.
From then on it was a battle of attrition, with the ball bouncing the Blue Devils’ way more often than not. They hit 6 of 8 from the free throw line in the final period while Northside, which was led by Jamal Parker’s 20 points, connected on only 2 of 10 in the deciding minutes.
“Hats off to South Lenoir. I thought we got outcoached, we got outplayed,” Monarchs coach Tony Marshburn said. “I thought they wanted it more than we wanted it.
“We didn’t match their intensity until the last 4 minutes of the game.”
Northside yet had another rally left when it came back from eight down to tie it at 70 on a runner by Blair Adams after a steal.
The teams traded turnovers, then a loose ball found its way into South Lenoir reserve Trint Turner’s hands. Turner drove towards the basket, then weaved a pass through a pair of Northside defenders towards Midgette, who scooped it up and laid it in for the lead.
Following Jones’ made free throw with 6.5 seconds left, Northside’s Josh Cabrera tried to beat a clock that didn’t start on time with a layup on the other end but it was too little too late.
“The kids just wanted it so bad,” said South Lenoir coach Jeremy Barnett, whose team defeated Northside for the first time in the current EC2A alignment. “They played their tails off.
“They’re finally playing the way I knew they were capable of playing. We beat a really good team tonight.”
SOUTH LENOIR 51, NORTHSIDE 45
Freshman Hailey West stepped up and drilled a pair of late free throws and her older sister, Heather, scored a game-high 17 points as the Blue Devils held off a late rally from the Monarchs for their first win over Northside in school history, South Lenoir Athletic Director Lisa Smith said.
Northside (10-3, 3-1), which trailed 42-26 heading into the fourth quarter, used an 18-2 run to turn a blowout into a close game. But Hailey West, who scored five points, drained a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to play to seal the win for South Lenoir (9-3, 3-1).
Demeyia Adams scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Marquia Suddeth scored four points and had 13 rebounds and three assists as the Blue Devils opened the game on a 12-2 run before the Monarchs, who were led by Ashanti Curry’s 15 points and 11 from Kayla Hill, got to within single digits by the break.
Caroline Jones scored 12 points and had four assists and Hanna Meready added five assists for the Blue Devils, who travel to Swansboro on Friday.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.
BOYS
Northside 15 17 15 25—72
South Lenoir 16 18 18 21—73
MONARCHS (11-1, 3-1) — Jamal Parker 20, Kris Curry 13, Ko. Curry 9, Ayabarreno 8, Cabrera 8, Adams 7, McCarthy 4, Brown 3, Washington, Hilton.
BLUE DEVILS (8-4, 4-0) — Jonte Midgette 33, Ishmael Baldwin 18, Wooten 8, Jones 6, Garner 4, Whaley 2, Turner 2, Janning, Davis, Smith.
GIRLS
Northside 4 13 9 19—45
South Lenoir 16 9 17 9—51
MONARCHS (10-3, 3-1) — Ashanti Curry 15, Kayla Hill 11, Perez 7, Bowerman 7, Collins 5, Moore, Stokes.
BLUE DEVILS (9-3, 3-1) — Heather West 17, Caroline Jones 12, Adams 8, Ha. West 5, Suddeth 4, Franklin 3, Meready 2, Pelletier, Combs, Braxton.