Rebels boys top Dixon, girls fight but fall

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on February 13, 2004 2:01 PM

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CALYPSO -- The North Duplin Rebels could do not wrong Thursday night.

Dixon's boys basketball team can attest to that first-hand.

The Rebel boys stormed past the Bulldogs 70-54 at the North Duplin gym in the regular-season finale for the North Duplin squads. The Rebel girls lost a 48-41 heartbreaker.

Both teams now await their Carolina 1-A Conference tournament opening games. The boys do not know their opponent yet, but the girls will take on fourth-seeded Spring Creek on Monday at either Rosewood or North Johnston's gyms.

Thursday night, there was no hotter team in the area last night than Ricky Edwards' Rebels.

Ten seconds into the game, Matt Braswell hit his first of three 3-pointers. Thanks to a total team effort on defense, Dixon could never get untracked. Demarco Kornegay -- who along with Anthony Walls was playing his last prep game in Calypso -- teamed with Montreal Garner and Charlton Armwood to force 15 turnovers in the first half, to only four for the Rebels.

If that wasn't enough, Dixon could not contend offensively or defensively with center Saladeem Dewberry. Dunking the ball, rebounding, assisting on baskets with pinpoint passes, the sophomore did it all. He was the night's leading scorer with 22 points.

"We played very well tonight," said Edwards. "We executed well, particularly with our passing, and made excellent decisions."

With three players out the last time North Duplin's girls faced Dixon, the Lady Rebels came out looking to make a statement, and did with a 17-3 opening surge.

Marlyn Ball, Lauren Blackmore, and Sierra Ward were all stellar for North Duplin in that stretch. Ward was high scorer on the night with 18 points.

Dixon, however, started pecking away at the lead. Senior Kaley Bitner got rolling with 10 points. Bitner, one of the top soccer players in the state, tied the game at 30 on a breakaway steal at 2:55 of the third quarter. She then assisted on the go-ahead baskets as she fed Noel Bryant on an easy lay-up, and took a full court pass from Ciara Hardin to score with 50 seconds to play.

North Duplin struggled at the free-throw line, going 10-for-23 in the second half.

"Dixon got us out of our game plan in the second half," said Blackburn. "This was probably our worst free-throw shooting game of the year."

"We've had two close ones with them already this year," added Blackburn of his team's impending match with the Gators. "If we play as hard as we did tonight, we should have an excellent chance."

Girls

Dixon 7 16 11 14 -- 48

North Duplin 17 12 2 10 -- 41

DIXON

Kaley Bitner 8 0 13-17 29; Noel Bryant 2 0 1-2 5; Felicia Richard 1 0 2-3 4; Ciara Hardin 1 0 2-3 4; Brittany Lewis 1 0 0-0 2; Leisa Meeting 0 0 2-4 2; Erin Thompson 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 13 0 17-26 48.

NORTH DUPLIN

Sierra Ward 6 0 6-19 18; Lauren Blackmore 1 1 4-4 9; Marlyn Ball 3 0 0-0 6; Bethany Malcolm 3 0 0-0 6; Jessica Deniken 0 0 2-4 2. TOTALS -- 13 1 12-27 41.

Three-point baskets -- North Duplin 1 (Blackmore). Turnovers -- Dixon 32, North Duplin 30. Total fouls -- Dixon 24, North Duplin 22. Fouled out -- Meeting, Thompson, Malcolm. Technicals -- North Duplin bench.

Boys game

Dixon 13 10 14 17 -- 54

North Duplin 25 22 15 8 -- 70

DIXON

Jarrod Norris 3 2 0-0 12; Casey Raynor 1 1 5-5 10; Andy Degregorio 4 0 0-2 8; Bradley Cranfill 3 0 0-0 6; Darius Sonye 1 1 0-1 5; Devon Rhodes 2 0 0-0 4; Justin Marley 1 0 2-2 4; Kareem Hamilton 2 0 0-0 4; David Holman 0 0 1-2 1. TOTALS -- 17 4 8-12 54.

NORTH DUPLIN

Saladeem Dewberry 7 0 8-9 22; Matt Braswell 4 3 0-1 17; Montreal Garner 5 0 6-8 16; Demarco Kornegay 4 0 3-4 11; Charlton Armwood 2 0 0-0 4. TOTALS -- 22 3 17-22 70.

Three-point baskets -- Dixon 4 (Norris 2, Sonye, Raynor), North Duplin 3 (Braswell). Turnovers -- Dixon 19, North Duplin 15. Total fouls -- Dixon 17, North Duplin 13. Fouled out -- none. Technicals -- none.