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Staff Report

The East Bladen girls basketball team is a win away from earning a spot in the 1A East Regional championship game in Winston-Salem.

The Eagles (24-3) are schedule to visit North Duplin (24-4) on Friday night with 6 p.m. Admission is $8, cash only.

Friday’s winner will play the winner between No. 1 seed Perquimans and No. 4 Wake Prep Academy on Tuesday in Winston-Salem for the East title. The state championship game against the West champion will be Friday, March 14.

Based on tournament seeding, neither East Bladen nor North Duplin were expected to be playing in Friday’s fourth round of the 64-team N.C. High School Athletic Association tournament.

No. 7 seed East Bladen has cruised in its three playoff games, opening with a 74-19 win against No. 26 seed Northwest Halifax and followed by a 60-13 victory against No. 23 Columbia, which had upset No. 10 Triangle Math & Science. Tuesday, the Eagles traveled to No. 2 Wilson Prep and routed the Tigers 68-43.

No. 6 seed North Duplin opened with a 59-20 triumph against No. 27 Weldon, knocked off No. 11 seed Gates County 58-45 and upended No. 3 seed Northside-Pinetown 58-45.

The teams have one common opponent. Both lost to East Duplin (25-2), which is in the 2A East regional semifinals Friday at Pittsboro Seaforth (27-2). East Bladen lost to the Panthers 57-42 on December 27 in the Wilmington Hoggard Holiday. North Duplin lost to county rival East Duplin 60-31 on December 6.

Senior guard NeNe Ward has led the East Bladen offense, averaging 19 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 5.4 steals per game. Senior Lalia Smith has averaged 16 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.8 steals per game. The duo each surpassed 1,000 career points as juniors late last season.

Ariel Cromartie has averaged 10.6 points and three steals per game for the Eagles. The junior guard had a career-high 18 points in Tuesday’s win at Wilson Prep.

For North Duplin, senior Tateyawna Faison has averaged a double-double this season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds per game. Addy Higginbotham has averaged 10.8 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 steals per game.