BAYBORO — At the climax of the East Carteret-Northside eastern regional championship game, reporters scurried up and down press row, asking questions, fact checking and familiarizing themselves with a table that’s emerged as one of the best 1-A conferences in North Carolina over the last two years.

This season, the Coastal Plains Conference produced the NCHSAA 1-A boys’ state champion, a sectional champion and six formidable playoff teams, including two girls’ squads that finished with .800-plus winning percentages.

Last Saturday, East Carteret got its redemption in a rematch with Winston-Salem State in the North Carolina state final, knocking off the Phoenix, 67-64. The win came seven days after the Mariners defeated conference rival Northside, 75-60, in a matchup that reinforced the reputation of the Coastal Plains Conference.

For the boys, East Carteret finished the season 28-2, winning the table with a perfect 12-0 mark, while Pamlico County (16-9, 9-3 CPC) took second place, Northside (21-5, 8-4 CPC) ended in third and Southside (13-8, 7-5 CPC) respectfully finished in fourth.

For the second-straight season, East Carteret’s Jacque Brown and Northside’s Edrice Adebayo were named co-Players of the Year. Brown, a 5-foot-9 point guard, led the state champs in scoring, averaging 23.7 points and 8.5 assists per game as a senior. Adebayo, a junior and 6-foot-9 center, led the entire state of North Carolina (among all classes) in scoring and rebounding, averaging 32.2 points and 21 board per game, while also averaging 4.5 blocks, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

Despite piloting a team that finished winless for a second-straight season, Bear Grass’s Kent Dickerson took home Coach-of-the-Year honors. The Bears’ lone All-Conference selection, Collin Modlin, a senior, averaged 5.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Southside’s pair of senior guards — Donshae Miller and Rashaun Moore — earned All-Conference nods. Miller led the Seahawks in assists (3.2 apg) and steals (3 spg), while also averaging 15.7 points per game. Moore led his team in scoring at a 21 point per game clip. Senior center Donshae Tatum earned CPC honorable mention.

On top of Adebayo for Northside, junior floor leader Ikeem Greene’s 10 points, 4.3 rebounds and team-high 5.1 assists per game earned him an All-Conference nod. Senior shooting guard Dalton Etheridge earned an honorable mention.

Other All-CPC selections were Sam Johnson, Trevor Willis and Ty Simmons of East Carteret; Josiah Simmons and Jawann Coffey of Pamlico County; Carlos Irving of Jones Senior; and Jason Pullen of Lejeune.

For the girls, Pamlico County (23-3) took the conference title with a perfect 12-0 finish, while Lejeune (17-4, 10-2 CPC) finished in second, Jones Senior (12-13, 7-5 CPC) in third, East Carteret (9-15, 6-6 CPC) in fourth, Northside (7-13, 4-8 CPC) in fifth and Southside (4-16, 3-9 CPC) in sixth.

Jones Senior’s Franlena Brimmage, a senior who averaged 19.6 points, 13.8 rebounds and 5.4 turnovers a game, was awarded with CPC Player of the Year, while Lejeune coach Debbie Bryant took home Coach of the Year.

Among Beaufort County players, just Northside’s Alex Adams and Southside’s Symone Ruffin earned the All-Conference nod. Adams, a senior, led her team in scoring and assists. Ruffin, a freshman, also led her team in scoring (9.3 ppg), while averaging 3.2 boards and a team-high 5.1 steals.

Northside’s Kelsey Lang and Rachel Lang and Southside’s Angelic Tisdale and April Olds earned CPC honorable mentions.