Fans jammed Northside’s gymnasium on Saturday to watch Edrice “Bam” Adebayo and the Panthers men’s basketball team matchup against the No. 1 squad in Class 1A, undefeated East Carteret.

Despite a valiant effort from Northside, Head Coach Bill Anderson’s team survived, defeating the Panthers 71-62 and improving their record to 22-0.

“They played well. We played well,” said Panthers’ Head Coach Michael Proctor. “We gave a great effort and played pretty good defense. They got some guys that can shoot and really play. I thought we did great.”

The 17-2 Panthers entered Saturday’s game looking to spoil the Mariners’ storybook season and improve their win streak to nine-straight. But with four Mariners averaging double figures, East Carteret’s high-powered offensive attack proved too much to handle for Northside’s defense scheme, once again.

Adebayo, the conference’s leader in scoring, showcased his offensive prowess with 28 points and utilized his height to his advantage, picking up 10 rebounds and recording yet another double-double.

“We played well and we did what we wanted to, tried to get it into ‘Bam,’” Proctor said. “They were fouling him pretty hard, and that’s just the way it goes.”

East Carteret’s impeccable defense was supplemented by the pure shooting of Jacque Brown, who came in as the conference’s third leading scorer at an 18.5 point per game clip. Contested or uncontested, it didn’t matter. Brown spotted up and drained five three-pointers in the first half alone. He would finish with a game-high 31 points.

The off-the-court highlight came in the third quarter, as Anderson and Proctor exchanged words on the sidelines after Adebayo was fouled hard in the paint. The jawing would continue for the beginning of the quarter, but eventually fade as Northside slowly began chipping away at the deficit.

Despite the Mariners’ virtually unstoppable shooting, Northside hung around and, motivated by the roar of the Panthers’ faithful, managed to cut the lead to three points heading into the final quarter.

However, the momentum wouldn’t last, as East Carteret jumped out to a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. Northside was unable to recover.

“We need to get a little more offense out of some guys, make a few more shots,” Proctor said. “Defensively, our effort it there, so I think we’re good.”

Northside will close out the regular season with two away games: Thursday at Southside and Friday at Pamlico County.