Emotional win: Northside’s boys top Lejeune in battle for first in CPC; girls roll again

Published 8:44 am Tuesday, February 11, 2025

By Jason O. Boyd

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YEATESVILLE, N.C. — Northside junior Zi’mier Alexander tried to score on a putback, but the ball just wouldn’t bounce in.

Then, senior Nick Moore soared to the basket and slammed the ball home with his right hand. The already loud crowd inside the Panthers’ gym turned the volume up another decibel with another loud roar of approval.

Such was the night for Northside’s boys in their battle for first place with Lejeune in the Coastal Plains Conference showdown. The Panthers bent but didn’t break several times, holding on for a 68-59 win last Friday on Senior Night. The victory created a tie for first place in the league with both teams having one loss going into Tuesday’s play.

“The putback, I’ve been in that spot multiple times, and one time I missed it,” Moore said. “And this time, I just happened to be in the right place, right time, and I just put it down.

“It was the overall effort from everybody on the team. We just played together and we got the win, played strong defense.”

Moore’s play, he led the team with 18 points, was one of several moments when the Panthers stepped up when needed. The collective effort led to one of the best games of the season for Northside. With two league road games left in the regular season (at Pamlico County on Tuesday and at East Carteret on Thursday), it comes at the best time.

“We expected to come out and get this win tonight,” Northside coach Jared Adams said. “We knew we were capable of beating this team.

“So it really means a lot to us and overall the whole staff and everybody. And we put on for the community and did our best. Going into next week, I hope that we can bring this energy that we had tonight and take it over in the road, East Carteret and Pamlico.”

Senior Max Vansant came up big to start the game, scoring seven of his 10 points in the opening quarter. His 3-pointer and running layup gave the Panthers a 17-9 lead going into the second quarter.

That lead held through early in the third quarter, when the Devil Pups cut the it to 45-44 with 2:07 left. That’s when another senior, Kevin Berrelleza, came up big. He hit two free throws and nailed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in the third to push Northside’s lead back to 53-46.

Berrelleza connected on another 3-pointer two minutes into the fourth quarter to extend Northside’s lead to 58-48. Lejeune got to within four points but could never take the lead.

“Coach Adams always says to get more shots up after practice,” Berrelleza said. “That’s where you get better. So the early-morning sessions, the late-night shootarounds, that’s really what helped me be able to knock down two threes.

“It is one of the best feelings for sure. Just really happy we could get out the win and go on from there.”

Northside’s girls roll again

Northside’s girls picked up three wins last week and then beat J.H. Rose, 45-44, in a non-conference game on Monday. That extended the Panthers’ win streak to 11 going into Tuesday’s rematch with Pamlico County.

Northside began last week with a 61-33 win over the Hurricanes in a battle for first place in the league. The Panthers followed that with a 68-24 win over Jones Senior and a 62-14 victory over Lejeune.

Those three games, where the entire team got lots of playing time, came in handy on Monday in the win over Rose. It should also play well at Pamlico County, a place Northside has struggled in the past.

“We still gonna stay focused, we’ll take one game at a time,” Northside coach Michelle Leathers said. “I believe in my heart that some people felt like when we lost (senior) Mariah (Jones) and all of them last year that we weren’t gonna do well.

“But it’s all about, like I told you, faith and believing in each other. And a lot of times, we went and made a lot of adjustments as well.”

Senior O.J. Cahoon led Northside (20-1, 8-0 CPC) led the way with 15 points.

 

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