2A Championship: North Pitt vs. East Burke

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With championship Friday in the rear view mirror, the 2023-24 North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) season would conclude the following day with championship Saturday in Winston-Salem.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two teams that would take to the court at Wake Forest's Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum would be North Pitt and East Burke. The Panthers' path to the championship game saw them defeat South Columbus, Southeast Alamance, Nash Central, West Craven and Seaforth whereas that of the Cavaliers saw them defeat Monroe, Southwestern Randolph, Salisbury, East Rutherford and Lincoln Charter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams made last season's regional finals, but neither made it to the big game. That changed this season – and the Panthers were crowned this season's 2A champions following its 76-66 win over the Cavaliers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the looks of things, East Burke's contingency appeared to be somewhat larger than that of North Pitt. The many Panthers fans that were on hand had more to cheer about following one quarter. North Pitt had a 20-15 advantage on the Cavaliers with one in the books.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams matched each other seemingly point for point in the second quarter. As both North Pitt and East Burke entered their respective locker rooms to strategize for the second half, the Panthers' edge on the Cavaliers was 35-29.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers' lead grew to double digits in the third quarter but the Cavaliers managed to stay within striking distance. This one was having the feel of a high-scoring contest but North Pitt still led 54-46 over East Burke with one frame left to play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It did indeed turn out to be a high-scoring contest – one where North Pitt outdid East Burke 18-6 on the offensive glass and 14-7 in terms of assists. Those were two reasons why the Panthers had a joyous bus trip back to North Pitt as they claimed 2A championship bragging rights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873062,"width":"441px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6627-crop-2315x1520-1710683299.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873062" style="width:441px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 31 points, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='772526' first='Jordan' last='Speller']</strong> led all point-getters and won Kay Yow MVP award honors. Speller also finished with a double-double as her performance included 10 rebounds. Did we mention she is a freshman?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873064,"width":"433px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6530-crop-2383x1565-1710683388.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873064" style="width:433px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261081' first='Zamareya' last='Jones']</strong> had herself a stellar performance in her final high school contest before she sports the signature NC State Wolfpack red. Jones tallied 21 points and hauled in 14 rebounds for a double-double.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873066,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6547-crop-1833x1204-1710683542.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873066" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kanae Edwards</strong> also had herself a big game. She added 13 points to what was a winning total for the Panthers. Edwards was an efficient attacker of the rim and was able to draw contact to get to the free throw line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873069,"width":"431px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6698-crop-2236x1469-1710683727.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873069" style="width:431px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Pitt outrebounded East burke by a margin of 45-35. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='652118' first='Zihanna' last='Lightfoot']</strong> was a big reason for that prowess on the glass. The sophomore forward hauled in 15 rebounds to go along with the eight points she scored. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873071,"width":"440px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6599-crop-2937x1928-1710683835.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873071" style="width:440px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Burke got 51 of their 66 points from two players. The Cavaliers got 28 points from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='621999' first='Kara' last='Brinkley']</strong>. She concluded her afternoon with a double-double as her performance also included 19 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":873073,"width":"446px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/IMG_6586-crop-2545x1671-1710683926.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-873073" style="width:446px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braelyn Stillwell</strong> was responsible for 23 of East Burke's points. In addition, Stillwell was a perfect six for six from the charity stripe. She led the Cavaliers' efforts from behind the arc as she drained three of the team's four 3-pointers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Records</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The book closes on North Pitt's championship-winning 2023-24 campaign with a 29-3 record. The Panthers also won all 12 of its games in its Eastern Plains conference. As for East Burke, its season finishes with a 31-1 record along with winning going 15 for 15 in the Catawba Valley Conference.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='636097' first='Kassie' last='Turner'], Ally Moore and Kamiah Lawing are the three seniors who will soon be graduating from East Burke. [player_tooltip player_id='261081' first='Zamareya' last='Jones'], Kenae Edwards, Gjahnice Chance, Corine Beatty and Tealijah Bond are the five who will soon trade in their North Pitt basketball uniforms for caps and gowns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->