The first matchup of the 2023-24 season between the leading teams of the Northern Lakes 2A/3A Conference occurred on Friday evening. Southern Durham remained undefeated in conference play by defeating South Granville with a final score of 79-73.

It is predicted that Southern Durham and South Garner will be the leading teams in the state playoffs for the 3A and 2A divisions from this league. Nevertheless, the Northern Lakes conference championship is still up for grabs. Southern has made significant progress towards securing the outright title with their victory on Creedmoor’s home turf.

The first half of the game between South Granville and Southern Durham was closely contested. Southern Durham held a 42-37 lead at halftime. Camren Daniels of Southern Durham made a strong offensive impact in the first quarter, hitting four of his six 3-pointers.

During the third quarter, the athleticism of Southern Durham proved to be dominant as the Spartans continuously forced turnovers and turned them into points on offense. This gave them a considerable lead that they maintained until the end. The score was 69-54 in Southern’s favor heading into the final quarter.

In the last two minutes of the game, South Granville made a strong effort to reduce the margin to six points.

Southern Durham has a record of 9 wins and 4 losses this season, with a perfect 4-0 record in conference games. South Granville’s overall record is 12 wins and 4 losses, with a 5-1 record in league play.

The next match for the Spartans will take place at their home on Tuesday against J.F. Webb. On the same day, the Vikings will journey to Carrboro.

Scoring

Southern Durham

• Camren Daniels – 29
• Jackson Keith – 15
• Jaelen McKee – 11
• Javier Ortiz – 10
• Isaiah Page – 8
• Kejon Hughes – 4

South Granville

• Oliver Roberts – 21
• Pierce Pettit – 19
• KJ Terry – 15
• Mason Brown – 14
• Tony Midgette – 2
• Brendan Chamberlain – 2

Source: highschoolot.com