'That is us': North Brunswick basketball seizes first playoff win in 11 years
North Brunswick basketball is officially back.
The Scorpions proved that sentiment true once again by defeating West Johnston 85-74 on Tuesday in the first round of the NCHSAA tournament for their first playoff win since 2013.
"We've got bigger things in our sights," North Brunswick coach Kyle Cross said after the win.
Before Tuesday, North Brunswick (20-7) had played in five playoff games in the past decade, all of which were first-round exits.
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After not playing in the Mideastern Conference tournament, team point leader Malakhi Daniels returned to the starting lineup Tuesday, thrashing the Wildcats defense on his way to 28 points.
The senior guard has been intentional about his shooting this season, often opting to forgo points in favor of distributing the ball.
"This is just the start; one game doesn't really mean anything since we have one of the higher seeds," Daniels said. "For us to have the experience that we have now, the game feels a lot different (Than last year)."
Holding a 44-37 advantage at the half, the Scorpions pulled away in the third quarter before West Johnston got within five in the game's final minutes.
"We scored the ball a little bit easier tonight but defensively, we could have been a little bit better," Cross said.
West Johnston's Kameron Taylor led the Wildcats with 22 points, knocking down five free throws in the fourth quarter to make the game competitive.
The win is the first of its kind for North Brunswick in the 3A classification. Before Tuesday, the team last won a postseason game back in 2013. For Cross and his squad, the experience from the victory is invaluable.
"It's huge when you're trying to do something that's never been done before," Cross said. "The senior class that we've had, they had no example to look to so they had to be their own example and they're leaving something for these younger guys to try and build off of."
Senior Ronnie Ballard scored 15 points, while Terry Hood had 12. The Scorpions will host the second round of the state playoffs on Friday.
"I was nervous going into the game because we don't have a lot of playoff experience, but the guys started the game in such a way and played with such passion," Cross said. "That is us. I always tell the guys if we come out and we're North Brunswick, things are going to work out for us."
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: North Brunswick boys basketball wins first playoff game since 2013
