Dribbling through the years

Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment in a multipart series recapping the last decade of sports in Sampson County.

Continuing my deep-dive into the world of Sampson County sports, the next sport on the table is also the first that I’m doing in-season.

It should be noted that when I reference the seasons by the year, I always use the first year of that particular season. For example, the 2017-18 season would be referred to as just 2017 here for simplicity.

Clinton

With some of the best records we’ve seen over the last 10 years, and plenty of talent coming and going through the doors of Clinton High, you would think the Dark Horses would statistically be the best basketball program in Sampson County. Dark Horse fans, I’m here to break your heart: they aren’t.

They are the second best, though, and they’re pretty well beyond your rivals up in Spivey’s Corner, but there’s another program in the county that slightly edged out those at CHS for the best in the area for the last decade.

With an overall record of 141-104 in that time frame, you shouldn’t abandon ship just yet. Those boys saw some great seasons on the hardwood, with plenty of great seasons that shouldn’t be forgotten about. A couple of those teams even featured their first-year head coach, Michael Boykin.

They were once again dominant against the rest of the county, too. Their record over the decade against Sampson County sits at 47-10, meaning they averaged just one loss against Sampson foes per season, while averaging nearly five. To say they had county foes’ numbers would be an understatement. In fact, from 2016 though the 2020 season, they didn’t lose a game within the county. Add a year on each end of that period, and they only lost two, while winning 32.

The best run that the Dark Horses had in that stretch also fell short by way of their biggest heartbreak, too. In back-to-back years — 2016 and 2017 — the Dark Horses won 27 games with minimal losses. In the former, eventual state champs Northside-Jacksonville handed them their third loss on the season and an early exit in the fourth round of the playoffs in a 70-51 routing. In the latter, Greene Central — who could easily be Clinton’s biggest non-local rival — bounced them in the Final Four by a score of 61-57, giving them their biggest heart break of the decade.

Harrells

If, after reading about Clinton’s basketball over the last 10 years, you were asking yourself who the statistical best program in the county was during that time period, you don’t have to read much further. That title belongs to the Harrells Christian Academy Crusaders by a slim margin.

Playing just two more games than the Dark Horses total, Harrells holds a 145-102 record over that stretch, while Clinton is home to a 141-104 overall record.

And, while the Crusaders are the statistical best, we unfortunately will never know who the true best are because they never played anyone else in the county, much like in other sports.

Nonetheless, the Crusaders still have a lot to talk about. Some of the best boys’ basketball seasons in the county across the decade came from down there in Harrells. In 2014, they went 20-4 before losing to Northside Charlotte in the first round of their playoffs. 2023 saw them go 22-12 with a second round exit, meaning both ends of the time period saw excellent basketball. The Crusaders are a well-rounded unit down there and things continue to be getting better.

The most heartbreaking loss for Harrells has to be their five-point loss to Fayetteville Academy to end their season in the second round in 2016. The opening period in the playoff match-up between the Crusaders and Eagles saw the teams tied at 12 each before the Eagles grabbed a five-point lead throughout the middle two quarters before each squad scored 16 in the final period, giving Fayetteville Academy the small winning margin.

Hobbton

The Wildcats admittedly didn’t see the most success on the court from 2014-2023, but they shouldn’t be written off, either. With their 76-151 overall record, including 31-49 against the rest of the county, they saw some big wins come their way up in Newton Grove.

There are a few seasons I would pick as their best, too. While they didn’t have any seasons above .500, they had four separate seasons that just one game going their way could have put them at even or better. Three seasons saw them make the playoffs, but their 11-12 campaign in 2021 wasn’t good enough for a playoff berth.

While most of the heartbreaking losses in every sport come by way of the playoffs, which end the teams’ seasons, it’s a different case for Hobbton. The Wildcats opened their 2015 season with back-to-back games against North Johnston on Nov. 17 and 20. The first bout saw the Wildcats outlast the Panthers 63-52 in the opening game on a Tuesday night. Friday was a different story, though, as the Panthers took the 63-61 victory at home.

It was a tale of two halves for the big cats, with Hobbton leading 37-30 at half, but a strong surge from North Johnston saw the Panthers outscore their opponents 33-24 in the final two quarters, comprised of a 17-9 third quarter and a slim 16-15 margin in the final period of action. Had Hobbton scored just two more baskets throughout the game, they would have gone 13-13 on the season and probably boosted their RPI, giving them a better spot in the playoffs. That was their most successful playoff push, though, as their first round 68-66 win over Neuse Charter saw them fall to Camden County in the second.

Lakewood

Lakewood is another case of under performance with shining moments throughout. The Leopards’ 78-137 overall record, including a whopping 36-47 against Sampson opponents, doesn’t tell the full story of Lakewood basketball in my opinion.

Sure, only three seasons saw the Leopards make the playoffs. Of those three, only two were above .500. One of them was the COVID year, too. Just looking at the numbers, you wouldn’t think Lakewood was a successful program. I’m here to tell you that numbers don’t tell you the full story.

Take the 2020 season, for example. They didn’t lose at all to Sampson County, going 3-0 against Hobbton and 2-0 against Union. In 2014, they went 4-4, losing only to Midway and Clinton twice each, meaning they handled the other two quite well. In 2019, they even beat Midway. So, while you may look at their records and think they didn’t have a stout program, I’m here to prove you wrong.

There are many similarities between Lakewood and Hobbton, starting with their colors and mascots. The buck doesn’t stop there, though, as 2015 saw the most heartbreaking loss for Lakewood as well, and it came at the hands of the Wildcats.

Specifics for the Dec. 22 showdown of the Sampson County teams aren’t available, but the Wildcats handed the Leopards a 60-58 home loss right before Christmas in what appears to be a tournament game. Had Lakewood won, they would have finished the season at 12-12 and 5-4 versus the county.

Midway

Spivey’s Corner has seen some good basketball, but I’m sure the Raider faithful would have liked to see more games in the win column throughout the decade. Boasting a total 108-127 record, Midway bullied the rest of the county along the way, going 54-18, holding second place for win percentage against Sampson behind just Clinton, but securing more wins along the way.

Twice the Raiders went undefeated against the county, as they went 8-0 in both 2014 and 2022. Their only losing season against local foes came in 2020, as they went 0-2 versus Clinton in the shortened season — their only in-county action that year. Outside of that anomaly, their worst season locally was in 2019, when they went just 4-4, while still sweeping Hobbton.

Back-to-back years saw Midway make it to the second round to open the decade in 2014 and 2015. They started the time period making the playoffs for three straight years, failing to make them 2017-2021, and were bounced in the first round in 2022 and 2023. This is as solid of a program as any locally, but the Raiders just cannot get over the hump of the playoffs it seems.

And yet, once more, the biggest heart breaker for Midway wasn’t a season-ending playoff loss. Nor was it a “local” team, either. It was against a SAC-7 conference foe not far away, however. St. Pauls emerged victorious in their 64-62 double-overtime win in their 2022-23 meeting, which helped the Bulldogs to a split of third place in the conference that year and forcing a tie with Midway and Fairmont for fifth. I firmly believe they would have a better chance to make a deeper playoff run with better seeding had they won.

Mintz

Mintz’s basketball program hasn’t been around for as long as the rest of the schools in the county, but they shouldn’t be overlooked just because of that. In fact, the first season they even have listed on MaxPreps is 2014. But, due to this, not a lot of information is available for the Lions, so they don’t have as much of a story to tell.

They wouldn’t hit double-digit games until the 2016 season, playing — and losing — just five total games between 2014 and 2015. Their first winning season came in 2018, when they boasted a 2-1 record. In 2022, they saw a 10-6 campaign and continued with double-digit wins in 2023, going 12-4. However, the playoffs were not noted in any of these seasons, so I am unsure of their postseason success, if there is any.

Because I don’t know of any postseason action for the Lions, I naturally cannot pick a playoff game as their most heartbreaking loss, unlike the other schools, where that was a factor. For the Lions, I’m taking their 2022 game against Christ the Cornerstone Academy on Dec. 1, in which they lost a slim 55-51 game against their conference rival. No details about the game are available for the Lions besides the final score, but I can tell you that losing a close one against a conference foe is never fun.

Union

With just 36 wins across the period and 169 losses, it’s not hard to see that the last decade has been rough for the Spartans down at Union. Their average season was 3.6-16.9, meaning four wins would have them as an above average squad, so their back-to-back 10-14 and 9-11 seasons were that much more extraordinary.

It was the 2017 season that saw them with their only double-digit win total of the decade for the 10-14 season, which also ended with their only playoff birth. Their best winning percentage came the following year as the Spartans won 45 percent of their games, nearing the coveted .500 mark. These efforts weren’t good enough, though, and they fell short of the postseason once more.

From 2021 through 2023, Union won just one total game, which brought the season average down substantially. ‘21 and ‘23 weren’t their only winless campaigns, though, as they opened the time period going 0-22 in 2014.

As you may have predicted, it was the Spartans’ 2017 in the first round that is their most heartbreaking in my eyes. Union pulled the No. 24 seed that season, after their strong campaign throughout the regular season, which meant they had to face No. 9 Ocracoke in the first round. After being tied at 13 after the first quarter, the Dolphins turned on the jets in the middle two before the Spartans outscored them by seven in the final period of action, but not before Ocracoke had jumped out to a sizable lead.