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North Middle/High releases early for boys' basketball state playoff game

North eagles fell to Christ Church cavaliers 43 - 86.

NORTH, South Carolina — North High School’s boys' basketball team has made it to the Upper State Championship for the first time in three decades.

Kamryn Rhodes, a senior at North High, says the boys team has been working hard.

“All I can say is hard work does pay off, and I done seen the boys done bust their tails to get here,” Rhodes said. “So they well deserve it, they really do deserve it.”

Orangeburg County School District’s superintendent allowed North to end the school early Monday so everyone could go to the game. The school district also provided a bus for Eagle fans who couldn’t make the drive.

Sharry James, who graduated from North in 1985, says she wasn’t going to miss the bus.

“It is very important. It will be awesome for the Town of North to make this happen today, and I got the faith that they're going to do it, but it’s very awesome,” James said. “I’m going to be ecstatic for us to win this game today.”

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North Middle High Principal Debrah Norman said this is one of the many accomplishments at the school.

“Well, we have a saying 'Why not North?' Why can’t we be champions of something and it’s for our community, for our staff, for our students,” Norman said. “We have a lot of pride here at North Middle/High School. We’re changing the culture on Cromer, and we’re doing a lot of things academically, artistically and athletically and so we, like I said, have a lot of pride in North Middle/High School, and for right now, this is the icing on the cake. We certainly hope that we are victorious this evening. However we’re so thankful that we were able to make it this far.”

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Brandi Bonnette, who graduated from North and is now a parent of a student at the school, said this is a big deal.

“It’s the first time we’ve been to the championship in like three decades, like thirty years,” Bonnette said. “We’re a real small town, you know. It’s like these kids ain’t got much to do around here so I guess, you know, it’s kinda important for them to see North doing something big.”

The North eagles fell to Christ Church Episcopal 86 to 43 on Monday.

North Middle/High will still be having scheduled early release on Tuesday as well.

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