By Richard Taylor
Following the Dolphin boys’ hard-fought 68-53 Atlantic 6 conference championship victory over Columbia Friday night, Ocracoke has earned the ninth seed in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association East rankings, released Saturday in Chapel Hill.
That means the Dolphins do not get a first-round bye in the state playoffs which goes to the top eight seeds, and will tip off at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 20) in the “Tank” (at home) against the 24th-seeded Union High School (10-13) from Rose Hill in Duplin County. The Union Spartans are led by senior guard Derrick Smith who is averaging 18 points per game.
The game will be broadcast on WOVV, 90.1 FM and wovv.org. Festivities will kick off with a school pep rally at 2 p.m. Pizza, drinks and more will be available outside the gym starting at 5:30 p.m.
The 24th-seeded Lady Dolphins who lost to Cape Hatters in the second round of the conference tournament, will play ninth-seeded Riverside High of Williamston, at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Williamston. Higher ranked teams receive home court advantage.
The Dolphin boys remain undefeated in conference play (12-0) and are 20-3 overall after beating the Wildcats Friday for the third time this season. To read that story, click here.
Should the Dolphin varsity boys win Tuesday night, they will advance to the East’s second round, at East Carteret, Thursday.
Undefeated Atlantic 6 girls’ champion Cape Hatteras (23-0) beat Creswell 53-28 Friday, gaining fourth-seed honors in the East. Thus, the Hurricanes received a bye for Tuesday’s first round of playoffs.
The 16th-seed Columbia Tigers (10-16), whom the Dolphins beat Friday night, will match up against the 17th-seeded Plymouth Vikings (10-6), Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Columbia.
Boy’s powerhouse Rocky Mount Preparatory, in the Tar Roanoke 1A Conference, with a perfect 22-0 record, earned top-seed honors in the East 1A rankings. West Columbus, 21-6, gained 2nd seed in the East.
