North Lenoir battles to the end in Brandon Ingram Invitational loss to Swansboro
North Lenoir battles to the end in Brandon Ingram Invitational loss to Swansboro
North Lenoir pushed one of the tournament’s top teams to the final horn but came up just short, falling 80-77 to Swansboro in the Brandon Ingram Invitational. The loss dropped the Hawks to 5-11 on the season, while Swansboro improved to 11-5.
Swansboro set the tone early behind a hot start from Connor May, who scored 11 points in the opening quarter before exiting with an injury on a fast-break play. Even after May went down, the Pirates carried a 24-13 lead after the first quarter.
North Lenoir responded in the second quarter behind Julian Veal, who knocked down four three-pointers in the first half to keep the Hawks within striking distance. Veal scored 33 points on the night and was named North Lenoir’s Brandon Ingram Invitational MVP. Christian Veal added seven points in the second quarter, helping North Lenoir close the gap to 38-30 before Swansboro took a 45-35 lead into halftime.
The Hawks continued to chip away in the second half, showing resilience less than 24 hours after a tough conference loss to Washington. DJ Gooding scored eight of his 10 points after halftime, while Christian Veal finished with 12 points. Anton “AJ” Black added 11 points, and Zymeir Rosber chipped in nine as North Lenoir stayed within reach down the stretch.
Swansboro was led by Fletcher Panos, who finished with 21 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Panos was named Swansboro’s Brandon Ingram Invitational MVP as the Pirates held off North Lenoir’s late push.
North Lenoir’s coach credited his team’s toughness after playing the night before, saying, “The game took a lot out of us last night, but as this game kept going and the crowd got going, the guys grew into it and picked up and made stuff happen.” He also praised the opportunity to compete in the event, adding, “We were just honored to get the call and thrilled to be in it.”
North Lenoir will look to bounce back Tuesday night when the Lancers host Kinston on their home floor.
