The 2025-26 North Carolina high school basketball season is off to a fast start as Wilmington-area teams battle it out against nonconference opponents.
As conference play is set to begin in January for most of the area teams, this winter brings new questions as three new conferences look for their first basketball champions.
In Wilmington, the Carolina Coast Conference pits five-time champion New Hanover against a field that's itching to end the Wildcats' 58-game conference win streak on the boys side. The team hasn't lost a conference matchup since 2021.

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