More on the NC High School playoffs

The regional round of the basketball playoffs are this week meaning that eight teams are left alive from each class in the state (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A). Due to the inclement weather in the Western half of the state, some games have been rescheduled in the West Regional while all East Regional games remain unchanged. Here is a quick rundown of the teams and some of the standout players remaining in the playoffs.

The 1A East Regional features Weldon (26-1) vs. South Robeson (17-6) on Wednesday, March 4th at 7pm inside Minges Coliseum at East Carolina University. South Robeson is playing the role of underdog in this game but features some good shooters as well as versatile forward David Goins (6’4’’, 2009) who had 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in their latest playoff win.

In the other semifinal Camden (25-3) will battle Pender (23-6) at 8:30pm at Minges Coliseum. Camden features Ricky Krainiak (6’2”, 2009) a combo guard who is averaging 22 points and over 5 rebounds a game. The championship game will be Saturday, March 7 at 3pm.
The 1A West Regional begins Friday March 6 at 7pm at Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro with Bishop-McGuinness (28-2) facing Hendersonville
(17-9). Bishop-McGuinness out of Kernersville has a decided advantage in overall height with eight players standing at least 6’2” including Robbie Fitzgerald (6’9”, 2009) and Jack McSwain (6’7”, 2010).

The 8:30pm semi-final will showcase Cherryville (22-8) vs. South Stokes (17-9). Cherryville, traditionally a baseball power, features one of the best young shooting guards in the state in Terry Whisnant, Jr. (6’4”, 2011). Whisnant dropped in 36 points and grabbed 12 boards in Cherryville’s sectional final win against Nantahala. The championship is this Saturday (3/7) at 4pm in Fleming Gym.

In the 2A East, South Brunswick (24-5) will play against Northwood (18-5) out of Pittsboro at 7pm on Thursday, March 5 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University. With an 8:30p tip-off East Duplin (21-6) battles traditional basketball heavyweight Burlington Cummings (21-6). Cummings features J.T. Terrell (PG/SG 6’2”, 2010) who is a pure scorer and torched Reidsville in the sectional final with 42 points. The championship begins at 5pm on March 7th at Minges Coliseum.

The 2A West Regional should be just as exciting with the great match-ups that are in store. Shelby (26-2) will go up against West Caldwell (22-6) at Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center at 5:30pm on Thursday (3/5). West Caldwell has an outstanding point guard in Kendall Jones (5’9”, 2011) who has scored at least 30 points in six games this season. In the second semi-final East Lincoln (26-4) will play Ashe County (25-3) inside Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro, also with a 5:30pm tip time. Ashe County showcases a talented forward in Tommy Spagnolo (6’7”, 2009) who is committed to Radford and averages over 15 points and 8 rebounds a game. The championship game will be played on Saturday (3/7) at noon in Greensboro Coliseum’s Special Event Center.

In the East 3A Regional North Guilford (27-3) will face Bertie (22-4) at Minges Coliseum on Friday, March 6 at 7pm. Bertie features balanced scoring with three players averaging at least 11 points which includes Tyson Perry (PG, 6’1”, 2009) who totals 17.9 points a game. At 8:30pm Kinston (26-3) will take on Dudley (26-3), with the regional championship this Saturday (3/7) at 7pm.
The 3A West is also strong featuring Concord (28-1) vs. Charlotte Catholic (13-15) with a start time of 7pm on Wednesday (3/4). Following this game, T.W. Andrews (24-4) out of High Point will take on Gastonia’s Forestview (23-6). Preston Holmes (PG, 6’0”, 2010) will anchor Forestview’s attack and averages over 15 points and 3 steals a game. The championship will begin at 2pm March 7th; all games will be held Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.
Cary’s Panther Creek (28-2) will battle Fayetteville’s Jack Britt High School (24-6) in the 4A East Region’s first game at 7pm at Minges Coliseum Today (3/3) . Panther Creek has a talented SF/PF in Marques Oliver (6’6”, 2009) who is very athletic and creates havoc for other teams on both ends. In the other semi-final match-up Enloe (28-2) will play Terry Sanford High School (26-3) out of Fayetteville at 8:30pm. The Championship game is Saturday March 7th at 1pm at Minges Coliseum at ECU.
The 4A West Region features some very talented teams as well. On the campus of UNC-Greensboro in Fleming Gym, Hopewell (27-0) will take on Charlotte’s Ardrey Kell (21-8) at 7pm on Thursday (3/5). Immediately following this game Mt. Tabor (28-1) out of Winston-Salem will try to knock off Myers Park (24-6) of Charlotte. Mt. Tabor features a trio of talented guards who have already committed to college programs including C.J. Harris (6’3”, 2009) who is headed to Wake Forest, Michael Grace (PG, 6’0”, 2009) who is committed to Yale, and Josh Hicks (6’2”, 2009) who is committed to Old Dominion University in Virginia.

The state championship games will be held next week on Saturday, March 14th at two locations. 1A and 3A teams will play at Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State University (NCSU). 2A and 4A teams will play at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina (UNC).

High School Basketball Playoffs and the ACC

As high school playoffs kick off around the country, we turn our attention to the players who have committed or many end up in the ACC.

John Wall and Word of God have already lost the NCISSA 1A title game, after getting downed by United Faith as Ian Miller hit a 40-footer at the buzzer. This was only moments after Wall dribbled off of his foot and out of bounds:

Falcons senior Blake Smith hit a tying 3-point shot from the corner with 14.3 seconds left. Wall dribbled off his foot trying to take a championship-winning attempt.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, Walton is shaking up the AAAAA tournament after knocking out no.1 ranked McEachern last week. Next up, Walton will take on Norcross, the three-time defending champion. What’s important about all of this to ACC fans is that Walton has Ryan Harrow(PG, 6’0″,2010) , who is headed to NC State, and Glen Rice Jr. (SG, 6’4″, 2009), headed to Georgia Tech. Norcross has Taariq Muhammad (PG, 6’2″, 2009), who at one time was listing Wake Forest, but hasn’t mentioned them recently but still lists Virginia as a possibility.