The Phenom HoopState Championship brings you some of the best teams that haven’t competed for a state championship in NCHSAA and NCISAA, all under one building to compete for a championship. Last year, Moravian Prep took home the title but this year, it looks to be even deeper and it is anyone’s ball game. To get geared up for the event, we want to preview some of the matchups you will see on Friday, with much more coverage coming.
Liberty Heights held the top spot for much of the season before falling late to Moravian Prep. But this is a program that has its eyes on the big prize and has the talent to run the table. Led by their head coach Mike Wright, this is a team that simply gets it done on both ends and is loaded with talent. It has been fun to see how this team has bonded together throughout the year and they have been clicking all year long. Marquette commit Jonas Aidoo helps lead the charge, manning the paint, blocking shots, and being a force down low. But they also have guards like 2022 Elijah Jamison who has been rising up the rankings and 2021 PJ Edwards has been showing to be a smooth operating guard with a confident shot, as he will be bringing that to UCF down the road. This is a team full of next-level talent that can help college coaches and they have their eyes on the big prize.
Winston Salem Christian brings Antonio Lowe, a coach that knows how to win a title at the Phenom HoopState Championship. He won it last year with Moravian Prep and even though they come in as the No. 7 seed, this is a team that has the talent to make a run. They are led by some high-major prospects in Quante Berry, Brandon White, Christ Essandoko, Jordan Wildy, and others. This is a team that is loaded with size and has played an extremely difficult national schedule this year, preparing themselves for this moment. They would like nothing more than to make some noise early and knock off Liberty Heights.
To add to this matchup, if you remember back at the Bojangles Bash, these two teams met up and Winston Salem was able to provide Liberty Heights one of their two losses with a buzzer beater to win… so, lets just say there is a little more on the line in this showdown as well.
The stars will be out in this one and this one could be more of a defensive battle between these two but there is no doubt, you can find big-time talent at almost every position on the court in this game.