Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the once again rainy Piedmont! The Sadster is here to reveal his state title winners and recap the 4A regional finals. The Great One broke slick with. 1-1 record but it could’ve been a sweep and could’ve been an O-fer so he’ll take it. His total record after the fifth frame is 203-45, or 82%. However, there is still work to be done! Top seed New Hanover rallied for a 55-53 win over Richmond County. The Raiders led the entire game behind Paul McNeil’s 36 points and even led by double digits in the second half but wilted down the stretch. Rodmik Allen led the charge for the Wildcats, propelling them into the Ring Round to face North Meck, who led their entire game with Lake Norman until the last two minutes of regulation as well. However, the Vikings refused to suffer the same fate as the Raiders. After falling behind briefly by four with under two minutes remaining, Isaiah Evans scored the final four points sending the game to OT. The Wildcats, aka Lakers, took a brief two-point lead then Trey Maxwell netted a trey giving the Norsemen the lead for good with the final being 65-61 giving North Meck another Furious 5 title and a ticket to the state championship game. Like New Hanover, Lake Norman is a junior-laden team and figures to be back next season behind 6’10 Trent Steinhour. Now that the semifinals are in the books, it is now time to cast the dye on who will get sized for rings and who will start dreaming of next year. In the 1A, Wilson Prep faces Corvian today at 1. The Ol’ Cubic Zirconia Ball (can’t afford crystal) sees a repeat champion as Wilson Prep wins a nail-biter. In today’s 3A match, Central Cabarrus takes on 71st. The Vikings will also go back-to-back completing a two-season undefeated run for Head Coach Jim Baker (no relation to the PTL Club). The 2A and 4A picks will be posted tomorrow on Phenom Hoops. Once again, these are the picks……
1A: WILSON PREP
3A: CENTRAL CABARRUS
Check back tomorrow for the final picks of the season as The Amazing One will reveal your final two state title winners. Stay tuned!!!!
SAD SAM – HS HOOPS GENIUS