Phenom Hoops kicked off the season in a big way with the Carmel Christian Tip-Off Classic, bringing in some of the premier talent and teams from around the region under one building in Charlotte.
The night continued with Combine Academy National vs. Northside Christian, two teams with a ton of talent to watch for. Northside Christian came out strong and made an early statement, getting out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and took an impressive 24-12 lead in the first quarter. Combine started to find a bit more of their rhythm but Northside still held the lead throughout the second quarter, 40-33. Patrick Wessler led the charge for Combine while Wesley Tubbs led a balanced attack offensively from Northside.
In the second half, it was Combine Academy starting to use their size down low with Wessler, really attacking the paint and finishing strong. It helped Combine erase a lead and eventually take a lead after three quarters, 59-54. Combine continued to get their offense going behind their big man, who eventually finished the night with 31 points to lead all scorers. Eventually getting into double-digits, Combine was able to get to the line and maintain their lead, eventually taking home a hard-fought 86-69 victory.
Final: Combine Academy 86 – Northside Christian 69
Stats:
Combine: Patrick Wessler 31 points/ Braylhan Thomas 12/ AJ Smith 11/ Preston Murphy 9
Northside: Daniel Lubamba 13 points/ Wesley Tubbs 9/ Mychael Mitchell 9/ Antonio Perkins 11