Apex Friendship 76 Broughton 68

The early morning game on Day Three featured the consolation bracket of the David West bracket. Apex Friendship and Broughton both lost hard-fought games. Broughton lost to NCHSAA 2A state champion Farmville Central by the score 72-67 while Apex Friendship lost to nationally-ranked Patrick School by the score of 70-64.

First Half

After scoring 35 points against nationally-ranked Patrick School, 6’7 NC State signee Nick Farrar (Apex Friendship) was simply sensational.  Farrar poured in 22 points going 9-of-24 from the floor, 2-of-5 from the 3-point line, 2-of-4 from the free-throw line, leading Apex Friendship to a 43-34 halftime lead.  Farrar was scoring from all three levels and picked up right where he left off the previous night against the Patrick School. In addition, 6’1 sophomore Julien King was extremely impressive for Broughton as well. King finished with 13 points, going 6-of-9 from the floor, 1-of-3 from the 3-point line, one assist and one steal. King has good quickness and is very fluid; he has the ability to create his own shot as well as create for others.

For the most part, it was a very well-played first half. Apex Friendship shot a blistering 60 percent from the floor (18-of-30) and 42 percent from the 3-point line (5-of-12), but more importantly they moved the ball extremely well and had 11 assists compared to only six turnovers. For Broughton, they shot 60 percent from the floor as well (15-25) and 25 percent (2-8) from the 3-point line. In addition, they had six assists to only four turnovers.

Second Half

Broughton played Apex Friendship fairly evenly throughout the second half but never could make up the eight-point deficit at halftime. For Broughton, they move to 1-9 but don’t let their record fool you. They lost the majority of their scoring last season and are in a transition or rebuilding process. For the game, King finished with a team-high 22 points going an efficient 9-of-16 from the floor, 2-of-5 from the 3-point, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.

Summary

The storyline for the game was the terrific play of NC State signee Nick Farrar. Farrar has the ability to score from the paint or step out and knock down 3-pointers with consistency. He plays with a high motor and has good ball-handling and passing skills. The southpaw has excellent shooting mechanics and although he may be the least heralded of the NC State recruiting class, look for him to be the one surprise players next season for the Pack.  Farrar finished with 35 points going 15-of-22 from the floor, 2-of-5 from the 3-point line, 3-of-7 from the free-throw line.  Not to mention, he collected four rebounds, dished out five assists and even had one steal and blocked shot. In addition, Apex Friendship does an excellent job of running sets in the half-court, moving well without the ball and making the extra pass. Apex Friendship moves to 9-3 for the season and will play at 12:30 pm for fifth place in the David West Bracket.