Phenom Hoops continues its coverage around the state of North Carolina, as we locked in at EE Smith as they welcomed in Northern Nash in what looked to be a very intense battle.' EE Smith came out with the first punch, really creating havoc offensively behind their star senior James Scott, as he helped EE Smith jump out to a 12-5 first-quarter lead.' Northern Nash continued to struggle in stopping the big man down low in the first half, as he scored 12 first-half points.' Northern Nash tried to get going but didn't find much success, as they were down 25-13 at halftime.
Start of the second half, Northern Nash started to get going with key shots falling from behind the arc and their veterans stepping up and attacking. They also held Scott to one point in the third quarter, as Northern Nash cut the deficit to as many as two early in the fourth quarter. But once again, Scott rose to the occasion, as he simply could not be stopped, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter alone to give EE Smith the hard-fought victory.
Final: EE Smith 54 ' Northern Nash 41
Stats:
EE Smith: James Scott 27 points/ Travis Stroud 11pts/ Johnathan Williams 6pts
NN: Jamal Townsend 11pts/ Jonathon Page 9pts/ Randall King 6pts
Standouts:
2023 James Scott (EE Smith): It has been a joy watching Scott develop as a player. From watching him over two years ago at Seventy-First when he was averaging just under five points a game, to where he is today, Scott really has developed into the player we thought he could be. Scott was dominant on both ends, using his incredible size and athleticism to finish at the rim, and there was nothing that Northern Nash could do to stop him. Tremendous presence in blocking shots, active on the glass allowed him to create second-chance points, and showed just how dominant he can be in the paint.
2023 Jamal Townsend (Northern Nash): Townsend did what he could do, as he started out slow in the first half but started to come on in the second half, scoring all 11 points in the second half. Townsend is a quick guard that was able to attack in transition, get downhill, and find ways to score. He also hit a big three in the third quarter to give his team a chance early on.