Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the spring awaiting Piedmont! Let the bells ring out across the land for it is time for the ol’ cubic zirconia ball (can’t afford crystal) to provide prognosticating insight like no other. States are finally here and The Great One will now cast the dye on the postseason. As a part of the annual tradition he will pick his Upset Specials and an occasional KOD (Kiss of Death) will be given out. The state playoffs are always memorable and this year will be no exception. Some teams have appeared to have played possum part of the regular season but are peaking at the right time to add more mystery to the mix. Have no fear though because The Sadster is aware of the situation and has factored those things into his predictions. We will now review the top seeds in each respective class and region and then name some interesting 1st round matchups and list some Dark Horses. In the 4A, Lake Norman is the top seed and has been The Great One’s pick to come out of the West since the beginning of the season. The East has a repeat top seed in New Hanover, which has also been his pick to win the East since the preseason. The 3A West has Ashbrook as the top seed but does have an interesting 1st round matchup against QCAC member West Charlotte whose size could make this one a little too close for comfort for the Green Wave. Swansboro holds the top seed in the 3A East. In the 2A West, perennial power and 2024 ring winners Reidsville hold the top seed. The favorite to face them in The Joel from the East is, you guessed it, Farmville Central. That would be a great rematch of last season’s memorable final which came down to the last shot. Finally, in the 1A West, Bishop McGuiness earned the top seed and Washington County is in the top slot in the East. We know that the higher seeds are capable of big things but there are others who are capable of making noise in the brackets and possibly earning a “Cinderella” title. We will now look at who The Great One sees as potential “bracket-busting” teams in their respective classes. These are some of the Dark Horse teams:
4A WEST: MT. TABOR, CHAMBERS
4A EAST: CLAYTON, LUMBERTON, PANTHER CREEK
3A WEST: HUNTER HUSS, KINGS MTN.
3A EAST: N. NASH, EE SMITH
2A WEST: LINCOLNTON, BANDYS
2A EAST: S. GRANVILLE, WHITEVILLE
1A WEST: CORVIAN, WS PREP
1A EAST: WILSON PREP
We’ve now covered some of the teams that could cause problems in their brackets. Without further delay, we will now see who your 1st round winners are and who is going home…… TO THE PICKS!!!
4A WEST: LAKE NORMAN, CATHOLIC, N. GUILFORD, MYERS PARK, INDEPENDENCE, CHAMBERS, MCDOWELL, NORTH MECK, DAVIE CO., WEDDINGTON, E. FORSYTH, WATAUGA, TABOR, SW GUILFORD, W. FORSYTH and Upset Special ARDREY KELL
4A EAST: NEW HANOVER, RICH-WHAT? RICHMOND, OVERHILLS, GREEN LEVEL, HOLLY SPRINGS, CLAYTON, JORDAN, SANDERSON, LUMBERTON, HOGGARD, KNIGHTDALE, GIBBONS, GARNER and Upset Specials HERITAGE, MILLBROOK, and PANTHER CREEK
3A WEST: ASHBROOK, NE GUILFORD, LEDFORD, PIEDMONT, N. LINCOLN, HUSS, FRANKLIN, ROBINSON, DUDLEY, HICKORY, AC REYNOLDS, BEN SMITH, FREEDOM, CREST, E. HENDERSON and Upset Special KINGS MTN
3A EAST: SWANSBORO, SOUTH CENTRAL, S. LEE, E. WAKE, N. NASH, WHITE OAK, ORANGE CO., PERSON CO., ROSE, CROATAN, 71ST, W. BRUNSWICK, FIRST FLIGHT, EE SMITH, E. ALAMANCE, SOUTHERN DURHAM
2A WEST: REIDSVILLE, MONROE, HENDERSONVILLE, MAIDEN, LINCOLNTON, PINE LAKE PREP, SALISBURY, N. SURRY, SURRY CENTRAL, LINCOLN CHARTER, MT PLEASANT, SHELBY, OWEN, BANDYS, RANDLEMAN and Upset Special WALKERTOWN
2A EAST: FARMVILLE, FAIRMONT, EASTERN WAYNE, FRANKLIN ACAD., NORTHEASTERN, KINSTON, WASHINGTON, W. BLADEN, NORTHWOOD, SW EDGECOMB, S. GRANVILLE, ROANOKE RAPIDS, MARTIN, WHITEVILLE, SE ALAMANCE, SW ONSLOW
1A WEST: BISHOP MCGUINESS, UWHARRIE, THOMAS JEFFERSON, N. ROWAN, CORVIAN, CPLA, CAROLINA INTRNL., MTN HERITAGE, QUEENS GRANT, ROBBINSVILLE, HIWASSEE, E. RANDOLPH, S. STANLY, CARVER, S. STOKES, and Upset Special WS PREP
1A EAST: WASH. CO, LEJEUNE, OCRACOKE, WAKE PREP, VANCE CHARTER, NORTHSIDE, VOYAGER, LAKEWOOD, BERTIE, NORTHAMPTON, TARBORO, CHATHAM CENTRAL, WILSON PREP, WARREN CO., S. WAKE and Upset Special CHATHAM CHARTER
There you have it folks! We now have the results before they happen so all there is to do is go out and support these young men in their quests to fulfill their hoops dreams. The Sadster will return Thursday to recap the 1st round and give you his 2nd round winners. Stay tuned!!!!
SAD SAM – HS HOOPS GENIUS