Big Match-Up’s in the Sweet Sixteen, part II
East 2-A #9 Kinston at #1 Farmville Central
Farmville Central Head Coach Larry Williford has been in this position before. Farmville Central made the fourth-round last season before bowing out to Greene Central HS. In 2016, Farmville Central won it all by taking down East Lincoln HS.
The Jaguars are 28-0 this season and feature some of the top players in the state. 2020 point guard Justin Wright (ranked 15th by HoopSeenNC) is a no frills, steady floor-general. Wright has offers from High Point, Rice, Old Dominion, East Carolina and some interest lately from Houston. 2021 guard Terquavion Smith, an NC State commit is ranked by HoopSeenNC as the 8th best prospect in the 2021 class. He can score at a high rate, he can play either guard position and is a very good transition defender. These two guards are what makes Farmville Central go, but here are the other role players for Larry Williford’s squad that can put them back to the promised land of 2016, 2020 guard Samage Teel has been rounding out the scoring load with around 16 points per game. In the second round win against St. Paul’s the junior scored 19 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. 6-foot-6 forward DyQuavis Wilkins controls the paint. The long and athletic Wilkins is a solid area rebounder and can score from either block.
Kinston, one of the perennial powers in the state, has a record of 24-6 overall, including their 15th straight conference tournament championship. The Vikings are led by the #3 ranked 2021 player in the state Dontrez Styles, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard that can handle the ball, finish plays at the rim, grabs rebounds and can affect the game with his size. He already has offers from East Carolina, Georgetown and Ole Miss. Also leading the way in this fourth-round match-up with Farmville Central is forward Judah McBynum who has been producing down low. Guard Issac Parson has been the floor-general this season and has been steadily putting up strong showings.
3-A West #12 AL Brown at #3 Freedom
Coached by Casey Rogers, the son of former Freedom all-time great coach Terry Rogers and a state champion coach himself, Casey has Freedom back in the fourth-round. One of the best shooters in the state, Fletcher Abee takes on a majority of the scoring load for Freedom. The Citadel signee is averaging 19 points per game. 6-foot-3 senior guard Jakari Dula is averaging close to 16 points per game and is one of the most athletic players on the floor against any team. Rounding out the scoring for Freedom (27-2) is 6-foot-4 forward Matthew Logan at 12 points per game.
For the Wonders of AL Brown the future is bright as freshman Kheni Briggs and sophomore Amare Haynie are the guys to stop. The 2022 guard Briggs has been putting up strong numbers all season and is averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds. Haynie, a 6-foot-2 point-guard/shooting guard is averaging around 18 points per game. Relying on under-classmen for much of their overall record of 21-7, this game will become a battle of seniors and upperclassmen against the young guns. Freedom has the advantage with senior leadership and veterans but AL Brown has the young talent in a game that will be held at Freedom in front of the whole town of Morganton, North Carolina.
