4-A West #7 Ardrey Kell at #6 West Charlotte 

West Charlotte took care of business in the second quarter on Saturday against Olympic outscoring The Trojans 28-14 in the period. That margin of difference would end up being enough as Florida State signee Patrick Williams scored 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a 3-point win for The Lions. 

Ardrey Kell upset defending 4-A champion Independence on the road 65-64 in overtime to advance to the elite eight. Guard Luke Stankavage led the Knights with 21 points but it was the late game heroics of Royce Jarrett that sent Ardrey Kell home the winner as he rattled home a three-pointer as time expired in OT. This is the fifth time Mike Craft and Ardrey Kell have advanced to the regional rounds of the NCHSAA playoffs. 

The keys for this game will be how Ardrey Kell can put a stop to Patrick Wiliams and his ability to score from so many different spots on the floor. If Craft and company can come up with a plan to slow down Williams, this may end up being a low-scoring game. The play of point guard Carteir Jernigan, a USC-Upstate will be crucial for West Charlotte. He poured in 21 points against Olympic on a variety of finishes at the rim. The shooting from Luke Stankavage gives Ardrey Kell a slight advantage in that category. Head Coach Mike Craft is one of the best in the state and is used to being this far in the playoffs. 

4-A West #12 Myers Park at #9 RJ Reynolds

RJ Reynolds came to Charlotte and knocked off North Mecklenburg in overtime. Devin Ingram scored 24 points, USC-Upstate signee Mysta Goodloe scored 22 and Tyrek Leach scored 20 points in the win despite a 45-point outburst from 2020 guard Tristan Maxwell for North Mecklenburg. 

Myers Park reaches the regional semi-finals with a 75-64 win over Davie County. Kameron Mack paced Myers Park with 22 points, big-time football recruit Drake Maye scored 16 while grabbing 20 rebounds and Caleb McReed added 15. Maye, a sophomore is the younger brother of North Carolina senior forward Luke Maye and is leading the Mustangs in scoring (14 ppg) and rebounds (8.4 rpg) this season. 

This will be a guard-heavy game but if Myers Park can slow down the shooting and scoring pace and turn it into a limited possession game, I could see them advancing to take on West Charlotte in the regional final. If RJ Reynolds has another big game from Ingram or Goodloe, it could turn into a runaway for RJ Reynolds who match-up well with West Charlotte in a regional final which will be at a neutral site in Hickory. 

4-A East #4 Seventy-First at #1 Millbrook 

The 26-1 Millbrook Wildcats are heading into the regional semi-finals with only one blemish on their record, a loss to Leesville Road. Millbrook took care of that doubt in the second round surviving with a 67-63 win against the only team that has beat them. In the third round, Millbrook took down #9 Knightdate by 15 points. 

Seventy-First advances to the regional semi-finals with a third-round win over Holly Springs 64-53. David Simmons has a senior-laden bunch that has a 26-3 overall record.

The senior leadership of Millbrook and Seventy-First and who wants it more will be the story-line for this regional final. Phillip Burwell, a senior guard has came up with big plays from the free-throw line in these playoffs and senior guards Trevon Bell of Seventy-First is averaging 14 points per game. While fellow senior Xzavier Howard is scoring 18 points per game. The battle in the post between senior Brion McLaurin (Seventy-First) and Sam Hood (Millbrook) should be interesting. Both a 6-foot-8 and can score in the paint. 

4-A East #2 Wakefield at #1 South Central 

South Central has plowed through their first two playoff games by 33 and 25 points. Led by North Carolina recruit Day’Ron Sharpe and senior guard Shykeim Phillips, South Central has dominated teams in eastern North Carolina all season. The only loss for South Central on the year was at the hands of The Ranney School (NJ) in the John Wall Invitational in Raleigh over Christmas. 

Senior Shykeim Phillips is a tough as nails scorer, he is putting up 17 points per game. Phillips has offers from East Carolina, Towson, UNC-Asheville, Western Carolina, South Carolina State, Kent State, Old Dominion and Elon. Junior big man Sharpe is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds. 

Wakefield has a record of 24-4 overall and 9-1 in the conference. Their second-round win over Panther Creek 76-73 sets up this match-up between #1 and #2. 

Keys to the game for Wakefield is trying to stop junior Day’Ron Sharpe. Wakefield senior 6-foot-9 big man Kharye Cayne and 6-foot-7 senior center Jawon Eddie will be forced to slow down Sharpe. 6-foot-4 senior guard Trae Smith is averaging close to 20 points per game and will be in a tough spot against the defensive ability of Shykeim Phillips.