1st Round Games to See in North Carolina
There are some terrific games happening across the Tar Heel in the first round of the NCHSAA playoffs. We take a peek look at five games you’ve got to see this week.
3-A West #17 Parkland (Winston-Salem) at #16 Tuscola (Waynesville)
Tuscola finished tied for 2nd in the WMAC at 11-5 on the season and secured a #16 seed in the 3-A division of the NCHSAA playoffs behind Anderson University baseball commit Landon Henley. The 6-foot-6 forward broke the school record for points and rebounds in a career this season and was a dominant force on the inside in a conference with not a lot of size. 2020 guard Max Rogers is a skilled floor-leader that can rattle of points in a hurry. 2021 Nathan Brafford is one of the top sophomores in the mountains and was key in a few games with his shooting ability.
One of the main reasons we have this game as a “Game to See” is the fact that Parkland High School is the #17 seed and will be a team with the athleticism that Tuscola High School hasn’t seen this year. Tuscola has the senior leadership in Henley and Parkland has the underclassmen. Parkland finished 7-5 in the Piedmont Triad Conference, good enough for a tie for 3rd place. Parkland is coached by former East Carolina University standout Travis Holcombe-Faye, who played his high school basketball at nearby Reynolds High School.
Sophomores Camian Shell and Omari Bolden lead the way for Parkland. Shell, a 5-foot-11 true point guard is averaging 18 points per game and Bolden, a 6-foot-2 guard is scoring around 12 points per game. Parkland only has two seniors on the team this season. One of those is Esosa Igbinigie, a 6-foot guard who is contributing 10 points per game.
2-A West #27 Lincolnton at #6 Mountain Heritage (Burnsville)
Mountain Heritage High School is a team that relies heavily on their junior class. 2020 point guard Callin Randolph is one of the best shooters in the region, 2020 small forward Lucas Jenkins is a do-it-all glue guy that has an offer from Mars Hill University, 2020 guard Nathan Ledford is a pure shooting 6-foot-2 guard, and 6-foot-9 Justus Shelton is starting to develop the go-to post moves that will send him to the next level. Senior guard Brandon Aumiller is the leader of the team and is the most athletic player for The Cougars.
Lincolnton High School finished the regular season at 10-14 overall and are coming of a semi-final appearance in the South Fork 2-A tournament championship. Junior guard Kris Robinson is the go-to scorer for Lincolnton. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging nearly 30 points per game and has dropped 50+ points on two separate occasions this season. He is taking an unofficial visit to Tennessee next week for their home game with Kentucky. He is a Team Charlotte bred guard that is as tough as they come.
2-A East #23 Fairmont at #10 First Flight (Kill Devil Hills)
First Flight is led by one of the best shooters in the state, Dylan Blake. The 6-foot sophomore point guard is averaging 21 points per game and has made 92 three-pointers in 26 games. He was recently offered a scholarship Young Harris (GA). Blake is a pure shooter, doesn’t turn the ball over, he is a good finisher with contact in transition and has a high basketball IQ. Surprisingly, Blake is also the First Flight’s leading rebounder. Another player to watch out for on First Flight’s roster is fellow junior guard Jordan High. Also, 6-foot, High is a also able to get hot from beyond the three-point line. He can also score from the guard position with jump-shots or finishes in the lane.
Fairmont High School is coming off of a 15-12 overall record and a 3rd place finish in the Three Rivers 1A/2A Conference. Leading Fairmont will be 6-foot-3 senior guard Javon Morris. He is averaging 16.7 points per game this season. He has scored 146 points in his last six games coming into Tuesday’s opening round game. 6-foot sophomore guard Waltay Jackson is contributing 10.2 points per game and will need to have a big game for Fairmont to advance against nst First Flight.
4-A East #16 Riverside (Durham) vs #17 Leesville Road (Raleigh)
This will be a really strong first round game between two teams that finished close to having same record during the regular season. Riverside finished with a 15-9 overall record and Leesville Road ended the season with a 15-12 record. This game could come down to how dominate RJ Wilson is in the post for Leesville Road.
Leesville Road is led by sophomore guard Carter Whitt (ranked # 4 in 2020 by HoopSeenNC). Whtt already sports scholarship offers from NC State, Virginia, James Madison, Ole Miss, High Point, and Middle Tennessee. He is a 6-foot guard that can score in a variety of ways and can consistently knock down the long shot. He is a pure shooter with a nice release and overall form. He has taken over the lead spot at Leesville Road as a sophomore after UAB signee Jalen Benjamin transferred to MeadowCreek (GA). In the post for Leesville Road is RJ Wilson. Wilson is a 6-foot-7 small forward who has signed with Presbyterian University.
Riverside is led in the scoring column by 6-foot-2 senior guard Christian Johnson. Johnson is averaging nearly 17 points per game this season. He does a really good job of reading the defense and penetrating the lane or coming to a stop and knocking down the three-point shot. He has shown some deep range in games I have seen.
2-A West #12 Walkertown (Kernersville) vs #20 Hibriten (Lenoir)
HoopSeenNC’s #4 ranked player in 2020, Jalen Cone and Walkterown High School finished the regular season at 19-7 overall and tied for first in the Western Piedmont Conference. He is, ranked in the top-100 by most recruiting sites averaged 24 points and 7 assists per game. Cone has offers from Yale, VCU, Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina, UNC-Greensboro, Hampton, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech.
Hibriten High School’s record sits at 20-5 including a 11-1 mark in the Northwest Foothills 2-A conference. Leading the way for the Panthers is 6-foot-4, 2020 guard/wing Avery Keller. The junior is a forceful, physical scorer that is averaging 17.6 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Keller’s older brother Anderson played at Lincoln-Memorial University. Also leading Hibriten is senior wing Jaesan Smith who is averaging close to 10 points per game. A key for Hibriten will be keeping the ball out of the hands of Jalen Cone and making someone else step-up for Walkertown.
