East #9 Knightdale HS at #1 Millbrook HS 

Millbrook survived a scare in the second round against #17 Leesville Road in a 67-63 win to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCHSAA 4-A state playoffs. Two free throws by senior Phillip Burwell proved to be the deciding factor late in the game. Now Millrook must face the #9 seed Kinghtdale, who knocked off Overhiils and Pine Forest. 

Leading the way for Knightdale is 6-foot-3 senior guard Shayne Shaino. The 2018 All-District player has been scoring a high pace this season and will likely be in the running for district player of the year this season. Knightdale also counts on high-flying 6-foot-5 sophomore Jalen McDonald who is a highlight reel forward averaging close to 14 points per game. Knightdale is 22-5 on the season and are looking to advance to the 4^th round of the playoffs since losing in the third round last season to Broughton. 

Millbrook is led by 6-foot-2 senior guard Phillip Burwell who has been steadily averaging 14.8 points per game this season. He has good size at the guard spot and knows how to score the basketball. He is the guy that is always talking to teammates, calling out defensive moves and is the leader for this team. Sophomore Will Felton stands 6-foot-6 and is a presence in the post with his footwork and ability to get rebounds and easy buckets around the rim. In the paint with Felton is junior forward Sam Hood. The 6-foot-8 Hood is a good area rebounder and is scoring at 8 point per game clip. 

West #6 West Charlotte HS at #3 Olympic HS

A battle in Charlotte will take place on Saturday night, with the winner advancing to take on the winner of the Ardrey Kell and Independence game. Olympic is coached by former long-time West Charlotte coach Baronton Terry. West Charlotte is coached by his former assistant at West Charlotte, Jacoby Davis. This game has a lot of competitiveness with the two former staff members going at it. If that wasn’t enough, these teams have some fire between each other on the court as well. These two schools are located 15 miles apart, just a short trip down I-485. 

West Charlotte is led by Florida State signee Patrick Williams (ranked #2 by HoopSeenNC), USC-Upstate signee guard Cartier Jernigan and sophomore Josiah Dow, who is a 6-foot-6 forward. West Charlotte advanced to this game by beating East Forsyth in the second round after a first round BYE. 

Olympic is putting their 21-5 mark on the line, and a shot at the fourth round of the playoffs in grasp. The Trojans are led by 6-foot-4 shooting guard Josh Banks who is averaging nearly 21 points per game. Banks has an offer from Charlotte and some other mid-major interest. He is very athletic and thrives on getting to the rim. He scored 27 points against East Forsyth in a second-round win. 

West 4-A #4 Kings Mountain at #5 Charlotte Catholic

Another solid run for King’s Mountain this year as Zeke Littlejohn (University of Maryland- Eastern Shore signee) has been called upon to lead The Mountaineers with the departure of Appalachian State freshman Adrien Delph. Littlejohn has risen to the occasion and is averaging 21.7 points and nearly 9 rebounds per game. He spent the majority of last travel season playing with The Upward Stars on the adidas circuit. Also leading Kings Mountain is 6-foot-3 senior wing Eli Paysour and sophomore wing Kobe Paysour who are both averaging 15 points and 13 respectively. This is the second year in a row that Coach Peirce and The Mountaineers have reached the third round of the 3-A NCHSAA playoffs. 

Charlotte Catholic has an overall record of 20-8 this season. Leading the way for Head Coach Mike King is 5-foot-11 sophomore guard Colin Thomas. Thomas is known for his shooting ability from outside and is a pesky defender. Coach King’s teams’ always play hard and are strong defensively. Senior guard Adam Robbe is scoring 10 points per game and will be relied upon in this senior-laden match-up.