NCHSAA East Regional Championships Preview
It’s been an exciting basketball season so far, and the upcoming matchups in the Regional Finals as well as potentially the State Championship games, could make the final games of the season look very interesting. Today we will take a look at the 1A-4A east Regional Matchups that will take place on Saturday at Fayetteville State University and East Carolina University.
Rocky Mount Prep vs Pamlico County: These two teams will battle it out to represent the Eastern side of the state in the state championship game next week. Rocky Mount Prep comes in as the favorite with a record of 25-0 this season, while Pamlico County has lost a few games, they still have been impressive in their own right with a record of 21-5. Pamlico will need to slow down the tempo and keep the game in the 70s if they want to win, if the tempo of the game is accelerated then Rocky Mount Prep will have the advantage.
Green Central vs Clinton: This will be a home game for the Greene Central squad as they are not located too far from East Carolina University. They will face a Clinton squad that absolutely dominated a strong Fairmont team and has a nice amount of talent overall, look for this one to be a back and forth matchup with Clinton looking to push the tempo. Clinton HS features Seniors Kris Williams, Zion Autry, Dewan Lesesne and Junior Forward Xaiver Howard, all who can go for 20+ at any given moment. Greene Central has a nice group of productive players as well with Juniors Imajae Dodd and Donte Johnson teaming up with Senior Guard Donquez Davis.
Northside HS vs Eastern Guilford: Northside faced a tough New Hanover squad last round, winning that matchup by two points, while Eastern Guilford didn’t have any problems with Southern Lee HS. This matchup has a chance to be a really good one with Eastern Guilford looking to its Seniors Montez Venable & Jaylen Alston to lead the way. Northside will also look to its seniors of: Kenny Dye, Gabe Kirkendoll, Demetrius Jones and Jason Mixon to lead them to a state championship.
South Central vs Heritage: South Central comes into this game after a big time win over the #1 seed Garner Trojans. Waiting for them in the finals is Heritage HS, a team with multiple college prospects that come in with a record of 24-4. The matchups that fans will want to see? The battle of the bigs, South Central Sophomore Forward Dayron Sharpe and Heritage HS Forward Jayden Gardner should be run. As well as the guard matchup between Heritage HS Senior Guard Jaren McAllister & South Central Junior Guard Shykeim Phillips.