NCHSAA 3A East Region All-State Tournament Team: Part 1
The NCHSAA playoffs this season were full of excitement and although there could only be 4 winners, the youngsters gave it everything that had and we had a nice amount of impressive performances. Over the next few days we take a look at some of the top performers in the playoffs in each classification on the eastern side of the bracket as there are plenty of youngsters who deserve recognition and kudos for their stellar play.
Northside HS Senior Guard Kenny Dye: The Queens University Commit has been playing varsity basketball since his freshman year and the experience definitely paid off this year. The team made another great run and he was a huge part of it, he can score the ball in multiple ways and brings it defensively as well.
Northside HS Senior Gabe Kirkendoll: With only one scholarship offer so far, he is without a doubt a player that we would define as a sleeper prospect. He was one of the top shooters in the entire tournament and was clutch in the state championship knocking down the game tying trey ball.
Terry Sanford HS Forward Holt Walker: Holt had a very nice tournament overall with a nice performance in the first round against Triton HS. JC Programs have taken notice and he has picked up a few offers due to his play, he can stretch the floor with his shooting and plays with a high amount of confidence.
Triton HS Senior Guard Maurice Williams: In all of the games that I watched, he had one of the better scoring performances in the entire tournament, he found gaps in the defense and basically put his team on his back in the second half. What you have to like the most about him is how much heart he plays with, no matter what we know he wants to win more than anything else.
JH Rose Sophomore Guard Creighton Lebo: When you see a sophomore that is listed as a team captain, that automatically catches your attention and that is exactly the case with Creighton. He’s the son of a former D1 coach so basketball is in his DNA, during the 2nd round of the tournament he put on an absolute show against Terry Sanford although they would come up short. His final stats from that matchup were 35 points on 12 of 18 shooting from the field, with 5 made three point shots.
Jacksonville HS Senior Guard Nyjear Singleton: The Cardinals made an early exit from the playoffs but due to his production all season long, you have to take a look at what this youngster brings to the table. He averages about 25 minutes per game during the season but drops over 20 Points per game in that amount of time which is pretty impressive. Defensively he gets it after as well, averaging about two steals per contest