This week, North Carolina public school basketball kicked off its postseason play. The first round of games concluded on Tuesday and the second round will occur on Friday. While there are so many appealing things about the private school sector, it’s difficult to beat public school basketball. In addition to (usually) being more competitive in every round, there’s also much more parity in determining the champions. Any team can win on any given night. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things to look for in each classification, moving onto 2A…
Top Seeds:
1- Reidsville and Farmville Central
2- Randleman and Southwest Onslow
3- Northwood and North Surry
4- Salisbury and West Bladen
Sleepers:
Lincolnton (12)
Bandys (15)
First-Round Upsets:
Seaforth (24) over Franklin Academy (9)
Greene Central (20) over Washington (13)
Community School of Davidson (19) over Surry Central (14)
Forest Hills (31) over Randleman (2)
While there have already been several exciting games in this bracket (including a top-two seed getting knocked off in round one), it feels somewhat easy to lean on the two favorites to meet in the championship. If Reidsville and Farmville Central didn’t exist, this would truly be a wide-open classification. However, it’s nearly impossible to pick against those two teams making the title game. Reidsville hasn’t lost a basketball game since March 11 of 2023. Coincidentally, that loss came to none other than Farmville Central. These two squads, especially the Jaguars, have legitimately dominated this classification over the last decade or so (with deserving mentions to Robinson, Forest Hills, Shelby, and Northside-Jacksonville for each claiming a title during that span). That being said, teams like Lincolnton and Bandys have the potential to upset opponents and make deep runs, respectively. It’s quite challenging to stop a guy, LJ Smith, who can walk into 40 points with relative ease. The Wolverines are also considerably better as a collective. Led by a senior focal point in Landon Vaughan, Bandys could find themselves in the final four with just a few wins. Again, any matchup other than Reidsville versus Farmville Central would be genuinely shocking. Between the coaching, star power, and general chemistry, both of these teams have the recipe to win it all. There is nothing but respect for Coach Williford, MJ Williams, and their slew of meaningful pieces, but it feels like everything has come together for Reidsville. The Rams’ core of Dionte Neal, Kendre Harrison, Johnniyus Sharpe, Kristian Scales, and Cam’ron Jones will likely be too much to handle.