Few people expected the John Wall Holiday Invitational to unfold with such an unbelievably competitive streak between “local” North Carolina teams and the national powerhouses. Farmville Central has built a reputation with their ability to not only compete but also beat any type of team in the country. They play their style and at their own pace. On the other side, The Patrick School has an abundance of talent and arguably the top prospect across high school basketball in Jonathan Kuminga. It was a back-and-forth battle throughout the first half, as both teams showed the ability to secure and extend a lead. Farmville was unsurprisingly led by the magician Justin Wright while Kuminga and Samson Johnson paved the way for The Patrick School. The underdog, Farmville Central, walked into halftime with a 36-34 lead over The Patrick School.
Both teams came out of the break with something to prove but Farmville Central remained in the driver’s seat and held the lead for the entire second half. The leaders continued to shine for both squads, as Wright and Kuminga simply went at it. However, Farmville continued to control the lead and momentum through crunch time until the final seconds, where Noah Farrakhan made multiple big plays to tie it up and send it to overtime. The Patrick School found their footing in overtime and immediately turned the game toward their favor, securing an 83-76 victory over Farmville Central.
The Patrick School was led by Kuminga (28 points and 12 rebounds), Johnson (18 points and 9 rebounds), and Farrakhan (14 points). Meanwhile, Farmville enjoyed excellent performances from Terquavion Smith (30 points on 10-18 FG), Wright (20 points and 6 rebounds) and Samage Teel (14 points and 5 rebounds).