This upcoming weekend, Phenom Hoops will travel down to Hopewell High School for Underrated Athletes’ second annual The Well Invitational. The event will feature a four-game slate with the first contest starting at 12:00 and final showdown beginning at 4:30. Between West Meck, Corvian Community, Victory Christian, Westminster Catawba, Harding University, Hopewell, West Charlotte, and Ambassador Christian, there’s certainly an entertaining collection of teams. We will preview each game, moving on to the matchup between Victory Christian and Westminster Catawba…
Although their record might not reflect it, Victory Christian remains one of the top title favorites in NCISAA 1A. That being said, they’ve played an extremely difficult schedule thus far and should be more than prepared come playoff time. The Kings have a balanced approach with multiple guys who are capable of taking over a game. DeShawn Coulter dictates the action as the primary creator, playmaker, and scoring option. Carlos Marshall is a nightly double-double machine with defensive prowess, exceptional rebounding ability, and flashes of versatility on both ends of the floor. McKennon Showers stands out as an x-factor through his valuable scoring punch. Add in guys like Keyssane Massengo and Landon Johnson, and this squad has a variety of capable contributors.
On the other side, Westminster Catawba is led by a trio of seniors. Trey Guess offers a balanced approach from the guard position, showing the ability to initiate the offense and set up others or apply scoring pressure from all levels. MJ Littlejohn is a versatile wing/forward with the size, skill, and athleticism to naturally cause matchup problems for opponents on both ends of the floor. Gannon Parker is a quick, heady floor general who sets up others, defends the point of attack, and mixes it up as a scorer within the flow of the action. Ryder Henderson also brings a valuable dynamic to this group. Given the talent for both of these playoff squads, it should be a contest worth seeing.