Following tonight’s slate of games, the Final Four in all the NCHSAA classifications will be set. Although this new, seemingly unnecessary realignment for public school programs appeared to be a direct money ploy at first, it’s actually made for some highly entertaining playoff games. In turn, we will take a closer look at each of the upcoming semifinal matchups as they are determined, moving on to 7A…
7A: Southern Durham (1) v. Cardinal Gibbons (2)
Of all the 16 Final Four matchups, this has a massive chance to be the most exciting battle. Southern Durham is coming off a breathtaking, nail-biting finish, where they narrowly escaped Garner (and Darius Whitner going off) to position themselves to compete for another state title. The key to the Spartans’ success has been no secret, as they have two of the top players in public school (AJ Morman, Keyonee Terry) and a crew of battle-tested veterans (Aden Jeffries, Jakari Glaspie, MJ Ashley, Dwayne Henriquez, and others) that can compete with anyone. The team hasn’t lost a game in over two months (12/26/25) and hasn’t lost to a North Carolina opponent in nearly three months (12/6/25).
On the other side, Cardinal Gibbons has quietly gone through the season without receiving much attention from the masses. Like we’ve grown accustomed to, they are an incredibly balanced group with nearly five guys averaging double-digit scoring (Ben Whitney, Walker Montague, Ty Lange, Whit Gaddy, Griffin Cockerham) and multiple useful role players (Nicholas Ercolino, Will Yardley, and others). Their unassuming nature leaves opponents unafraid and unprepared, which turns into regret shortly after the opening tip. They might not have the star power of other teams, but they can beat opponents in a lot of different ways due to their balanced structure and visibly high chemistry. Once the public-school realignment was announced, it was clear that this classification would be a bloodbath. Given the fact that the Final Four consists of these two squads, North Meck, and Mooresville, everyone was correct. Any of these four teams could legitimately win it all.