Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the turning-into-spring Piedmont! The Sadster is here to recap the regional semis and reveal which Final 4 teams will be participating in the Ring Rounds. The latest round of contests continued to produce great games and upsets. Of the 16 regions in the state playoffs, the top two seeds have advanced to the regional finals in six of them. The Sad One posted a lackluster 20-8 record, bringing his total to 253-75, or 77%. We saw top seeds Ben Smith and Farmville exit the dance floor at the hands of Cinderella Kings Mountain and new Cinderella Martin County respectively. Warren County, Thomas Jefferson and Walkertown are the only other remaining Cinderellas that are still playing with the house’s money. Most of the remaining Wrecking Machines have settled down as the regionals have begun but Queens Grant, Washington, Vance Charter and Southern Wake are still rolling. Something has to give in one regional finals matchup as Vance Charter and Southern Wake collide for the 1A East ticket to the Ring Round. There were several near misses as North Meck, So. Durham, Fike, Robinson, Voyager, Huss and Kinston escaped with low single digit wins. The most exciting had to be Garner erasing a 20 point deficit in the 2nd half and forcing OT before falling to Southern Durham, 89-86. The slipper didn’t fit but the Trojans had an exciting tournament run. The Final 4 promises to be at least as exciting as the games move to neutral sites for the regional finals. The West will be at Lenoir Rhyne College and the East will be at Minges Coliseum at ECU. State final games will be played in “The Joel” at Wake Forest. The games will be played over the next few days. The Ol’ Cubic Zirconia Ball (can’t afford crystal) is retooled and ready to produce your regional winners so without further delay, we will now see who will be participating in the state title games. TO THE PICKS!!!
8A WEST: WEST FORSYTH
EAST: HOGGARD
7A WEST: NORTH MECK
EAST: SO. DURHAM
6A WEST: CATHOLIC
EAST: NO. NASH
5A WEST: Upset Special winner ROBINSON
EAST: SE ALAMANCE
4A WEST: SALISBURY
EAST: Upset Special winner WASHINGTON
3A WEST: Upset Special winner WALKERTOWN
EAST: Upset Special winner MARTIN
2A WEST: QUEENS GRANT
EAST: VOYAGER
1A WEST: JACKSON DAY
EAST: VANCE CHARTER
There you have it folks! We have the winners, now all that’s left to do is get to the games and watch the results materialize. We will return next week to give out your 2026 Ring Round winners. Stay tuned!!!!
SAD SAM – HS HOOPS GENIUS