The Burlington School Grit
The Burlington School won a wild game against Raleigh Christian Academy, with 2024 Ty Outlaw making a game-winning layup as time expired. The Spartans haven’t been perfect in either game, struggling to score at times, but they are better than anyone in this tournament at gritting out possessions. Every member of their roster, from 1 to 13, is willing and ready to leave everything they have on the court for their team. That type of culture has been set by first year coach George Marshall and will carry TBS to more than a few tough wins the rest of the year.
WOG Onto the TJ Warren Championship
Yesterday we talked about the balanced attack that the Holy Rams had in their opening round win and today was more of the same. Freddie Dilione led with 15 points and Mayar Wol and Davin Cosby Jr. followed closely with 13 each. Isaiah Coleman had an off game and Mekhi Grant was working his way back into playing shape, so having this many options that can work together is extremely important to their success. Their defense against WSCS was arguably the most impressive part of their day, containing their frontcourt and keeping them off the glass in the second half.
Don Bosco Prep Takes Down Centennial
The Don Bosco Prep and Centennial matchup had more national implications than almost every other game in the tournament. Dylan Harper and Isaiah Brown combined for 50 of the teams 65 points and both looked better than advertised. Centennial was previously ranked as the number 10 team in the country and Don Bosco Prep should be primed to shoot up the rankings and near that top 10 level. This team is very dangerous and plays for each other. When a team has that much fluidity and that much talent, a win is never out of the question.
Millbrook vs Farmville
The unofficial NC public school championship game was a dog fight to the end, with high-level plays being made on both sides. Both are storied programs in the HoopState and the game lived up to the hype. You can read about the standouts in our game recap. Farmville Central won’t be favored against national power Don Bosco Prep, but if there’s any public-school team that can take them down, it’s the Jaguars. Led by Jah Short, they feature an outstanding supporting cast of unselfish scorers and scrappy defenders. Short himself has made a case as the best player in the tournament, regardless of bracket. His 31-point game against Holly Springs was followed up tonight with 16p, 7r, 4a and a handful of highlight reel dunks in the win over Millbrook.