article by By Joe Sirera [email protected]

The Greensboro Day Bengals knew they would have to do something different Saturday if they were going to beat the Wesleyan Trojans in the NCISAA Class 3-A boys basketball championship game.

Wesleyan had won the PACIS rivals’ regular-season meetings 66-52 and 57-41 and was the top seed against a Greensboro Day team that dropped four straight games in late January and early February after losing senior Will Dillard to a blood clot in his right lung. But with a state title on the line at Forsyth Country Day School, the Bengals took control early and came away with a 67-53 victory and their second consecutive championship.

“We came out in attack mode this game,” said senior forward Alex Michael. “The first two games we were a little timid, a little nervous maybe, and let them dictate what we did. This time we came out and attacked them and forced them to play our style of basketball, and we got the lead and never looked back.”

Greensboro Day (27-7) led 19-11 after one quarter and 33-20 at halftime.

“We knew they were going to try to punch us in the mouth,” said Bengals senior swingman John Newman, “so we had to beat them to the punch and set the tone. We knew that if we were with them in the fourth quarter we’d be able to put it on ice.”

It started with defense, as it usually does, for the Bengals.

“The difference was that defensively we were more aggressive in the lane area, double-teaming Hoard,” coach Freddy Johnson said, referring to Wesleyan forward Jaylen Hoard. “We also backed up to the 3-point area and decided not to pick them up full-court because the two Langleys (twins Keyshaun and Kobe) blew right by us the first two games.”

Keyshaun Langley scored 12 points and Kobe added four Saturday, but most of those came in the fourth quarter when a Trojans comeback ran out of steam after Wesleyan closed to 57-50 with 1:33 to play.

Aaron Wiggins led Wesleyan (27-6) with 18 points and Shawn Walker added 17, but Hoard did not score. Both coaches said Greensboro Day big man Mike Fowler set the tone early this time by being aggressive against the 6-foot-8 Wake Forest signee.

“This is crazy,” added Newman, a Clemson signee who scored 24 points and was named Most Valuable Player. “I never imagined being at this point in my life and our class making history. It’s so special.”

Greensboro Day 19 14 16 18 — 67

Wesleyan 11 9 15 18 — 53

Greensboro Day (27-7) — John Newman 24, Carson McCorkle 15, Tripp Greene 10, Noah Dunn 7 Mike Fowler 7, Nick Evtimov 2, Austin Inge 2.

Wesleyan (27-6) — Aaron Wiggins 18, Shawn Walker 17, Keyshaun Langley 12, Kobe Langley 4, Khyrie Thompson 2.
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The post THE CHAMPS ARE HERE!!! John Newman & GDS Dynasty Go Back-to-Back!! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

With the amount of talented teams in the #HoopState, it was no surprise that the gym was a madhouse during every night of the NCISAA 3A playoffs! There were so many great match-ups throughout the entire playoffs such as, (host school) Ravenscroft vs. Wesleyan Christian Academy. Another memorable match-up was High Point Christian against Greensboro Day School as they played for the 3rd time this season with both teams earning a win on a the opponents home court.

With all of the talented high major players, the University of Tennessee seemed to have hit the jackpot, as they had 4 committed players - Providence Day’s PF, Grant Williams; Wesleyan Christian’s G, Kwe Parker and SF, Jalen Johnson; and Christ School’s PF, John Fulkerson - in the NCISAA 3A playoffs. The intensity of the matchups showcased some of the reasons Tennessee heavily recruits in the HoopState. Of the four players, Power Foward’s Fulkerson and Williams definitely left their mark. Playing against High Point Christian, the 6’8 Fulkerson was able to catch a nasty left hand dunk over a defender and Williams helped lead his team to win the State Championship.

Michael Okauru, the 6'4 Point Guard of the host school, Ravenscroft (Raleigh, NC) also left his mark as he dominated for his team throughout the playoffs until coming up short against Providence Day. He played with heart and ultimately did not get to take home the champion title, but showed a laundry list of ways he would be a phenomenal addition to a high major D1 team. Up and comer 6'1 Point Guard, Devon Dodson of Providence Day School (Charlotte, NC) showed flashes of why he holds offers from UNC and Florida just to name a few. He has a high basketball IQ, reads the court and makes good decisions, along with speed and leadership. Another Point Guard that captured the crowd was High Point Christian's (High Point, NC) 5'9 Michal Seals. Although undersized, he possesses the heart and fearlessness that helped his team get to the 3A championship.

Although Greensboro Day School came up short in an exciting 1 point loss against High Point Christian, 2017 Forward JP Moorman and 2018 Guard William Dillard left it all on the court. Both are high quality players that always seem to make the right decisions on the court. Not forgetting 2018 6’5 W John Newman, who had one of the most exciting plays of the playoffs, a 2 handed dunk over a High Point Christian defender.

For the Providence Day / High Point Christian Academy championship game the crowd was arguably the largest it’s been since John Wall’s Word of God team played against Ryan Kelly’s Ravenscroft team. There was barely standing room as people piled in to see the rematch between Kentucky commit Edrice “BAM” Adebayo and Tennessee commit PF, Grant Williams, along with budding star PG, Devon Dotson. Ultimately, Providence Day School came away with the championship in a convincing victory. It was border line deafening in the gym as both school’s student sections and fans .were cheering on their respective teams. The crowd went absolutely berserk when Bam dunked on Williams for the And 1, in hopes that it would spark a comeback which never came to fruition for High Point Christian.

All in all it was a fast paced, high energy event that anyone could appreciate, regardless of if your team was winning or losing. Looking forward to seeing more from the NCISAA in 2017.

The post Battle for #HoopState Supremacy: NCISAA 3A State Championships appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.