NCHSAA 1A State Championship Preview

NCHSAA 1A WOMEN'S STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, March 15th - noon - Dean Smith Center (UNC)

Riverside-Martin Knights

Riverside comes into the 1A championship game with a 29-0 record and ranked #1 in the NCPreps.com 1A final regular season poll. The Knights will be led by Kayla Jones, who averages 18.6 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. Jalyn Brown and Takwana Bland are also averaging in double figures at 13.6 and 10.9. Another key contributor is D'asya Wilson who averages 14.2 point and 6.3 steals per game. This is Riverside's first appearance in the state championship under this name. Williamston, who had a strong basketball tradition merged with Jamesville to form Riverside.

Bishop McGuinness Villains

Bishop McGuinness comes into the 1A Championship with a 27-4 record and ranked 3rd in the final regular season poll by NCPreps.com. Leading the Villains is Julia Brown who averages 12.9 points and 4.6 rebs. Other standouts for the Villains are Tia Cappuccio and Cameron Nieters at 8.2 and 7.0 points per game. Bishop has dominated NCHSAA 1A women's basketball by winning 8 straight state championships and going for their ninth title this weekend.

NCHSAA 1A MEN'S STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, March 15th 2:30 pm - Dean Smith Center (UNC)

East Carteret Mariners

East Carteret heads to the 1A championship after compiling a 31-0 record and finishing 1st in the final regular season poll by NCPreps.com. Jacque Brown leads the Mariners with 18.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. Other standouts for East Carteret are Sam Johnson, Trevor Willis, and Ty Simmons who scored 17.6, 16.5, and 11.2 points per game. Simmons averages 8.5 rebounds a game. This is the first trip to the finals for the Mariners.

Winston-Salem Prep Academy Phoenix

Winston-Salem Prep comes into the 1A state championship with a 25-4 record and ranked 2nd in the final regular season poll by NCPreps.com. Mike Hughes leads the Phoenix as he averages 16.6 points per game. Aaron Lipscomb averages 14.8 points and Coye Simmons averages 12.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. This makes the fourth time the Phoenix have played in the state championship game and third straight appearance.