The WingMan Report: Hidden Gems in the State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state of North Carolina has crossed the midway point in the high school basketball season. Here we take a look at some hidden teams and prospects across the 1A and 2A landscape. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Look out for Eastern Randolph High!</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eastern Randolph Wildcats haven't lost a game since Dec. 2 and they're one of the higher-scoring teams in the state, averaging 82.3 ppg as a team in 2022-23. They're a fast-paced bunch led by a trio of 6-foot-4 senior big man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1743435' first='DaVonte' last='Brooks'], </strong>efficient 5-foot-10 senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1743436' first='Pierce' last='Leonard']</strong> and 6-foot-2 sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1743446' first='Tim' last='Brower']. </strong>They put up 95 points in their victory over the Trinity Bulldogs on Tuesday night while shooting 55 percent from the field as a team. They're a well-rounded team that forces turnovers (17.3 steals per game) while only turning it over 9.8 times per contest. They take care of the ball and they get on the glass. As a team, they've generated 315 offensive rebounds and 309 defensive rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of that has to do with the length of Brooks. Brooks finished with 18 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Leonard led the way for them with 29 points (12-20 FG) with junior 6-foot-1 swingman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1743445' first='Nicah' last='Taylor']</strong> right behind him with 27 points (11-of-18) along with three made 3-pointers. Brower finished with 14 points as the fourth double-figure scorer for the Wildcats. They're a team to keep an eye on in the 1A West so far at 14-1. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Washington County Panthers unbeaten in the 1A East</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Washington County Panthers are currently unbeaten so far at 9-0 after a 95-53 victory over Tarboro High. [player_tooltip player_id='1743484' first='Darius' last='Lewis'] led the way with 24 points on six made 3-pointers while [player_tooltip player_id='1743497' first='Amari' last='Chesson'] stepped up with 17 points, 13 rebounds and five steals to show off what he could do. Their backcourt duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1743485' first='Le'Shaun' last='Jackson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1743484' first='Darius' last='Lewis'] have proven to be a handful for opponents so far. Jackson led the playmaking front with 11 assists to go along with 12 points and seven rebounds. Lewis has proven to be a top perimeter shooter to keep an eye on with the Panthers. He's shooting 45 percent from 3-point land through their first nine games of 2022-23, averaging 18.2 ppg, 3.6 spg, 2.0 apg and 2.2 rpg. He's an unsigned senior name that's slowly climbing up the radar. Jackson has proven he can run the point guard spot masterfully, averaging 6.6 apg to go along with 17.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 2.6 apg. He's another unsigned senior floor general to get eyes on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then there's emerging junior 6-foot-5 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1743510' first='Ke'Vontae' last='Lucas']. He's proven to be a handful in the frontcourt, pouring in 11.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.9 spg, 2.7 apg and 1.1 bpg to show off his athleticism and ability to do more than score the ball. As for Chesson, he's a 6-foot-2 junior guard that's starting to find a role on the boards and defensive front. Keep an eye out for this squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1165176' first='Marcel' last='Freeman'] not slowing down anytime soon for North Johnston</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Johnson High sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1165176' first='Marcel' last='Freeman'] hasn't shown any signs of slowing down in 2022-23 as he's averaging 26.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 4.1 spg as the Panthers are currently 12-1 and 1-0 in conference action following a victory over Spring Creek on the road on Monday night. Freeman cruised in that one with 25 points (12-of-22 FG), showing off his ability to get to the paint and make things happen. So far, he's yet to score less than 18 points in a game and has notched a career-high 42 points already back on Nov. 29 against Hobbton High. He's a 2025 name to get to know in the 2A East at the guard spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Reidsville Rams are already 3-0 in conference play</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Reidsville Rams are off to a fast start in conference action in the 2A West at 3-0. They're currently unbeaten on the season at 10-0, led by freshmen big man [player_tooltip player_id='1628346' first='Kendre' last='Harrison'] and freshman floor general [player_tooltip player_id='1716474' first='Dionte' last='Neal'], two names that colleges will get to know over the next few seasons. Neal finished with 21 points (9-of-13 FG), 12 steals and 10 assists and Harrison finished with 20 points (9-of-11 FG), 13 rebounds and three blocks in their victory over West Stokes High on Tuesday night. Runs of 22-10 in the first quarter and 22-5 in the third quarter were enough to do away with the opponent as they've shown they're a tough duo to contend with on the hardwood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harrison is a 6-foot-8 presence producing 21.8 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 3.5 bpg and 1.6 spg while Neal is averaging 20.8 ppg, 12.2 apg, 6.4 spg and 4.6 rpg in just their first season of varsity action. Look for them to break some records when it's all said and done and they're also hot commodities on the football field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->