State Championship Recap: All-Finals Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four teams captured the golden standard of excellence this weekend in Raleigh and Chapel HIll; the state title. Read below for some of the most impressive players from both the winning and losing teams from this weekend's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1716474"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1716474' first='Dionte' last='Neal'] was on the losing side of the 2A championship game, but he was outstanding in his duel with [player_tooltip player_id='854917' first='Jah' last='Short'] (more on him later). Neal finished with 32 points, 4 assists and 5 steals, impacting the game in a variety of ways that made him his teams MOP. Neal is quick, shifty and dynamic in the half court and transition, and you never know whether he's going to make a play for his teammate or for himself. He can knock down 3's both off the catch and the dribble, and he's aggressive in the paint. His body control and strength getting to the hoop makes up for his lack of size, and he does well drawing fouls and converting opportunities at the free throw line. As a freshman, he is already looking like one of the best point guards in the state, and his room for development and growth, both skill wise and physically is unbelievable. This is just the start of a lot of success for Neal.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1743435"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1743435' first='DaVonte' last='Brooks'] has been one of the most underrated names in NC so far this year, and he brought it all in his team's tight defeat to Wilson Prep. He is an undersized forward that plays so hard every trip on the floor, and battles down low to make his presence known. 34 points and 19 rebounds (9 OREB) on Saturday made everyone who didn't know very aware of those facts. He battled the entire night against bigger guys inside, and worked to win rebounding battles by positioning himself and then hitting and boxing out hard. He's also always competing down low as a interior scorer, and uses his frame to draw defenders into fouling him, where he can go to the free throw line and get more opportunities to score. He's a classic D3 post player, or an undersized forward that could compete at other levels, but his skill and intensity are undeniable. He deserves an opportunity at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1220103"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Ellis battled Brooks all day on Saturday, and both of them ended all square in the rebounding war, with Ellis also bringing down 19 rebounds, 9 of them offensive. Those, combined with his 14 points on 6-7 shooting made him an important piece in stopping Brooks and Eastern Randolph on Saturday. He used his 6'8 frame to jump higher than other players and meet the ball at its peak, getting his team second chance opportunities. Defensively, that frame was used to protect the rim, as he registered 4 blocks and helped either alter other shots or even cause them to not be taken. Eastern Randolph did not finish well at the rim, and a lot of that was due to Ellis' presence. He got buckets on offense mostly around the rim and that side of his game is still developing, but his athleticism and bounce will help to continue to improve on that end.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1076350"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Myers Park were an absolute wagon this year, and their commanding success on Saturday was largely due to [player_tooltip player_id='1076350' first='Bishop' last='Boswell']. He is a lead guard that plays with so much poise and efficiency, and its no wonder that he's going to have his pick of schools by the time he's ready for college. He had 22 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals to pace his team Saturday, and was able to get to his spots with consistency in order to be an efficient 7/10 from the field. He attacked the rim with consistency, and knocked down 2 threes as well. He was key to the first half, where he got to the charity stripe as well as the rim in order to help MP gain control quickly. He consistently made the right play and was crucial in playing the MP brand of basketball we've seen all year; solid, dominant basketball that just wore teams down every time.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["854917"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='854917' first='Jah' last='Short'] deserves every superlative you can give him for his high school career, but Saturday's performance was one of his better ones. On the brightest stage, he was unstoppable, going for 35 points, 7 rebounds (4 OREB), 3 assists and 3 steals. He's so dynamic getting downhill, because not only is he quick and explosive, but he's also incredibly physical for a 6'3 guard. [player_tooltip player_id='1716474' first='Dionte' last='Neal'] was too small to guard him once he got downhill with a head of steam, and he was finishing well at the rim all night. He even knocked down some threes, something he's continually improved on as a high schooler. He will be tremendous in the college ranks, but Saturday was just the cherry on top of a great high school career for Short.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"Adriel Miller","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Central Cabarrus","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"While Miller is a football commit for Mars Hill, his performance in the championship game was instrumental to holding off Northwood on Saturday. He had 16 points, getting his in a variety of ways. He was able to knock down free throws, score inside the arc, but his biggest buckets were his 3 three pointers that helped sustain the Central Cabarrus momentum. His ability to be efficient and make the defense pay whenever he could was huge for a team that needed someone in the supporting cast to step up with the Daniel twins struggling to deal with Northwood's size and length. While teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1218085' first='Jaiden' last='Thompson'] was named Most Outstanding Player, Miller made a key effort off the bench to help clinch the undefeated season for CC.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640f395abb5a3"} /-->