NCISAA State Championships – First Round Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The independent school championships are underway this week as teams begin their road to Ravenscroft, where the state championship games will be held next weekend. While almost every team won't make it to that final game, I still want to highlight guys who are going off in each round of the playoffs. Read below for the best performances from Tuesday night's first round games, with the winners playing later this evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2351027' first='Miki' last='Gacic'] - Asheville School</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Had 23 to lead all scorers in the Asheville School's first round win over Hickory Grove Christian, getting them a matchup on the road with Greensboro Day. Has come on huge this year, and was named all conference along with Brady Donlon last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Thomas Honey - Rocky Mount Academy</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Recorded his first triple double of his career in a blowout win over Neuse Christian, with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Been an impact player all season long for RMA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2350998,"width":"301px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media","className":"is-style-default"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/image.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/image.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2350998" style="width:301px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1120968' first='Ma'Kyi' last='Butler'] - Grace Christian (Sanford)</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>24 points from him led all scorers in a tight win over Wake Christian which was probably the best matchup of the entire first day, regardless of class. Continues to shine and should be a great college pick up for a school soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2888308' first='Ethan' last='Durgadin'] - Fayetteville Christian</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>31 points and 5 threes helped him to reach a career high and led all scorers in a 80-54 win over Liberty Christian. His rise since coming up from JV early in the year is remarkable, and may become a 2026 to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2351002' first='PJ' last='Jeffries'] - Durham Academy</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jeffries recorded a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in a tight win over Charlotte Christian. While four players were in double figures, he continues to shine as a forward prospect to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2232905' first='Kareem' last='Anderson'] - Cape Fear Academy</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Set a career high with 17 points in a win over John Paull II on Tuesday, and also chipped in 9 rebounds and 4 assists. A good playmaker and scorer, he's still a little raw in terms of efficiency but you see he can play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->