252/919 Winter Classic: Recap/Notebook

<!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">It was another action-packed event as the 252 and 919 collided in the 252/919 Winter Classic presented by BTW Global. The 252 prevailed in the 2025 edition of this year's event! Take a look at this year's recap and early look at standouts.</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>USE CODE<strong> anderson30</strong> for 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION!</em> <a href="http://www.prephoops.com/subscribe/?coupon=anderson30">Subscribe</a> today!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Southern Wake Academy opens things up with a victory</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In their second year in the 252/919 Winter Classic, Southern Wake Academy got a victory with a 76-56 victory over First Flight High to kick things off. The Lions utilized a balanced attack to run away with things until the very end as [player_tooltip player_id='1797957' first='Kobe' last='Plata'] and Will Knight both finished with 17 points apiece, [player_tooltip player_id='2123684' first='Se' last='Surmons'] finished with 14 points and [player_tooltip player_id='1262468' first='Ira' last='Wilson'] finished with 12 points. Pressure on defense and a consistent offense saw SWA open up a 38-22 lead by halftime. In a game that saw SWA lead by as many as 22 points, they still couldn't contain [player_tooltip player_id='1220133' first='Mason' last='Dobie'], who still finished with 20+ points. All-in-all though, it was a good win for the Lions as they gear up for conference play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Northeastern evens things up with a close victory for the 252</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northeastern and Goldsboro put on an entertaining game that went back-and-forth in Game 2 of the 252/919 Winter Classic. [player_tooltip player_id='2238200' first='Eleck' last='Sutton'] held things down in the painted area for Northeastern before their guards got hot in the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id='2238208' first='Jakel' last='Stallings'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2718713' first='Unique' last='Blount'] both paced the offense with 16 points while Sutton and [player_tooltip player_id='2718708' first='Z'Kobe' last='Whidbee'] both chipped in with 12 points to get the close victory. Sutton's prowess around the rim and rebounding front were a force to be reckoned with and in the end, made the difference in the final seconds. Blount finished with nine steals and four assists, Sutton finished with 15 rebounds and Stallings dished our six assists as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">JH Rose gets another win for the 252</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Game 3 was another close battle as Southeast Raleigh battled until the very end. JH Rose took home the victory, 65-59 in their debut in the event. [player_tooltip player_id='2199104' first='Christian' last='Ananaba'] and company brought the defensive intensity all night, but things wore down for them as they were unable to answer the Rampants' offensive bursts. It was the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='2252142' first='Caleb' last='Knight'], [player_tooltip player_id='2362603' first='Justin' last='Grimes'] and Torrey Brown who were seemingly unstoppable when things called for them. Southeast Raleigh led after the first quarter but the Rampants turned things up a notch after that and led 27-25 at halftime. Knight really caught fire in the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers but the Bulldogs kept things close and kept the deficit to four points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Garner takes home the 919's second victory of the afternoon</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a game that was TIED 27-27 at halftime and 45-39 after the third, it was interesting to see the final score play out to 65-47 but it speaks on Garner's pressure defense and just how overwhelming it can get. [player_tooltip player_id='1281016' first='Kingston' last='Beale'] was overwhelming defensively and on the fastbreak for Garner while [player_tooltip player_id='2299464' first='Cam' last='Reyes'] showed his prowess as a defender, playmaker and shooter in the backcourt as they strung together stops and ran away with things against a scrappy South Central squad. 2027 Justin Blow showed he could hold his own in the painted area for South Central and certainly put his name on the PH radar by the end of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Greenfield School comes back in the 2nd half </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A number of easy missed shots and turnovers saw the Greenfield Knights in an early hole against Clayton High in Game 5 of the 252/919 Winter Classic. The Comets umped out to a 19-11 lead after the first quarter and led 33-25 at the half as their size overwhelmed the Knights. [player_tooltip player_id='1225664' first='Preston' last='Copeland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1212902' first='Justice' last='Mitchell'] were the early scoring leaders for the Comets as it looked like they were firmly in control.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things flipped for Greenfield in the third quarter as an 8-point deficit became a 9-point lead by the end of the quarter. They would go on to win the game 74-65 to put another W in the win column for the 252 side to put things at 3-2. Edwards and company found their rhythm in the third quarter and were finding each other for plays across the board as the spread the ball around. Edwards led with 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Dubose finished with 19 points and five rebounds while [player_tooltip player_id='2773269' first='Johnny' last='Winborne'] chipped in with 16 points and Simon Quinn finished with 11 points. They're a group that's starting to peak at the right time and they're sticking together regardless of whatever deficit they face.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Washington seals things with a win for the 252</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the final game of the night, Northwood took on Washington High in another exciting battle. The host Washington Pam Pack were led by [player_tooltip player_id='1280985' first='Chaise' last='Smith']'s playmaking and a number of timely dunks from [player_tooltip player_id='2523139' first='Jarryn' last='Payne'] to take home a close 65-62 victory. Payne's dunk with 49 seconds remaining put the Pam Pack up 60-57 then a double-dribble that followed would give them the ball right back. [player_tooltip player_id='1411220' first='Cameron' last='Fowler'] led the way for Northwood with 26 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/lilwilliegee/status/1875734081759277068","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/lilwilliegee/status/1875734081759277068 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->