NCHSAA Playoff Stockrisers (Part One)

With the NCHSAA playoffs winding down over the next week there have been so many guys around the state using the heightened platform of the playoffs as an opportunity to shine their brightest at the right time. For some it was a magical run, for others it's just been handling business as expected but in an elite fashion. Without further delay, let's take a look at some of the top performers of the NCHSAA playoffs thus far.    Would be hard pressed to find a guard that did more for his team on their run than [player_tooltip player_id='1280954' first='Darius' last='Whitner'] did for Garner over the last week. Whitner handled business at home vs South Garner, getting a team high 19 points in the win. Whitner then led his team across town vs Knightdale where they were able to get the upset win on the road where he once again paced his team in the scoring department. That leads us into the 3rd round Vs New Hanover where Garner had a dominant 73-44 upset win over the team many thought would be coming out of the east. That leads us into the 4th round vs Southern Durham where Darius had arguably the best game of his career regardless of setting. As a heavy underdog, Garner took Southern to the absolute brink in overtime before falling short 89-86 at the end of the 5th frame. Whitner finished with 33 Points in the last game of his career at Garner and proved to everyone that he's a scholarship worthy talent. Whitner found his voice this season and refined it as it went along, allowing him to really impose his game on the opposition. There's no doubt that a lot of people took major notice to the work Whitner put in on this cinderella run for Garner.     Schall is a guy that will assuredly find himself ranked in the final 2026 update with the work he's put in all season for Green Level being something we should've taken note of earlier on. With that said, the work he's put in on this playoff run was so special as Green Level went on a truly unexpected run. Schall averaged 17.6 Points, 3.8 Rebounds, 1.6 Assists, and 1.1 Steals per game on 45/34/73 shooting splits this season for a Green Level team that kind of snuck into the playoffs as they had an up and down season. In the first round Schall had 26 points in an upset win over Willow Springs, he did that on only 8 field goal attempts and added 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists in that one. In what was a dog fight of a 2nd round matchup vs next door neighbor Panther Creek, Schall finished with 22 Points and 6 Rebounds along with the buzzer beater to secure the win. Schall proved that he's worthy of some next level attention with his play at Green Level all season and flat out stamped with with a magical playoff run. Unfortunately Green Level came up short losing to Hoggard in the 3rd round.     Womack continues to impress for West Charlotte on this massive playoff run in the 8A division with his poise and outside shot-making. On the season for West Charlotte, Womack is averaging 17.7 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, and 0.9 Steals per game on 45/40/82 shooting splits. Womack has a real chance to be a 50/40/90 guy at some point in his high school career. West Charlotte got the 2 seed and secured a bye but faced crosstown foe East Meck in their first game of the playoffs and handled business with relative ease, Womack pitched in 15 Points in the win. In their 2nd game vs South Meck, Womack's 15 Points felt much bigger as he made incredibly timely shots as he connected on three triples in what was a narrow 5 point victory for West Charlotte. Womack's ability to fit in as piece, be incredibly productive and efficient in his shots, and still getting better every time we see him makes him an incredibly appealing prospect in NC's 2028 class.     [player_tooltip player_id='2382791' first='Davian' last='Edwards'] has had an incredibly special playoff run for Southeast Alamance who is just running through their first three opponents in the playoffs thus far with an average margin of victory of 16.3. Edwards is averaging 22.8 Points, 3.8 Rebounds, 1.7 Assists, and 2.2 Steals per game all on 50/33/74 shooting splits. Edwards possesses the ability to get a bucket whenever and wherever for this team and that is something that has to get some praise. He might not be the biggest guard but the fearless approach he brings make him difficult for anyone to contain. Edwards has been leading his team on a path of success throughout the entirety of the season and look to have taken it to another level once the playoffs began. For Edwards and his team, the dream is still alive and it just gives him another chance to showcase his game for more next level opportunities. He's proven he's more than worthy of a look.     [player_tooltip player_id='2194795' first='Paul' last='Cauthen'] has done a sensational job alongside of [player_tooltip player_id='1716474' first='Dionte' last='Neal'] this season and has steadily improved as the season's progressed in his ability to impact winning at both ends of the floor. His presence on this team is so incredibly valuable and that can often be difficult for young players to understand and fully grasp. Cauthen has really turned the corner in that department over the course of the season and his ability on the court is obvious. Cauthen is averaging 22.2 Points, 8.5 Rebounds, 5.2 Assists, 4.6 Steals, and 0.6 Blocks per game all on 57/38/73 shooting splits. Reidsville is on another title run in the NCHSAA 4A bracket as they have a John Wall rematch with Washington on Friday. In Reidsville's 3 wins thus far in the playoffs Cauthen has had scoring totals of 25, 25, and 27 Points. The kid is finding his stride at the perfect time and is looking to help Reidsville add some more hardware to the trophy case that other trophy cases are jealous of.

With the NCHSAA playoffs winding down over the next week there have been so many guys around the state using the heightened platform of the playoffs as an opportunity to shine their brightest at the right time. For some it was a magical run, for others it's just been handling business as expected but in an elite fashion. Without further delay, let's take a look at some of the top performers of the NCHSAA playoffs thus far.