NCHSAA Regionals: East Top Performers (Part Two)

We covered the first batch of these guys yesterday but after an incredible week of regionals we now have the state championship games lined up and scheduled for this week in Winston-Salem. With the west side going down at Lenoir-Rhyne University and the east side taking place at East Carolina University. Without further delay, let's take a deeper look at this next group of standouts from the East Regional!    Pentoney delivered a massive performance in a huge spot for his team as he made big plays down the stretch in Vance Charter's 56-52 win over Southern Wake Academy to give his team a berth in the NCHSAA 1A championship game! Pentoney finished with 20 Points, 2 Assists, 1 Rebound, 1 Steal, and 1 Block on 6-14 from the floor, 2-7 from deep, and 6-7 from the line. Vance Charter had to execute at a really high level to come back from 17 down in the 2nd half to escape with the win and keep their season alive. Pentoney has been a consistent producer for Vance Charter all season long. As a junior this season, he averaged 10.9 Points and 2.7 Assists on the year while shooting 40% from the floor and 33% from deep. His ability to make outside shots off the catch or bounce, find the big man [player_tooltip player_id='1672423' first='Gary' last='Wilkins'] underneath, and make plays for himself in transition give this Vance Charter team a vital backcourt scoring option. Expect Pentoney to empty the tank in the state championship as he gets ready for his 17u travel ball summer.     Freeman brought that football energy to the East Regionals for Warren County and did a lot of the dirty work to help give them the 61-55 edge over Voyager Academy to advance to the 2A final four. Freeman finished with 12 Points, 12 Rebounds, 1 Assist, and 1 Steal while shooting 5-10 from the floor and 2-6 from the free throw line. It wasn't pretty but the dirty and physical work in the paint was done by Freeman and he did an incredible job finding a way to make the necessary plays at both ends of the floor. A classic undersized bruiser with some touch around the rim and a motor that never stops running. Freeman will need to bring that same energy in the State Championship game as Warren County is looking to upset Queens Grant!     Washington is putting together a really special post season thus far and his performance in Kinston's 73-62 final four victory over Martin County. In the win, Washington finished with 20 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists, and 1 Steal while shooting 9-10 from the floor and 2-3 from the free throw line. Washington possesses a ton of ability both on and off the ball while being capable of scoring in both the half-court and in transition. Washington is essentially guaranteed to get to the basket whenever he wants. He uses his body control, strength, and touch around the rim to finish in traffic with a high level of regularity. A downhill specialist as one would say, Washington does possess the ability to make some outside shots. He also does a great job contributing on the glass for a guard and making plays for his teammates. Washington is a guard that consistently delivers for Kinston and has now helped one of North Carolina's most storied programs into yet another State Championship game.     In what was his last stand at Washington, [player_tooltip player_id='1280985' first='Chaise' last='Smith'] did what he could to give his team the win over Reidsville but ultimately fell short in a heartbreaking 59-58 loss in the final four. Smith finished with 14 Points, 4 Assists, and 3 Rebounds on 5-11 shooting from the floor, 3-6 from deep, and 1-4 from the free throw line. Smith was orchestrating offense for his team throughout the entirety of the game and was able to connect on his jumpers to keep the defense honest on his drives. Overcoming [player_tooltip player_id='1716474' first='Dionte' last='Neal'] and Reidsville is no easy feat, Smith already did it once this year but flat out emptied the tank to try and do it again in the final four. His ability to make plays off the bounce is really high level and with the jumper starting to fall more consistently as the season went along, he is starting to tighten up his game even more. Smith is one of North Carolina's best available players.     Fairley delivered one of the best performances we've seen in the entirety of the playoffs in North Carolina as his Southeast Alamance team fell just short by the score of 84-77 to Fike in the 5A East final. Fairly finished with 31 Points, 14 Rebounds, 1 Assist, and 1 Block on 12-21 from the floor and 7-7 from the free throw line in the loss. Talk about leaving it all out there, Fairley was simply undeniable in this one with his ability to score it inside the arc, get to the free throw line, and flat out own the glass. 8 of his 14 rebounds were on the offensive end, getting extra possessions for his team and doing whatever he could to give his team a better chance to get the win. Fairley is a dynamic athlete allowing him to play multiple positions on the floor. Fairley has a great 2nd jump and uses it frequently to grab rebounds and/or block/alter shots. Expect Fairley to carry the momentum from this performance into the travel ball season this spring and summer.     Terry is an incredibly vital piece to the puzzle at Southern Durham with his energy at both ends of the floor and blend of size/skill at his position. Terry is a wing guard with the ability to play on or off the ball which is perfect alongside [player_tooltip player_id='2623267' first='AJ' last='Morman']. In Southern's 65-55 win over Cardinal Gibbons in the 7A East final, Terry finished with 17 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 3 Steals, and 1 Block while shooting 7-14 from the floor, 1-5 from deep, and 2-2 from the line. Terry has delivered in big spots all season long while showing growth in his game throughout the season. He's grown a good bit over the last year and looks more comfortable moving with or without the ball while maintaining his aggressive nature that makes him such a difficult player to deal with. Terry had a dunk of the year contender earlier in the playoffs and is looking to help Southern Durham grab a state championship this week in Winston-Salem!     Unfortunately for Laney and Lamb their season came to an end with the 51-33 loss to Hoggard in the 8A East final but there is still a lot to be proud of for Laney as a program and Lamb individually. In the loss, Lamb finished with 17 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, and 2 Steals on 7-14 from the floor, 1-2 from deep, and 2-2 from the line. Lamb had a great performance but unfortunately the rest of the group had a hard time getting it going offensively. The Hamilton College commit scored over half of his team's points in this one using his fundamentally sound skillset. Lamb has great three level touch, the ability to get to his spots whenever he wants, and contributes in multiple facets of the game with consistency. Credit to the Hamilton staff for getting this one done, they have themselves a quality player for years to come as Lamb still has more room to grow in his development.

We covered the first batch of these guys yesterday but after an incredible week of regionals we now have the state championship games lined up and scheduled for this week in Winston-Salem. With the west side going down at Lenoir-Rhyne University and the east side taking place at East Carolina University. Without further delay, let's take a deeper look at this next group of standouts from the East Regional!