PrepHoops 10 Best: Farmville Central vs North Lenoir (Free)
In this edition of PrepHoops 10 Best, highlighted is a recent game between Farmville Central HS and North Lenoir HS.
Farmville Central is the defending NCHSAA 2A State Champion. The reigning MVP from that game is 6’2” senior point guard, Tyler Maye who will easily be amongst the top scoring leaders in the state barring the unforeseen. Also returning from that title team is 6’8” 340 lb center Alvin Grizzard, 6’3” senior wing Bobby Daniels and 5’11” senior guard Jahkei Harris.
North Lenoir is a team on the rise in Eastern North Carolina. Much of their uptick in success starts with their star guard L’Shawn Davis who is their returning leading scorer, assist leader and steals man. In addition to Davis, senior guards Jacob Morris, Keithan Morris and Jamal Edwards supply North Lenoir with a quartet of guards that could compete with anyone any given night.
These two teams met for the 1st time this high school season having already established history in summer completion. In the summer, they faced off at the East Coast Invitational, a well establish summer competition of the top teams around North Carolina. Farmville guards Tyler Maye, Jahkei Harris and Bobby Daniels really battled it out with North Lenoir players L’Shawn Davis, Quwuan Barnes and the Morris twins (Jake and Keithan).
In what was a great opener, despite a monster night by Farmville senior guard Tyler Maye who finished with 40 points, North Lenoir guards L’Shawn Davis (25 points) and Jamal Edwards (7 points, 5 assists) came up big in the 2nd half, making this a really close game. In the end, Farmville executed down the stretch to pull away and survive at home by a score of 81-76 despite the big rally by North Lenoir who got down near double digits early in the contest.
Play of the Game: Tyler Maye (Farmville Central)
The play of the game would have to be midway through the second quartet. On a fastbreak, Maye caught the ball in mid stride, gathered himself, took two dribbles and shook his defender in route to a pull up 3 pointer. This shot gave his team plenty of momentum as Farmville used this play to go on a big run until North Lenoir was forced to call a timeout and regroup.
Best Offensive Performance: Tyler Maye (Farvmille Central)
Whether it was knocking down 3’s, getting to the rim while finishing strong or consistently getting to the line, Tyler Maye did it all. He was unstoppable all night long. He finished the 1st half alone with 27 points and concluded the game having scored 40 points in total in his senior opener.
Best Defensive Performance: Kylek Rhem (North Lenoir)
Kylek Rhem has come out of nowhere for North Lenoir High School. Standing around 6’4” tall, the lefty defends really well on the wing and in the paint. He had several blocked shots in weakside help, a ton of deflections and strip aways. Should his play continue upward, he should attract some attention especially in the juco ranks.
Best Guy Off The Bench: Jamal Edwards (North Lenoir)
Jamal came off the bench and had an immediate impact for North Lenoir. Despite the big scoring run by Farmville, Edwards came in and settled the team down. He made several great passes after penetrating the gaps and had a key and one finish that pulled North Lenoir within a possession of taking the lead.
Best Intangibles: Bobby Daniels (Farmville Central)
Bobby Daniels did a little bit of everything for Farmville in this home win. Standing at 6’3” with a slender frame, he played solid team and man to man defense all night long. Offensively, he had some trouble finishing around the rim, but he still made a big impact with his passing ability and aggressiveness getting into the paint.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: L’Shawn Davis (North Lenoir)
L’Shawn came into the game with some intrigue and didn’t disappoint. He is probably the fastest guard I’ve seen in HS at this point. Not exaggerating. Despite only scoring 7 points quietly in the first half, he exploded for 18 2nd half points and gave his team plenty of chances to go ahead and steal this game on the road. His passing ability is highly underrated due to the attention he gets for scoring the ball. Will undoubtedly attract interest and offers this season.
Best Underclassmen: Justin Wright (Farmville Central)
Freshman guard Justin Wright shows a ton of promise. While his shot wasn’t falling, you could tell he is a solid shooter and a confident player already. Has very good form on his jump-shot, played under control, handled pressure really well and did all of the little things you would want from your point guard. Will not be surprised to see his name a ton down the line.
Best Rebounder: Quwuan Barnes (North Lenoir)
Quwuan is a great athlete. Only a junior, the 6’4” forward was all over the glass despite giving up 4 inches and over 130 lb’s to Farmville senior big man Alvin Grizzard (6’8” 340 lbs). He’s relentless crashing the glass on both ends and is a matchup problem with his combination of quickness, strength and shooting ability.
Best Leader: Jahkei Harris (Farmville Central)
Harris stepped up every time his team needed a play, whether it was a steal or a timely layup. He quietly pumped in 14 points, had a couple of key steals and made sure that his team kept feeding their star guard Tyler Maye during his hot streak in the 1st half. Has all the leadership qualities and intangibles you look for in a senior.