NCISAA 3A Final Four – X Factors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're down to 4 teams in every classification except 2A, and it's time to check out the four teams left in the 3A classification. Read below for our impact players and matchup predictions on the two matchups Tuesday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Asheville School (19-6) @ Concord Academy (30-6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've got a heavyweight clash going down in Concord with [player_tooltip player_id='1220895' first='Derin' last='Saran'] and his Asheville squad coming to town. Saran mans the point and is a versatile offensive weapon, pushing the ball in transition and passing the ball well using his size. [player_tooltip player_id='1426738' first='Ryan' last='Soulis'] is the man in the middle with a sweet 3 point stroke and the ability to make game changing plays inside. [player_tooltip player_id='1641138' first='Kaden' last='Holdbrook'] and Michael Mora are great additional pieces that provide scoring punch, especially from deep. For Concord, [player_tooltip player_id='577871' first='Avion' last='Pinner'] is the Swiss Army Knife that everyone needs on the defensive end, a very physical wing who bullies every matchup he sees. [player_tooltip player_id='1008884' first='JJ' last='Moore'] is a triple double threat every night, as the small point guard both scores and passes with impressive quality. [player_tooltip player_id='947095' first='Isaiah' last='Tate'] is a good complementary scoring piece, and [player_tooltip player_id='956789' first='Noah' last='Van Bibber'] is a sharpshooter from deep. [player_tooltip player_id='1641137' first='Peter' last='Asceric'] will also provide some real size to match up with against Soulis in the paint in what should be the key matchup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gaston Christian (23-9) @ Greensboro Day (28-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaston Christian looks to continue their turnaround year by beating Greensboro Day and booking a trip to the state championship game. Freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1672429' first='Cameron' last='Newman'] leads this team with explosiveness and style as a scoring guard, but <strong>Corey Gaines</strong> is the senior that dogs opposing guards and provides some toughness and competitiveness in the backcourt. [player_tooltip player_id='1809463' first='Joe' last='Rhyne'] and <strong>Preston Shuford</strong> are both hot shooting wings, and [player_tooltip player_id='1809464' first='Gabriel' last='Mabor'] is a springy, physical big man who is getting better every single time he takes the court. However, the deep stable of Greensboro Day may cause them problems. VT commit [player_tooltip player_id='577888' first='Jaydon' last='Young'] will be a threat on both ends to make game-changing plays, while he'll need [player_tooltip player_id='854907' first='William' last='Otto'] to continue his steady point guard play to keep the ship right. [player_tooltip player_id='1008883' first='Joseph' last='Bachman'] will put his physical, high-motor game to use inside, while <strong>Julius Reese</strong> will be entrusted to keep the Gaston Christian shooters off the line the entire night. This should be a very good one in Greensboro, but the Bengals are slight favorites in my eyes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->