NCISAA 1A Semi-Final Matchups!

<p><em>It’s Final Four Time! We at least for the NCISAA it is, with all of these teams playing a high amount of regular season games, it’s interesting to see who makes it in the playoffs. Starting off with the 1A division, let’s take a look at the matchups and a few players to keep an eye on!</em></p> <p><strong>#1 Greenfield School vs #5 Victory Christian:</strong> The Greenfield Knights have been absolutely rolling this year, reaching over 30 wins and playing with a high amount of confidence. For Victory to get a win in this matchup will be a tough task as Greenfield has a high amount of weapons on their team.</p> <p><em><strong>Players to watch</strong></em>: For Victory Sophomore Guard <strong>Cedric Patterson</strong> is one to keep an eye on, he’s averaging about 14 PPG with multiple 20+ point performances.  Junior Guard <strong>Seth Smith</strong> is also a player that Victory looks to, he’s athletic and score the ball at a nice rate. He will need a big time day for his team if they expect to pull off the upset.</p> <p><em><strong>Players to watch:</strong> </em>When we say that Greenfield gets things done by committee, we are not joking at all. First off is Junior Guards <strong>Creighton Lebo</strong> and <strong>Djimon Bailey</strong><em>,</em> they fit well together because they both have different playing styles. Lebo is more of a scorer, he can knock down a bunch of treys in a short span of time. Bailey can score the ball as well, as we have seen him knock down shots on many occasions but he also has the ability to be a facilitator PG, which is impressive for a 6’5 player. Junior Wing <strong>Jacari Outlaw</strong> has been playing at a high level, and brings a good amount of scoring from the wingspot, while Junior Forward <strong>Trey Pittman</strong> who can knock down shots and rebound at a nice level plays more of the stretch Forward position.</p> <p><strong>#2 Trinity Christian vs #3 Northwood Temple:</strong> These teams have quite a bit of history with each other this season alone. Northwood went to Trinity early in the year and got a win on the road while Trinity responded with a win over Northwood at their place later in the season. Northwood would then bounce back with a win of their own in the Conference Semis and would go on to win the championship. So you can fully expect this game to have its fair share of fireworks and it will be one that you probably don’t want to miss.</p> <p><em><strong>Players to watch:</strong></em> For Northwood you have the duo of Senior Guard <strong>Josh Nickelberry</strong> and Junior Guard <strong>Jamahri Harvey</strong>. Nickelberry is a Louisville signee that has been absolutely filling it up this season, he can score in a variety of ways and has seen just about every type of defense this year. Harvey is bouncing back from a back injury a few weeks back but since then he’s been playing at a high level putting together quite a few 20+ point performances. Senior Guard<strong> Charles Page</strong> has been stepping it up as of late and should be a player that has an impact on this game as well.</p> <p><em><strong>Players to watch</strong></em>: Trinity Christian will need stellar play from Senior Guards <strong>DJ Horne, Talton Jones</strong> and <strong>KJ Marshall</strong> to advance in the playoffs. Horne has stepped it up scoring wise since the loss of <strong>Greg Gantt</strong> due to season ending surgery, Jones is a player that can defend at a high level but also has slasher type ability to get into the paint when he wants. Marshall may be the X factor to this game, if he’s knocking down shots and playing with a high amount of energy, things could get very interesting.</p>