Let’s just break these down and cut to the chase and not be too fancy on a busy Wednesday or at least I think it is still, Wednesday…..
It seems like a Tuesday, but here goes tonight’s finals as we have them for this Wednesday evening….
Eastern Guilford Christmas Tournament:
Girls:
Eastern vs. Western Guilford in the finals at 7pm at EG….
******EG girls used to be the hunters and now they are the hunted….The Wildcats have improved so much, that now they can’t sneak up on anybody any more….Western has Big Catrina Green inside and Clency at the shooting guard shooting lights out on the way to the bucket and on the outside and Jordan Lanham is a very steady leader at PG/guard, but you still have to give it up to Eastern Guilford and their seinor leadership that they receive from Capricia Smalls and the smooth floor game of Miranda Jenkins.
Smalls can pound the ball with her dribble and drive and Jenkins is like the Keith Wilkes of old, smooth as silk…These two can take you out and with the excellent support from their teammates like Kristen Crosby and Amirah Jamison they should keep the crown in Gibsonville and and win the Championship tonight……
Smalls and Jenkins have been playing MVP-type ball and you have to give the edge to Smalls since she is a senior and the tandem of Green and Clency will try and put a damper on the Wildcat celebration this evening….
Bank of North Carolina Christmas Classic in High Point:
Boys-7:30pm
Wesleyan Christian Academy vs. Westchester Country Day or HPW versus WCD….
Westchester should be your favorite here with Deuce Bello, Ike Nwamu, CJ Plummer Josh Burton and Cole Morganstern….HPW will come at you hard with the Leek brothers(Deng and Leak) and Will Coble, but you would think or assume that the quickness of WCD, with Deuce and Ike and the emergence of Plummer as a go-to guy would be enough to push WCD over the top….(Burton the freshman had 14 in the WCD win over HP Central last night….)
Akeem Langham of High Point Central was able to put the brakes on Bello in last night’s semis and with Langham getting into Deuce’s head and taking him out of his game with verbage and physicality, you wouldn’t think that this would happen to Bello two nights in-a-row……
The defense on the Leeks will be the key to the game and how much room will Deng Leek be given with which to operate and start his dribble, he can try and take it to the hole….Can you say, “Help Out Defense”? and will the help out, step up and in, in order to stop Deng’s moves……
Still giving the edge to Westchester and Deuce Bello will need to have a break-out game and lend some help to CJ Plummer, who was the driving force that got the Wildcats to the finals tonight…..
Girls…6pm
High Point Central vs. Southwest Guilford….
Have not seen HPC this season, but can a Kenny Carter-coached club be stopped while they are on a roll at somewhere in the neighborhood of (8-0)….
I have seen SWG and I like the wide-open game of sophomore Zena Lovette…She is wild and she takes chances, but like many in High Point and the surrounding areas have said before, “Never bet against a Kenny Carter-coached team in the finals in High Points”…..HPC in High Point, they say, “there is none better”….
SMOC Tournament in Reidsville:
Bishop McGuinness vs. Rockingham County
Would have to say that those 45 points in the Bishop win last evening by Aaron Toomey was quite a feat and I have seen Rockingham County once this season and Northern Guilford ran them out of the NG Gym on December 17 and Bishop has won this tournament two or three years in-a-row and this should be their’s again tonight….
The team from Virginia that Bishop beat last night is highly regarded and RCHS is just not in that same league and Bishop better put last night’s win behind them and get ready for tonight’s title game and then they can make Toomey the MVP.
Toomey needs a 30-point game this evening, just to put a stamp on his career games in Rockingham County/Reidsville……
The Courier-Tribune Christmas Tournament:
Providence Grove vs. Jordan-Matthews…..
Jordan-Matthews hasn’t been this good since back in the days of Robert Siler and that is one of my few memories of JM Jet basketball. I am pulling for the Providence Grove Patriots…They upset Trinity last night to stop Coach Tim Kelly’s Bulldogs and their 22-game win streak in the tournament and they ended the ‘Dogs 7-year run of tournament titles and that is saying something, if you ask me….
Get to work Zeb Milliner and GO PATRIOTS!
Our Western girls were ranked as one of the top preseason teams. Where did Eastern Guilford come from? Were they ranked? We will finish very high in our conference with Dudley, Page, Smith, Grimsley and Southeast. Isn’t Eastern 3A? We are 4A.
Good luck tonight. You have a very well-mannered and nice group of young ladies.
I saw your team sitting with your coach watching the EG-Scotland game last night and you are good group.
You will have your hands full with Dudley, you have already beaten Grimsley and didn’t Page get you guys(GIRLS) in that earlier matchup at WG?
Southeast will another challenge for you and don’t forget about Smith….
Fine team, but you will have your hands full tonight and in the conference too…..
Andy? Do you know how true your words were about Zena Lovette? At home we call her the “Wild Child”!!!
She’s a good one and she is only gonna get better.
Put her and Amirah Jamison(EG) together and I think they could take on a Tidal Wave…..