Looking ahead to Friday night with the NCHSAA playoffs/Sectional Finals

Boys contests:
Ragsdale(15-13) at Dudley(21-6)
*****This should be like the grandaddy of them all, with Ragsdale winning the regular season in the Piedmont Triad Athletic Conference and now advancing to the third round of the playoffs, after losing nearly everyone off of last year’s Tiger team. Last season West Rowan and Mr. Sherrill eliminated Ragsdale in round two, but you look up and the Tigers are still in their fighting this year as we head toward Round Three…Tyquan Roberts, Kalik Parker, Beniah Wise and now Jaxon Randolph have been taking turns leading the Tigers and now Roberts and his Tiger teammates will need to take it to a whole new level as they face Dudley on Friday night….

Dudley is ready after last night’s warm and getting warmer meeting with Mount Tabor and the Panthers will need another big game from the freshmen dynamic duo of Jaquel Richmond and Sam Hunt….PJ and Reggie will be ready and Breenan Wyatt has his heart set on leading his Panthers to the Greensboro Coliseum for next weeks West Regionals…Brennan got into some foul trouble on Wednesday night, but the Panthers got solid support from the frosh when Brennan or PJ had to sit down……Dudley will also need big nights from DJ Alston and Brandon Clyburn around the basket with the Tigers big man Devonte Fletcher planning on taking a camping trip in the defensive lane…..

*****We will pause here for a break and have more about the other games coming your way soon….*****

Fayetteville Westover(21-5) at Northern Guilford(24-2)
*****The Nighthawks continue to get stellar play from Appalachian State-signee Jonathan Frye and he has plenty of help from Dylan Berry, Jon McBeth and Daniel Downing had 26 points back on Monday night and he might just be the most improved player on this team. Last year NG was on the road for Round Three as a #2 seed from the Triad 3-A Conference and they took down Northern Vance down at NV. The N’Hawks need to make sure that they don’t allow that to happen with Westover coming into their Nest this season…..The N’Hawks will need 7-8 men that are ready to step up and claim a Sectional Title on Friday night. Are those young men ready? We will know for sure in 27 hours…..*****

Northeast Guilford(17-10) at Southern Lee(17-8)
*****This is now our surprise team of Guilford County or should that title belong to the Ragsdale Tigers????? NEG won the conference tournament and since then they have not looked back, but in this next round they will have to look back as they head down the highway to Southern Lee….On paper these two teams look even, but will the home court favor Lee? We’ll have to wait and see if NEG can be the team of destiny on the road from Guilford County on Friday night….Coach Curtis Hunter has worked wonders with his Man Rams and this has to be much more satisfying than leading the Aggies when CH was over at N.C. A&T….Griffith, Williams, Benjamin, White, Scales, Tijani and others are looking to bring back the 1st Place hardware tomorrow night.

WS Carver(15-12) at High Point Andrews(17-7)
*****Coach James Abell, the former Dudley assistant, has done it again. He has his team in the Sectional Finals and this year the opponent is the WS Carver Yellow Jackets. Last year the Red Raiders knocked off West Rowan on their to the West Regionals at the Greensboro Coliseum and they may be headed in that direction, toward West Lee street again this season….HPA has not been denied in recent weeks and now they are on the doorstep ready to run into Carver and the chance for the Red Raiders to punch their ticket for GB Colisuem next week….*****

Girls contests:

Matthews Butler(21-4) at Dudley(24-4)
*****Breonna Patterson, Desiree Drayton and Amanda Hairston will lead the Panther girls into war on Friday night and if they are girls today, they will have to become mean young women on Friday evening….The Butler Bulldogs have a mean bite themselves and they will kick you in the butt if you don’t get moving. Dudley is one team that can move, they are probably the fastest team in the Triad and every time they take off on a fast break, it like they are at a track meet. Rebound, outlet pass and they are off to the races. Each shot the opposition puts up is another fast break opportunity waiting to happen. The will be the toughest test of the season for the Lady Panthers, but they have passed the preliminaries and now it is time to complete the sectional final testing….*****

Union Pines(21-6) at Eastern Guilford(24-3)
*****Smalls, Jamison, Crosby and Jenkins have a chance to put the Lady Cats into college for next week, because if they win the Sectional on Friday night, then they will go to East Carolina for the Regionals the following week. Eastern Guilford has not been in this position many times over the years and this a golden opportunity for the seniors like Smalls, Crosby and Jamison to go out in style with a chartered bus, hotel stay and all the accomodations….You have to beat Union Pines first and that won’t be accomplished without some major work, but if the ‘Cats are up to the task, then Coach Gunn is in for some fun with her ‘Cat fighters over the next few days…..*****