East Burke vs. North Pitt: 2A Championship Preview

With teams from the 1A and 3A classifications having crowned champions the previous day, Saturday would be when the bright championship lights of Winston-Salem would shine on teams from the 2A and 4A ranks.    Regional final action the previous Wednesday would determine that the final two 2A teams standing would be the Cavaliers of East Burke and the Panthers out of North Pitt.    Without further adieu, let us take a closer look at the two teams that will vie for this year's 2A North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) girls crown at Wake Forest's Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.    North Pitt (28-3, 12-0)   In recent seasons, North Pitt's girls basketball program has been among the winningest in the Hoop State. Previously, the Panthers won two of three championships in 2015-16 and 2017-18 with victories over East Davidson and North Wilkes, respectively.    This year's rendition of North Pitt, with coach Antwon Pittman at the helm, is looking to achieve the same goal that those two previous Panthers teams reached.    Only two North Carolina teams placed the Panthers in the loss column for 2023-24 – Terry Sanford and South Central, both of which compete in the 3A ranks. The other was Morris Catholic out of New Jersey.    Panthers' Road to Winston-Salem:    Feb. 27 – 66-12 win vs. South Columbus   Mar. 1 – 86-62 win vs. Southeast Alamance   Mar. 5 – 66-30 win vs. Nash Central   Mar. 8 – 67-30 win vs. West Craven   Mar. 13 – 70-45 win vs. Seaforth   Key Players   Expect [player_tooltip player_id='261081' first='Zamareya' last='Jones'] to have one more big game in her before she transitions out of her high school days and into her college life with NC State. Jones has averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 4.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.    The performance of [player_tooltip player_id='772526' first='Jordan' last='Speller'] has spelled W-I-N-N-I-N-G for North Pitt this season. In the 30 games the freshman has played, Speller is averaging 17 points, 5.7 assists and four steals a contest.    Speaking of seniors, another one of the 2024s that will soon be sporting the Panthers colors one final time is Kenae Edwards. Listed at 5-foot-5 on the Panthers roster, she has averaged 10 points and 1.8 steals per game.    Another key piece in the winning puzzle for the Panthers is [player_tooltip player_id='652118' first='Zihanna' last='Lightfoot'], who plays for [program_tooltip program_id='714756' first='Carolina' last='All-Stars'] during the travel season. Lightfoot has contributed 8.1 rebounds, 7.6 points and 1.3 steals per game in 2023-24.    East Burke (31-0, 15-0)   The euphoria of a state championship is one thing. Add on the opportunity to finish a season sans a blemish on a record and it adds an extra pep in the step of a team.    That is the task that awaits the Cavaliers of East Burke on Saturday. The last time the Cavaliers were in the loss column was during last season's 2A tournament when East Burke was on the receiving end of a 43-37 decision at the hands of Salisbury.    Coach Crystal Bartlett's team has certainly embraced the unfinished business mindset. That business can be taken care of with a win on Saturday.    Cavaliers' Road to Winston-Salem:   Feb. 27 – 57-16 win vs. Monroe   Mar. 1 – 72-39 win vs. Southwestern Randolph   Mar. 5 – 76-57 win vs. Salisbury   Mar. 8 – 57-40 win vs. East Rutherford   Mar. 13 – 48-39 win vs. Lincoln Charter   Key Players   The first rule of defeating East Burke is find a way to contain star junior guard Braelyn Stillwell, who also plays tennis alongside her basketball exploits. Stillwell is averaging 22.8 points, 7.2 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.2 rebounds in 29 games.    [player_tooltip player_id='621999' first='Kara' last='Brinkley'], a sophomore, is another who Cavaliers opponents have to contain. That has not happened often this season. Brinkley has averaged 14.9 points, eight rebounds and 2.7 steals a game in 2023-24. She hauled in 10 boards in the victory over Lincoln Charter.    Kamiah Lawing will be suiting up in the Cavaliers colors one final time on Saturday – and one can expect she will finish her high school career with a flourish. She has averaged 7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and one steal per contest.    Speaking of seniors, [player_tooltip player_id='636097' first='Kassie' last='Turner'] is another of the three seniors that comprise this current crop of Cavaliers. The small forward, who also plays golf, is averaging 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 29 contests.    The third of those three seniors is Ally Moore who primarily plays at either of the guard positions in the backcourt. Moore has averaged 6.5 points and 1.7 steals in the 27 games she has played in 2023-24.    When and Where?    Mar. 16, 2:30 p.m., Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

With teams from the 1A and 3A classifications having crowned champions the previous day, Saturday would be when the bright championship lights of Winston-Salem would shine on teams from the 2A and 4A ranks.