East Columbus vs. Cherokee: 1A Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A grueling 2023-24 season will come to a conclusion this weekend in Winston-Salem as eight teams will leave the Triad with championship hardware to add to their respective trophy cases.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Championship weekend in the Hoop State will include this year's 1A girls championship game on Friday. Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Wake Forest will be where all of the drama takes place – a change of scenery from the typical North Carolina and NC State fare fans have become accustomed to. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third contest on the eight-match card for Friday and Saturday will feature the Gators of East Columbus square off against the Braves from Cherokee. Without further adieu, here is our preview of Friday's championship get-together. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>East Columbus (26-1, 11-1) </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gators had a stretch throughout much of the 2010s where victories were common for the team that proudly sports its green and orange colors. The last couple of seasons have seen East Columbus, now with LaToya Brown at the helm, rediscover that previous glory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In last season's tournament after defeating Lakewood by a final of 46-37 in the first round of the East Regional, the Gators' season came to a close at the hands of Chatham Central in the second round in a 55-42 decision.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Columbus only has one blemish on its 2023-24 slate – a close 60-57 defeat at the hands of East Bladen in early January.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Gators' Road to Winston-Salem</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 27 – 64-22 win vs. North Moore</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 1 – 63-51 win vs. North Duplin</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 5 – 54-47 win vs. Gates County</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 8 – 67-53 win vs. Pamlico County</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 11 – 76-66 win vs. East Bladen</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malia Graham paved the way to victory for the Gators in the East final against the Eagles. She scored 29 points in that victory. Graham has averaged 17.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals in 26 games.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malayah Hines has also put up big numbers for the Gators in her junior season. On the 26 occasions that she has taken to the court, the junior guard has averaged 10.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals per matchup.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking to conclude her high school basketball career with a flourish is Destiney Mitchell. She has averaged 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals on the 22 occasions she has taken to the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chynna Patrick is another of the four seniors that make up this year's East Columbus roster. Patrick – a force to be reckoned with in the frontcourt, is averaging eight rebounds and 7.1&nbsp;points per game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another of those seniors is Kaley Mitchell. She primarily plays in the backcourt as either a one or a two guard. Mitchell's senior season has seen her average 6.5 points in addition to two steals per matchup.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Cherokee (28-1, 10-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Remember the mid-to-late 1900s? The Braves did plenty of winning around that time. Some of that winning included a state championship victory in 1996 then another appearance in the state game in 1998.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Remember the Chris Mintz years? Cherokee was in the win column more often than not throughout his era. Current Cherokee coach Ann Gardner has brought the Braves to an apex of winning ways from 16 wins two seasons ago to 26 last year to 27 in 2023-24.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Braves won games over Highland Tech, Mount Airy and East Wilkes to open last season's tournament before being eliminated by Bishop McGuinness in last year's West semifinal. The lone team this year to deal a defeat to Cherokee was Choctaw Central in early December.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Braves Road to Winston-Salem:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 27 – 93-25 win vs. Highlands</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 1 – 92-29 win vs. North Stokes</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 5 – 72-25 win vs. Thomas Jefferson</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 8 – 61-55 win vs. Bishop McGuinness</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 11 – 64-51 win vs. Mountain Heritage</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='413356' first='Whitney' last='Rogers']</strong> is one of three juniors on this season's Cherokee roster. The 5-foot-6 guard led the team to the victory over Mountain Heritage as she scored 17 points – tops among Braves point-getters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The victory over the Cougars also saw a 10-point performance courtesy of <strong>Creedon Arch</strong>. Arch is one of the three seniors that make up this year's rendition of Cherokee. She also plays volleyball and softball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cherokee has also seen glimpses of its future in the form of a pair of freshmen. One of those 2027s is <strong>Daisee Fourkiller-Raby</strong>. She finished with 10 points and is a multi-sport athlete who also plays soccer and volleyball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just as scoring is an important element to any team's recipe for victory, the same applies to rebounding. In the victory over the Cougars, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890685' first='Joscelyn' last='Stamper']</strong> hauled in 10 boards. Stamper is listed at 6-foot-2 on the Cherokee roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>When and Where? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mar. 15, 6 p.m., Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->