West Rowan vs. Terry Sanford: 3A Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) recently unveiled its schedule for championship Friday at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That day, the 3A girls championship contest will be the second game of the four that will take place at Wake Forest's basketball arena. Friday will be when the 3A and 1A champions are determined.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Championship euphoria awaits one of two teams that will be on the Demon Deacons' home court – one of which experienced that championship euphoria at the conclusion of last season. Without further adieu, here is a look at this year's two 3A girls championship hopefuls.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>West Rowan (30-1, 18-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Representing the West Region will be last season's 3A champions – the Falcons from West Rowan.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Ashley Poole's team not only claimed last season's 3A crown but did so by going a perfect 31-0. The lone defeat West Rowan encountered during the 2023-24 season happened in the third game of said season when the Falcons were on the receiving end of a 77-73 decision to 4A Lake Norman.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since that loss, West Rowan has embarked on a winning streak of 28 games. All of those victories were by double digits. The 29^th&nbsp;will mean back-to-back 3A championships will have been claimed by the Falcons.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Falcons' Road to Winston-Salem:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 27 – 74-27 win vs. Central Cabarrus</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 1 – 70-40 win vs. Northwest Cabarrus</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 5 – 79-52 win vs. Ashe County</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 8 – 55-42 win vs. East Lincoln</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 12 – 66-54 win vs. A.C. Reynolds</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams looking to earn victories over the Falcons have to do something to contain a star sophomore guard in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='622017' first='Tiara' last='Thompson']</strong>. The 2026 played a big role in the win over the Rockets with 17 points to go along with four rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday's contest will be the final game for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='612335' first='Emma' last='Clarke']</strong> sporting West Rowan's signature blues and she hopes to finish said high school career with a championship flourish. She tallied 14 points in the win over A.C. Reynolds. Clarke was also the team's leading rebounder in that game with seven boards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of seniors – in similar fashion to Clarke, <strong>Mya Edwards</strong> is another of the five 2024s that currently make up this year's rendition of West Rowan basketball. Edwards contributed 12 points in the win over the Rockets. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Rowan also benefitted greatly from the 12 points that came off of the team's bench in the form of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='612336' first='Demya' last='Phifer']</strong>. The standout guard is another of the five seniors that are on this year's Falcons roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Terry Sanford (26-5, 14-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking to knock the Falcons from off its current perch atop the 3A food chain is this year's Eastern Regional champions – the Bulldogs of Terry Sanford.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The team's history in championship games is one it would rather forget. The last time the Bulldogs were in a state championship game was 2000 – and it resulted in a loss. In fact, Terry Sanford's three previous state appearances have also seen the Bulldogs get placed in the loss column.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Chris Goodman's team is looking to finally change the Bulldogs' fortunes in state championship games. Last season, Terry Sanford suffered an East semifinal defeat to Rocky Mount in last season's tournament.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Bulldogs' Road to Winston-Salem: </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 27 – 69-29 win vs. Hunt</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 1 – 69-51 win vs. Jacksonville</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 5 – 70-47 win vs. Southern Durham</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 8 – 75-68 win vs. Cape Fear</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mar. 12 – 58-50 win vs. South Central</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the anchors of the Terry Sanford backcourt presents itself in the form of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='393666' first='Breonna' last='Roaf']</strong>. The junior for the Bulldogs is averaging 13.9 points, 7.3 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per contest. She had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win over South Central. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs have also benefitted greatly from the production they have received this season from another backcourt stalwart in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='528689' first='Ameya' last='Brown']</strong>. The sophomore is averaging 12.3 points and 3.4 steals per game. Brown tallied 16 in the win over the Falcons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='635063' first='Jaidiah' last='Blake']</strong> has played at the varsity level ever since she was in the seventh grade. Blake finished with 11 in the victory over South Central and is averaging nearly a double-double with 11 pointds, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.3 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Bulldog that West Rowan will have to game plan for is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='634401' first='Rebecca' last='Kaba']</strong>. She was one of two to finish with a double-double in the win over South Central. Kaba finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over the Falcons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>When and Where? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3:30 p.m., Mar. 12, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->