2A Championship: North Wilkes vs. Southeast Alamance

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If one is a fan of either of the two even-numbered classifications, Championship Saturday was the day. With North Pitt having been eliminated in the first round of this year's tournament by Whiteville, it was a guarantee there would be a new 2A champion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday would bring a close to a week where the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem was the focal point of the North Carolina high school sports landscape. It included the 2A girls game which featured a Southeast Alamance team which earned victories over Greene Central, West Craven, Goldsboro, Fairmont and Seaforth to earn its state berth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other bench would be North Wilkes. The Vikings' trek to state would see them defeat Madison, Surry Central, Hendersonville, T.W. Andrews and East Burke to earn its berth to Saturday's state play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That new 2A champion would be Southen Alamance – a school that was only founded two years ago. The Stallions defeated the Vikings by a final tally of 43-33.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Records</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southesat Alamance wraps up its 2024-25 campaign having finished 29-3 plus a conference record of 14-1 and its 2A state crown. For North Wilkes, its season will conclude having gone 30-2&nbsp;&nbsp;in addition to a 12-0 in its conference plus regional championship status.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A grand total of 24 points would be scored in the first quarter between Vikings and Stallions. They would be evenly distributed between the two teams. With one in the books, North Wilkes and Southeast Alamance were all knotted up at 12 apiece.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The good news for the Stallions is that the deadlock broke in their favor with 16 minutes having been played. The bad news is that it only broke by one. With two frames in the books, Southeast Alamance's lead over North Wilkes were a mere 21-20.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bit more distance was put between Southeast Alamance and its North Wilkes adversaries – but it was still only a two-possession contest with three in the books. Eight minutes remained to determine the fourth and final girls state champion of the season with the Stallions leading the Vikings by a margin of 30-24.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southeast Alamance and North Wilkes would battle each other to the lowest-scoring contest of the four girls games that weekend in Winston-Salem. The Stallions would finish on the better end of that defensive exchange to rise to the top of the 2A mountain in only its second year of existence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216863,"width":"436px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/Clara-LaChapelle-MOP-rotated.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-1216863" style="width:436px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are four team captains on this season's rendition of Southeast Alamance. One of those is junior small forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1219576' first='Clara' last='LaChapelle']</strong>. She concluded her evening with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1217070,"width":"599px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_6256-crop-3716x2440-1742124916.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1217070" style="width:599px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southeast Alamance also benefitted from the 12 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of another junior in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='573557' first='Shaniya' last='Paylor']</strong>. She is another one of those three team captains. Paylor also delivered a team-high seven assists and collected a pair of steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1217072,"width":"596px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_6182-crop-2396x1573-1742125185.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1217072" style="width:596px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1222747' first='Natalie' last='Lopez']</strong> contributed nine points and hauled in five rebounds in the nearly 31 minutes she was on the court for the Stallions. Lopez was particularly effective from 3-point range. She made three of her six attempts from deep and had three of the four team's successful triples. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1217074,"width":"603px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_6288-crop-2228x1463-1742125445.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1217074" style="width:603px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leading all scorers would be senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='690097' first='Ralee' last='Bare']</strong> in her final time sporting a North Wilkes uniform. Bare had a 16-point, five-rebound, four-steal, two-assist evening. Bare was on the court for over 26 minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1217076,"width":"605px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_6305-crop-1833x1204-1742125690.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1217076" style="width:605px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings also got a lift from the six points and three rebounds that were put on the scoreboard courtesy of sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1222742' first='Meredith' last='Tomko']</strong>. She also contributed a pair of blocks to the North Wilkes cause. Tomko played all 32 minutes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1217078,"width":"603px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_6113-crop-2753x1808-1742125832.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1217078" style="width:603px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='690095' first='Shalyn' last='Bare']</strong> also deserves credit for how she played on Saturday evening. While she only scored four points, Bare brought down 14 rebounds. She was responsible for roughly half of North Wilkes' rebounds as the Vikings as a team concluded the game with 29. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='690097' first='Ralee' last='Bare'], Laney Prevette, Allie Farrington and Megan Myers are the four 2025s graduating from North Wilkes. Southeast Alamance will return its entire team from this season next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Reclassification</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beginning with the 2024-25 season, North Wilkes will move up from 2A to 3A while Southeast Alamance will take a big jump from 2A to 5A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->