East Bladen vs. Cherokee: 1A Championship Preview

When Championship Friday emanates from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Wake Forest, a grand total of eight teams will depart from the home court of the Demon Deacons with championship hardware in toe.    Of course, four of those teams will be girls teams – and the first girls team that will claim a state championship will be from the 1A ranks.   The 1A East and West Regionals took place this past Tuesday – and provided quite an exciting precursor to Friday afternoon's championship get-together. Without further ado, here is a look at this year's contest for all of the 1A marbles.     East Bladen (26-3, 12-0)   A program that has been associated with winning basketball, East Bladen is making its first appearance in state since 2011. In fact, its four previous appearances have all resulted in losses – to Bishop McGuinness in 2007 and 2009 (both in 1A) and to Salisbury in back-to-back seasons from 2010-11 (in 2A).   This year's Eagles rendition has the potential to reverse those postseason fortunes. Patty Evers' win in the regional final added to her impressive resume where she has won over 600 games in her career – and she is a well-respected name in basketball circles given she once coached at a McDonald's All-American game.   Last season, East Bladen's championship hopes were dashed in a regional final at the hands of East Columbus. This season, West Brunswick, East Duplin and Topsail were the lone teams that placed the Eagles in the loss column.    Eagles' Road to Winston-Salem:   Feb. 25 – 74-19 win vs. Northwest Halifax   Feb. 28 – 60-13 win vs. Columbia   Mar. 4 – 68-43 win vs. Wilson Prep   Mar. 7 – 68-45 win vs. North Duplin   Mar. 11 – 77-63 win vs. Perquimans   Key Players:   When setting up a strategy to combat East Bladen, a huge portion of said strategy has to include a way to contain [player_tooltip player_id='285950' first='Iveonna' last='Ward'], a 5-foot-7 senior in the backcourt. Ward leads the team in points per game (19.3), steals per game (5.5) and assists per game (4.3). She has also grabbed 5.3 rebounds a contest.    Speaking of seniors, Laila Smith has also been one of the key pieces to this year's winning Eagles puzzle. She has averaged 16 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.9 steals and 3.6 assists and 1.1 blocks. Smith is East Bladen's leading rebounder and shot blocker.    The Eagles have also seen plenty of production out of its 2026 class. One of those is [player_tooltip player_id='924468' first='Ariel' last='Cromartie'], a 5-foot-9 guard. Cromartie is averaging 10.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.    Another of those juniors is Niyah Wooten, a 5-foot-9 forward who is a multi-sport athlete that partakes in softball alongside her basketball accomplishments. Wooten is the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.9 a contest in addition to the 2.5 steals she has collected per game.    2025-29 Reclassification: 2A   Cherokee (27-2, 10-0)   When a team wins a state championship, its status automatically changes from hunters to hunted.    The Braves experienced championship euphoria last season – then saw its coach Ann Gardner call it a career after 32 years. Miranda Stamper is now serving in Gardner's stead – and it appears Cherokee has not lost a step.    When a team can boast about the only in-state loss it suffered being to Winston Salem Christian's national team, that is a sign that a team has been doing things right all season. The only other loss suffered by the Braves was to Hebron Christian out of Georgia.    Braves' Road to Winston-Salem:   Feb. 25 – 83-28 win vs. Bradford Prep   Feb. 28 – 78-29 win vs. Carver   Mar. 4 – 108-28 win vs. Christ the King   Mar. 7 – 69-50 win vs. Albemarle   Mar. 11 – 65-61 win vs. Bishop McGuinness   Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='413356' first='Whitney' last='Rogers'] will be playing in her final game with the Braves before she heads to the collegiate ranks where she will play at Montreat College. She has averaged 16.4 points, three rebounds and 2.7 steals for the season.    The Braves have also benefitted from another outstanding season courtesy of Cecily “dvdaya” Swimmer who has excelled as a basketball and volleyball player. The junior Cherokee standout has averaged 15.4 points and 3.7 steals per game.    A hallmark of Cherokee is that it is stacked with young talent. Aaliyah Rogers – a sophomore two guard – is one of those names on the rise. She has averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals per contest.    [player_tooltip player_id='890685' first='Joscelyn' last='Stamper'] was a key piece to the Braves' championship run last season – and is a major reason why Cherokee is on the precipice of going back-to-back. Stamper is averaging 10.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.4 blocks per contest. She leads the team in both rebounds and blocks.    [player_tooltip player_id='1222736' first='Daisee' last='Fourkiller-raby'] was the hero for Cherokee in its hard-fought victory over Bishop McGuinness on Tuesday. She sank a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to lift the Braves to victory. She has averaged eight points, three rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals a game. She also plays volleyball.   [player_tooltip player_id='992438' first='Lilly' last='Lossiah'] is another whose second sport of choice is volleyball. The lone freshman on this season's Cherokee rendition, she has averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per matchup.   Cherokee State Championships: 1996, 2024   2025-29 Reclassification: 2A   When and Where?   Mar. 14, 3:35 p.m., Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

When Championship Friday emanates from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Wake Forest, a grand total of eight teams will depart from the home court of the Demon Deacons with championship hardware in toe.