East Surry vs. Goldsboro: 3A Championship

Western Alamance was the last 3A team standing following state play at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum last season. North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) realignment created noteworthy changes for the state's high school sports landscape.    The Warriors became part of the new 5A realm, meaning someone had to take Western Alamance's place atop the 3A ranks.    That team could be East Surry. The Cardinals earned the West Regional championship following wins over West Davidson, Polk County, Mountain Heritage and North Wilkes. That team could be Goldsboro – winners of the East Regional crown. The Cougars' road to Winston-Salem went through Midway, Farmville Central, James Kenan and Northwood.    Winning the 3A state championship this year would be Goldsboro with the final score being 54-46 over East Surry.    We at Prep Girls Hoops were on site for every point, rebound, assist, steal and foul of the 3A matchup that took place on Friday. Here is a look at the game's primetime performers.     Both teams presented balanced scoring attacks, making the 14 points that were placed on the scoreboard by Ford stand out even more. Out of the 14 she did score, eight occurred in the second half of play. Ford also concluded her afternoon two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight – five of which were recorded in the first half. She logged nearly 27 minutes of time on the court. Ford was one that East Surry did not want to foul considering she was perfect from the free throw line – making all four of her tries. One steal was also part of her afternoon. Ford claimed East Most Outstanding Player honors.     Team captains are supposed to be leaders in the locker room and by example on the court. Boyer did that – and then some – for her Cougars on what would be her final occasion sporting a Goldsboro uniform. Boyer aided the Goldsboro cause with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds in addition to claiming Kay Yow MVP honors. Her rebounding capabilities were on full display in the first half as she hauled in seven of her 11 boards. Boyer's effectiveness as a scorer displayed itself in the latter minutes as she tallied seven of her 11 points. Boyer's afternoon also included two steals and two blocks. She has the ball-handling skills of a guard and can get creative with her interior moves.     Buckom is another one of the five 2026s that would conclude their careers with Goldsboro with 3A state hardware. She was the third of the three double-digit point-getters for the Cougars as she finished her afternoon with an 11-point effort. Guards such as Buckom can be easy to overlook because they can be considered undersized, but she more than makes up for it with a great blend of ball-handling capabilities, 3-point shooting ability and veteran instincts. The ability to distribute the rock is another of Buckom's strong points – she dished out six assists throughout the game in addition collecting three steals plus a block. Both 3-pointers that Goldsboro connected on departed from Buckom's hands.     There is only one player on Goldsboro's roster that is not either a senior or a junior. Smith is one of the quintet of 2027s on this season's Cougars assembling and she also had a productive afternoon at the Wake Forest office with seven points. She would log over 29 minutes of court time. Smith also bolstered Goldsboro's efforts on the glass as she hauled in six rebounds. Four of the boards were of the offensive variety. A pair of assists plus a steal were also part of Smith's afternoon. Smith would record four of her seven points in the first half but four of her six rebounds in the final 16 minutes.     In many ways, Barbour was the closer for the Cougars. When it appeared that East Surry was on the verge of making a late push, Goldsboro managed to effectively locate Barbour in close proximity to the basket for high-percentage shots. Barbour finished her afternoon at The Joel with seven points off the bench – all of which recorded in the fourth quarter. She may have only played just over nine minutes but she made that time off the bench count. Barbour also grabbed three rebounds and collected a pair of steals. She is the lone freshman on this season's Goldsboro team.     Boaz and her East Surry assembling may not have departed from the Demon Deacons' home court with the result it was in search of, but she had a productive day at the Wake Forest office. Boaz would play nearly all 32 minutes of Friday's game while leading her team with 13 points and earning West Region Most Outstanding Player honors. The Cardinals connected on a pair of 3-pointers – one of them departed from Boaz's hands. Boaz also collected four steals and grabbed three rebounds. She is one of seven on the Cardinals' roster that is part of East Surry's graduating class of 2026.     Four guards were part of the starting five for East Surry. Sechrist – another one of the seven seniors that will soon call it a time at East Surry – played all 32 minutes. Sechrist added 11 points to the Cardinals' cause and she was one rebound shy of a double-double as she grabbed nine off the glass. Four of those boards were offensive rebounds. As she is one of two on East Surry's roster that stands at an even six feet, one would expect a veteran like Sechrist to get in position to corral plenty of boards. One would also expect someone with Sechrist's stature to primarily be a post player, but she thrives as a backcourt beast.     The Cardinals also benefitted from the seven points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of another of its senior guards. Out of those seven points, five occurred in the second half. Anderson may have only had two successful tries from the field, but she was one that Goldsboro's defense did not want to foul. She was true on all three of her tries from the charity stripe. Anderson also helped her team with four rebounds – including three on the offensive glass. A pair of assists plus a steal were also part of Anderson's outing. She would play nearly 22 minutes.

Western Alamance was the last 3A team standing following state play at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum last season. North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) realignment created noteworthy changes for the state's high school sports landscape.