NCHSAA 3A Playoffs Final 4 Preview

There’s one week left in the 2019-20 North Carolina high school basketball season and four teams look to keep their season alive this week in the regional championships. The 3A division is one of the most competitive in the state with three of the four teams coming in with either at least 29 wins and one loss or fewer. Here is a preview of what should be two excellent regional finals: <p style="text-align: center"><strong>#5 Jacksonville (24-3) vs. #3 E.E. Smith (30-1) 2 PM (Capel Arena)</strong></p> Jacksonville and E.E. Smith have been the class of the East region for the last several years. In 2018, the Cardinals reached the state title game and the Golden Bulls reached the regional round last season. Both teams boast high level prospects and are looking to keep their excellent seasons going. Forward [player_tooltip player_id="116909" first="Miya" last="Giles-Jones"] (#5 PGH NC 2023) and 2021 guard <strong>Ke’onna Bryant</strong> will have to continue their stellar seasons for E.E. Smith to reach the state title game. UNC commit [player_tooltip player_id="116845" first="Kennedy" last="Todd-Williams"] continues to be the focal point for Jacksonville, but she has teammates that play big in big moments like fellow 2020 prospects<strong> Kelly Luck</strong> and <strong>Mia Tucker</strong>. Luck had 22 points in the Cardinals fourth round win over previously undefeated D.H. Conley. Their pressure defense will be a big key against the Golden Bulls in this all 910 matchup at Fayetteville State University’s Capel Arena. <p style="text-align: center"><strong>#2 Southeast Guilford (29-1) vs. #1 Freedom (29-0) 4:30 PM (Shuford Gym)</strong></p> Last year, Southeast Guilford won the 3A state title coming out of the East region. This year, they’re in the West look to go back-to-back. They’ll have to go through an undefeated Freedom team that’s been spectacular all season long. The Patriots have cruised through the first four rounds of the playoffs by at least 25 points in each game led by Lenoir-Rhyne commit [player_tooltip player_id="116869" first="Blakely" last="Crooks"] (#25 PGH NC 2020). She’ll get to play the regional round at her future home in the Shuford Gym. Meanwhile, the Falcons held off Cuthbertson 53-50 to get back to the final four led by [player_tooltip player_id="116867" first="Kennedi" last="Simmons"] (#23 PGH NC 2020) and [player_tooltip player_id="116901" first="Raven" last="Preston"] (#12 PGH NC 2022). Repeating isn’t easy especially having to go through as tough a division as there is in North Carolina. It’s sure to be a tight contest Saturday when these two powerhouses meet.