SpokesWeek
Plus Community, Religion & Classifieds
J' * J Thursday, March 12, 2015
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
Chrisalyn Boston (32) has emerged as a dominant force on
the boards for Prep's girls team.
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
D.J. Harrison (23) is a key figure on the Phoenix front line.
Twice as nice:
Boys & girls Prep teams
headed to state championships
BY CRAIG T.GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem Prep is in position to pull off a rare
1 1,^4-1 11 m
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boys and girls' teams turned in
noteworthy performances in
winning their respective match-ups
in the Class 1-A Western Regional
finals played last weekend at the
Fairgrounds Annex.
The wins put both teams in
Saturdays (March 14) state
championship games in Chapel
Hill. Prep's boys' shocked
previously unbeaten Albemarle
64-43. Eyeing its fourth straight
state cr6wn, will play Ea?t. ,
Carteret in a rematch of last year's
title contest which Prep won 72-71
on Kwa'Tre Hollingsworth's follow
shot in the closing seconds.
The Phoenix girls delivered the
knock-out Mow early in a 63-34
runaway win over Cherokee. This
will be the first championship game
appearance for Prep's ladies who will face Williamston
Riverside.
Second quarter lock-down
Defense is Prep's calling card and it was on full
display during a key stretch of the second quarter in
the regional final. Albemarle rallied to cut the Phoenix
lead to 24-22. Coach Andre Gould made a lineup
switch, which changed the tenor of the game in Preps
favor for good.
Gould pulled his starters and put Davier Dixon,
Josh Gould, Kendrick Edwards, Keeshon Patrick
and Ne'Quan Carrington in the game. Over the final
five minutes of the quarter, the Phoenix back-ups
denied space to perimeter shooters and closed off the
driving lanes. The revved-up intensity was more than
Albemarle could handle.
The usually efficient Bulldogs had problems
executing and ended up taking
errant shots. In the meantime,
Prep. (21-7) pounded the boards
and scored a few fast-break
baskets. In the process, Goulds
crew went on a 10-0 spurt to
regain command with a 34-22
lead at the half.
"We have 15 players who can
go in the game at any time,"
said Gould. "There are 12 in
the rotation, and we have three
more new folks who are still in
training. Rsgstrdless of how the
game is going, we're going to
be relentless. We're not going
to back down. We compete on
every sequence at both ends
of the floor. Now we're looking
to come out one more time (in
state championship game) and
get the job done.'
Regional MVP Kwa'Tre Hollingsworth and Daivien
Williamson, who scored 17 points apiece, took turns
leading the offense. Williamson scored 10 of his total
in the first half and Hollingsworth finished strong
with 15 points in the second half.
Coach A1 Andrew of Albemarle (26-1) is familiar
with Prep's style of play. Familiarity, he acknowledged,
doesn't necessarily translate into success. "With their
size and quickness, there's no way you can duplicate
that in practice," said Andrew. "Prep has so many
weapons and they're strong at every position."
Ladies steamroller
Less than five minutes after tip-off, there was no
See Twice on page B2
Class I-A West Regional
Championships
Boys'All-Tournament Team
?Jamie Stewart (Avery County)
? Daivien Williams (W-S Prep)
? Lee Autry (Albemarle)
? Zaire Williams (W-S Prep)
?Terrace Ellis (Albemarle)
? MVP - KwaTre Hollingsworth
(W-S Prep)
Cuit' All- Tournament team ? , .
? wf' M fWwinmm MMfMVIf? I* & T,
? Kendall Toineetta (Cherokee)
?Jada Craig (W-S Prep)
? Reagan Barnard (Cherokee)
? Dominique Claytor (W-S Prep)
? Chrisalyn Boston (W-S Prep)
? MVP - Mychala Wolfe (W-S Prep)
Young players
prepare for
showdown
at combine
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
The high school basketball season ends early for
freshmen and sophomores that don't play varsity.
Ninth grade and junior varsity teams are usually done
for the season by early February.
To help fill that void, Next Level Youth Development
of Winston-Salem will present the first annual Top
24 Rising Stars Basketball Combine on tomorrow
(Friday, March 13) at 6 p.m. The site for the combine
is Woodland Gym, popularly known as the "Eagles
Nest," located at 200 Frampton St., near the old
Woodland Baptist Church on Patterson Ave.
The Rising Stars Showdown game figures to be the
combines centerpiece. The competition between
East and West teams will feature many of the areas
top up-and-coming 9th and lOth-grade non-varsity
basketball players. Area coaches selected the players
for the combine.
Prior to the game, athletes at the combine will take
part in a skill development workout, followed by a
two-hour combine session. Players will be evaluated
for speed, lateral quickness and agility.
The Showdown game will tip-off around 8 p.m.
The East team is made up of players from Glenn, East
Forsyth, Winston-Salem Prep, Atkins and Parkland.
The West team is comprised of players from Carver,
Mount Tabor, Reagan, West Forsyth and Reynolds.
The Showdown game should be fast-paced from
start to finish. Scoring points isn't likely to be an issue.
The East squad has one of top low-post players in
Connor Sparrow, who has blossomed as inside force
at both ends of the floor. Sparrow will get plenty of
assistance from perimeter shooters Josh Jenkins,
Caleb Burgess and Kobe Young.
The West team will counter with T.J. Stevens, a
rugged post player who excels as a gritty defender and
rebounder. De'Sean Harrell has a knack for breaking
down defenders off the dribble. Harrell's ability to get
See Showdown on page B2
Photo by Charles E. Leftwich
Kobe Young, Parkland
Rams coach looking to replace players,
focus on quality recruiting
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE " * **
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Although the basketball season is over for Winston-Salem State, there's much
ground to cover over next 50-60 days. The Rams (18-10) lost four players who
collectively averaged 51.3 points per game. So now there are some vacancies on
the roster for next season. There are also recruiting priorities to focus on.
Its imperative that Coach James Wilhdmi bring in quality offensive firepower to
replace departing seniors Donta Harper, WyKevin Bazemore, Marquez Jones and
Javan Wells. Harper and Bazemore were voted All-CIAA &nd All-Tournament
this season.
Scoring points, however, is only one part of the equation. Getting better on the
boards is the other part Bazemore was the leagues top rebounder at 9.8 per game. But
even with his presence in the paint, Winston-Salem State was still routinely beaten
on the glass by an average erf 5.9 rebounds per game against conference opponents.
"We have needs to fill across the board," said Wilhelmi. "But there's no question
See Recruiting on page B2
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
All-Rookie pick Dedric Byrd (33) goes up for a rebound.