NCISAA basketball is here and will be sporting a new look this fall. For the first we will see four divisions which means that we will now have four state champions within the girls ranks. The defending state champs are Wesleyan (3A) Carolina Day (2A) and Northwood Temple (1A). However with four different classifications plus the fact that Carolina Day will not be fielding a team, the girls’ basketball championships will take on a entirely differently look.
This year the state championships return to the Raleigh area under a different format. For the past fourteen years the state finals have been played at one site with all six state championship contests played on the same court on the same day. Now with the four divisions the 3A/4A finals will be played at Ravenscroft while the 2A and 1A finals will be held at North Raleigh. Ravenscroft will host the 4A semifinals and North Raleigh the 1A semis while the 2A will meet at Durham Academy and the 3A at Cary Academy.
Taking a look at the different divisions Trinity Christian is ranked number one in the 1A inour inaugural poll. The Crusaders have five state championships in the last ten years so they are no strangers to top spot. The inside-outside punch of 6-0 Sr Desiree Smith and 5-5 Soph Tamara Hooker key the TCS attack. Neuse Christian who have reached the finals the past two seasons begins the year at number two. The Lions also have a new coach, Zachary Shank, who replaced Shane Wilder who guided NCS to two straight finals. Izabel Verajao, a 6-4 Sr who has committed to Florida St leads the returnees. Burlington School also returns an experienced unit with Molina Williams and Aniya Vanhook and will heavily factor in this year’s race.
Northwood Temple, last year’s state champion and winners of three of the past five titles, faces an uphill battle this season. Four time all staters Ciara and Kendal Moore both transferred to Pine Forest HS and two other key players also transferred. Kendal Moore Is an NC State recruit while Ciara’s services are sought by several D-I schools
Top ranked 2A Davidson Day was blessed with the transfer of Malorie Haines last season. Haines, now a 5-10 sophomore is already being highly recruited and joins a group of experienced veterans under Coach Jeff Lafave at Davidson Day. Gaston Day who showed major improvement last season begins as number two this season. The Spartans also feature a strong inside-outside combo of 5-11 Sr Olivia King and guard Zaria Clark.
O’Neal School has seen a resurrection of their girls program under 3rd year coach Lulu Brase, a former Gaston Day star. The Lady Falcons have gone from not even fielding a team to contender in four short years.
The 3A will face an entirely different look this season. Carolina Day, formerly of 2A and now 3A size will not be around to defend their eight straight state titles under Coach Joe Carrington. CDS released Carrington about a month before the season opener which caused a defection of several key players. The end result is that CDS will not field a girl’s team for the 2018-19 season.With that said longtime contender Concord 1st Assembly is the number squad in our opening poll. Eagle coach Bill Middlebrooks is one of the most underated coaches in the NCISAA . CFA will be small but awfully quick and defensively sound. Sharpshooters Jada McMillan (5-7 Sr) and Bailey Stinson (5-5 Jr) key the offense.
However parity abounds in the 3A division this season. Hickory Grove and FCD could be factors as well as Cary Christian and others. This is one classification that it is too early to make a sound prognostication.
Providence Day is tops in the 4A poll. The Lady Chargers have eight state titles in ten years. For the first time in ten seasons they failed to make the finals as they were upset in last year’s semifinal game by Rabun Gap. This year’s unit does not possess the inside presence of several teams of the past but does have quickness and strong guard play from Andi Leviyz (5-5 Jr) and Kailey Smith (5-7 Jr).
Ravenscroft presents a big challenge to the Chargers. The Ravens feature good size inside with four players 6-0 or better. Macie Frederiksen, a 6-2 Jr, heads up the inside but can also step outside as wing. Guard Aliya Richmond also bears watching.
The 4A girls also features a lot of parity and the old cliché “ Anyone can beat anyone” holds true among the top teams.
Doing early season rankings is kinda like playing the lottery—it involves a lot of luck as well as the patented S.W.A.G. method perfected by myself. Here’s the way we see it early along with the key players for each team.
4A
1.PROVIDENCE DAY…1-1 (Andi Levitz G 5-5 Jr, Emnet Noad F 5-8 Soph, Kailey Smith G 5-7 Jr, Morgan Kelson C 5-10 Jr)
2.RAVENSCROFT…2-0 (Macie Frederiksen F 6-2 Jr, Lauren Harrison F 6-0 Jr, Aliya Richmond G 5-9 Soph, Kelly Baker G 5-7 Jr)
3.CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY…3-0 (Lindsey Batten F 5-11 Soph, Katie Batten C 6-1 Sr, Mary Waters G 5-5 Fresh)
4.RABUN GAP…1-2 (Claudia Lopex G 5-5 Jr, Jolie Kruckenberger F 6-1 Jr, Romani Lewis F 6-0 Sr, Derin Akdeniz G 5-6 Sr)
5.GREENSBORO DAY…3-0 (Maddy Murdock F 5-11 Sr, Madison Head G 5-6 Sr, Je’Bria Fullwood F 5-9 Soph)
0n the bubble…Durham Academy 3-0 Cannon 2-1
3A
1.CONCORD 1ST ASSEMBLY…2-1..(Jada McMillan F 5-7 Sr, Bailey Stinson G 5-5 Jr, Salma Zayed G 5-8 Soph)
2.HICKORY GROVE…2-0 (Imani Cherry F Sr, Peyton Bowers G Sr, Kayla Ganda G Fresh, Lucy Jennings F Sr, Savannah Brown G Sr)
3.FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY…2-2..(Haleigh Koslowski G Sr, Josie Kilborn F Soph, Amira Williams F Jr)
4.CARY CHRISTIAN…1-1..(Rebeccca Churchill C 5-11 Sr, Grace Deuser F 5-11 Sr, Megan Cullen F/C 5-11 Sr, Emma Stopper G 5-8 Sr, Zoe Vestal G 5-9 Sr)
5.VILLAGE CHRISTIAN… 2-1 (Makayla Kimble G 5-7 Sr, Jasmine Nolin F 5-10 Soph, Amiah Savage G 5-9 Fresh,Mila Giles-Jones F 5-11 8th, Jaylynn Cade C 6-0 Soph)
On the bubble…Cape Fear Academy 3-2 Carmel Christian 0-1
2A
1.DAVIDSON DAY 3-0..( Mallorie Haines G 5-10 Soph, Josie Wiles F/C 6-2 Sr, Jessie Wles F 5-9 Soph, Jael Hall G 5-6 Soph, Kate Roberts G 5-7 Sr, Nevaeh Brown G 5-9 Jr)
2.GASTON DAY…2-0 (Olivia King F 5-11 Sr, Zaria Clark G SR, Portia Shouse G Soph)
3.O’NEAL…3-0 (Rayayah McRae Sr, Caelan McHarney Fresh, Rachel Patton Jr)
4.WAYNE COUNTRY DAY…4-1 (Lexie Jeffreys 6-1 F Jr, Janae Jones G 5-4 Jr, Sherica Cox F 6-0 Sr, Jala Holleman G 5-6 Sr, Langley Barnes G 5-6 Sr)
5.STATESVILLE CHRISTIAN…2-2 (Mallory Sherill C 5-11 Sr, Aasia McNeill G 5-6 Sr, Lexie Blackwelder F 5-7 Sr, Jordan Ellis F 5-9 Sr)
On the bubble…Salem Baptist 5-1 Trinity/Durham 3-1
1A
1.TRINITY CHRISTIAN…3-0 (Desiree Smith F 6-0 Soph, Tamara Hooker 5-5 G Soph, Jamiya Smith G 5-4 Sr, Destiny Ray F 5-8 Jr, Keishanna Murray G 5-8 8th
2.NEUSE CHRISTIAN…0-0 (Izabel Verajao C 6-4 Sr, Khofifa Safira G 5-3 Jr, Anna Giammarino F, Lillie Groff G 5-5 Fresh) 5-9 Sr
3.BURLINGTON SCHOOL…3-0 ( Aniya Vanhook G 5-7 Jr, Molina Williams F 6-0 Jr, Elizabeth Rice F 5-10 Sr, Dionne Sampson G 5-4 Sr)
4.VICTORY CHRISTIAN…1-1 (Varvara Papakonstantinou F 5-8 G , Assiyah Mitchell F 5-9 Jr, Inshan’nae Smith F 5-9 Sr, Ruth Mbugua C 6-3 Soph)
5.NORTHWOOD TEMPLE…2-0 (Morgan Smith G 5-3 Sr, Valerie Veauthier G 5-4 8th, Megan Eaker F 5-8 Soph, Ally MnMillan C 6-0 Soph)
On the bubble…Grace Christian 3-2 Kerr Vance 2-0
