• EAST vs. WEST: For 11 times in the past 12 years entering this year’s finals, the Western representatives have held the edge over the Eastern champions in the NCHSAA state basketball championships. 

But in the 2012 championships, the East took five of the eight titles. Eastern teams swept this year’s four games at Reynolds Coliseum while the West representative took three of four at the Smith Center. Eastern teams took both the 2-A and 4-A titles for men and women, along with the 3-A men’s crown. 

The last time the East had the edge came back in 2006.

Last year, in the 2011 championships, the Western representative took seven of the eight title games, with only Winterville South Central breaking through with a 61-58 overtime victory at Reynolds Coliseum over Hickory for the 3-A women’s crown. 

In 2010, for the second straight year, the Western representative took six of the eight title games, with Kinston in the 2-A men and Rocky Mount in the 3-A men breaking through for the East.

  In 2009, the Western representative took six of the eight finals, with only Dudley in the 3-A women and Northern Guilford in the 3-A men winning out of the East, but later Northern Guilford had to vacate its title.

The West took five of the eight championship games in 2008, and the 2007 count had the West winning five of eight, but in 2006, the East representatives took six of the eight titles, with only Bishop McGuinness in the 1-A women and South Mecklenburg in the 4-A women’s games winning for the West.

Western teams took five of eight championships during the 2005 Super Saturday activities, six of eight titles in 2004 and seven of eight championships during the 2003 finals. Only Fayetteville Seventy-First, with its 4-A women’s triumph over Charlotte Zeb Vance by a 50-47 count, was able to give the East a victory in 2003. 

The 2002 championships represent the only time that one side of the state has swept the other in the 30 plus years using the regional format, as the Western champions captured all eight of those NCHSAA title games, four men’s games and four women’s games. In 2001, the West went 6-2, with only East Bladen in the 2-A men’s title game and Winston-Salem Carver in the 3-A women’s championship breaking through for the East. In 2000, seven of the eight championships went to Western representatives, with only Whiteville’s narrow victory over Pittsboro Northwood in the 2-A men’s final preventing a complete sweep by the West over the East.

• DOMINATION CONTINUES: the victory by Kernersville Bishop McGuinness over Chocowinity Southside 60-44 in the state 1-A women’s final at the Smith Center continued a solid trend for the Western champ in that classification. The West has now won 24 of the last 26 titles in the 1-A classification for women. The only Eastern teams to break through during this time were Union in 1998 and Lakewood in 1994.

It was also the seventh consecutive title for Bishop McGuinness in the women’s championships. It is now the longest string of state titles in basketball. The previous consecutive streak was owned by Hayesville, which won six under coach Darryl McClure from 1988 through ’93. 

In men’s basketball, Durham actually appeared in nine consecutive state championship games, from 1938-46, but won five in a row (1938-42) and seven in that nine-year span.

• GREAT INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS FOR WEST CHARLOTTE: Kennedy Meeks of West Charlotte hauled down 21 rebounds for the Lions’ in their 67-56 defeat at the hands of Wilmington New Hanover in the men’s 4-A basketball final at Reynolds Coliseum, one of the best performances on the boards in a final in the last 25 years. Meeks is one of three players during that span to get 21 rebounds in a state final, the last of whom was Brandon Setzer of Thomasville in 2003. The top mark during that period is 23 rebounds by Reginald Johnson of Winston-Salem prep in the 2008 1-A title game.

Mark Blackmon of West Charlotte, which won the 2011 state crown, hit six of 15 three-point attempts in that same game. The six threes is just one off the state championship mark of seven, held by Shawn Alexander of T.C. Roberson (1998) and Josh Pittman of Trinity (2008).

•PERFECT RECORD: Siler City Jordan-Matthews captured the NCHSAA state 2-A women’s crown with a 56-39 victory over the Eagles of Wilkes Central at Reynolds Coliseum and wound up as the only varsity basketball team, male or female, in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association to finish undefeated. The Jets posted a 31-0 mark.

Jordan-Matthews is the 19th women’s team in the last 25 years to finish unbeaten, with the last perfect mark achieved by 2010 2-A champion Salisbury (29-0). The last men’s team to go unbeaten was Canton Pisgah (29-0), the 2005 2-A champ. 

• TOP PERFORMANCES: among the outstanding individual performances in the state high school basketball championships on Saturday:  Dante Battle scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to earn Charlie Adams Most Valuable Player honors in Rocky Mount’s 78-64 win over Hickory in the 3-A men’s final at the Smith Center, and Gryphon teammate Terrill Hilliard knocked in 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds…Mylia Garner had 22 points and eight rebounds for Jordan-Matthews in its victory over Wilkes Central to earn the Kay Yow MVP in the 2-A women’s final…Abrea Harris was the Kay Yow MVP in the women’s 3-A title game as she led Harding University past Burlington Williams 65-43, pumping in 18 points and handing out six assists…Raleigh Millbrook’s Briana Day had 17 points and six rebounds to lead her team over West Forsyth 57-40 in the 4-A women’s championship, earning the Kay Yow MVP honor…Cuthbertson’s Shelton Mitchell had 22 points for the Cavaliers in a tough 58-55 loss to Kinston in the 2-A men’s championship at Reynolds Coliseum.

  • LOTS OF TITLES: Several schools added to their list of multiple basketball championships over the weekend. New Hanover made its 20th all-time appearance in the men’s basketball finals and earned its 14th championship, which moves it into first place ahead of 13 by the old Durham High School. 

Rocky Mount is now 5-2 in NCHSAA state title appearances in men’s basketball, with two titles in the last three years, and Kinston added to its storied history in basketball with its eighth all-time title in 18 appearances in the championship (Kinston was known officially as Grainger High prior to 1970).  Kinston teams have now earned crowns in 1950, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1965, 2008, 2010 and ’12.

• BALANCE: Winston-Salem Prep won its second NCHSAA men’s basketball championship by downing Plymouth 61-49 in the 1-A championship at the Smith Center. The Phoenix, as they had all season long, showed excellent balance. Kerry Campbell of Winston-Salem Prep was his team’s leading scorer with 12 points, while Mike Hughes was the Charlie Adams Most Valuable Player with 11 points and 10 rebounds. RaeKwon Harney had 11 points for the winners and Greg McClinton, with eight points and nine rebounds, was named his team’s Most Outstanding Player in the balloting by media covering the game.

• TIME WARNER TELEVISION: all eight of the state championship basketball games are available to Time Warner Cable subscribers across the state on Carolina Video on Demand, on channel 199 or 1047.  They were all available on live television on the Time Warner system on Saturday.

• OTHER RANDOM NOTES: AAA is the presenting sponsor of the state basketball championships and had representatives participating in the post-game ceremonies in all eight contests…Northern Durham and Garner High Schools served as the official hosts for the championship…the Bouncing Bulldogs, the famous rope-skipping demonstration team from Durham, provided the halftime entertainment at the men’s 3-A final on Saturday night and were once again well received by the crown. The Bouncing Bulldogs, under the direction of Ray Fredrick, have become one of the highlights for fans attending the championship games and have come to the championships for the last 26 years…live statistics and live video streaming of all championship games were available on Saturday on the NCHSAA web site.