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Local programs selected to participate in NCHSAA playoffs

bryant baucom, henderson (n.c.) daily dispatch
·4 min read

Feb. 20—HENDERSON — With conference tournaments coming to a close on Friday, the stage is set for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs.

As the brackets from the 1A to 4A levels were released on Saturday, 64 teams at each classification were selected to compete.

After successful regular seasons on the hardwood, seven programs across Vance and Granville County will vie for a state championship starting on Tuesday.

Boys Basketball

Henderson Collegiate secured both the Triangle North Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title, giving them the league's automatic bid.

The Pride earned the No. 5 overall seed in the East Region and will open up the 1A playoffs by hosting No. 28 seed Northwest Halifax (10-15).

At 16-10 overall and winners of seven games in a row, head coach Paul Murray has Henderson Collegiate playing their best basketball of the season.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Aycock Recreation Center and should they advance, the Pride would face-off with the winner of No. 12 Northampton County and No. 21 Bear Grass Charter.

Another member out of the TNAC in Vance Charter earned a state playoff selection. The Knights received the No. 18 seed in the 1A East Region and will travel to face Rosewood (14-19).

Vance Charter currently sits at 11-9 overall and finished with a 6-4 league record in a conference that produced four state playoff teams.

A win over the Eagles would give the Knights their first playoff victory in program history and give them a matchup with either No. 2 Wilson Prep or No. 31 Southside.

Joining Vance Charter and Henderson Collegiate at the 1A level is Oxford Prep, who drew the No. 27 seed in the NCHSAA playoffs. The Griffins will travel to No. 6 Chatham Central (15-8) on Tuesday for their first state playoff appearance since the 2016-17 season.

The winner of No. 11 Washington County and No. 22 North Moore awaits should Oxford Prep earn their first playoff victory in school history.

At the 2A level, J.F. Webb enters the postseason following another successful campaign under head coach Alex Tharp. The Warriors possess a 15-11 overall record and as the No. 25 seed, they will make their way to Beaufort for a first round matchup with East Carteret (18-6).

This marks the second consecutive season that Webb will take on the Mariners in the NCHSAA playoffs, as the Warriors fell 82-69 to close out the 2021-22 campaign.

Girls Basketball

Vance Charter clinched their second consecutive Triangle North Athletic Conference title last week, bringing their record to 16-5 overall and giving them an automatic bid to the Big Dance.

Their play earned them the No. 6 seed in the 1A East region, setting up a date with No. 27 North Edgecombe (10-14) in Henderson.

The Knights have emerged victorious in seven of their last eight contests and enter the playoffs on a two-game winning streak.

A win over the Warriors would give Vance Charter a playoff victory in back-to-back seasons and they would take on either No. 11 Clover Garden or No. 22 Gates County in the second round.

Oxford Prep, a fellow TNAC member alongside Vance Charter, will make their second consecutive state playoff appearance, as the Griffins received the No. 29 seed in Saturday's bracket reveal.

No. 4 seeded North Duplin (21-1) will welcome Oxford Prep to Calypso for a first round tilt on Tuesday.

The Griffins are winners of five of their last nine games and enter the postseason on an upward trend. An upset win on Tuesday would witness Oxford Prep visit either No. 13 Voyager Academy or No. 20 Tarboro.

J.F. Webb provides the only local representation at the 2A level, as the Warriors are one of three programs in the area to have both their girls' and boys' teams in the state playoffs.

Earning the No. 10 seed, Webb will host their opening round playoff game, welcoming No. 23 seeded Goldsboro (8-15) to Oxford.

A challenging non-conference slate combined with a dominant 2A/3A split conference has the Warriors at 12-11 overall, but they are much more talented than their record would indicate.

The winner of No. 7 Southwest Onslow and No. 26 West Craven awaits and an upset victory for the Eagles would potentially set up back-to-back home games for Webb.