No matter what happens in Saturday's 2A boys' basketball state championship game, it was a fitting end to the season.
That's because of all the teams across the state, it would have been hard to find a more compelling title game pairing than Farmville Central and Reidsville. Each team has dealt the other its most recent loss, albeit quite some time ago in both cases.
It is not only a rematch of the championship bout from last season won by the Jaguars, it's a rematch of the lone game the local team lost all season dating back to December at the John Wall Invitational.
It was there that Reidsville, now a perfect 28-0, got a measure of revenge against the Jags (30-1) and put the lone blemish on Farmville's season record in a 76-66 win. What's more, the game and postgame featured a good deal of chatter between the state's elite 2A titans, drawing the ire of FC coach Larry Williford at the time, who said his team was 'keeping receipts' this time around.
All of it comes back to a head when the teams lock horns again at 5 p.m. inside Winston-Salem's Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the title. Farmville has won four of the last five 2A crowns.
Farmville enters the game having won 23 straight since losing to the Rams.
MJ Williams leads the Jaguars in scoring at 15.7 points per game and also averages team bests in assists (2.3) and steals (1.1). Hampton Evans pulls in a team-best 2.4 rebounds.
Reidsville last lost to the Jags in last year's title game. The Rams are led by sophomore Kendre Harrison's 19.4 points, 15.0 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game.
Girls
North Pitt (28-3) vs. East Burke (31-0)
North Pitt's girls also will take on a team that hasn't lost all season in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. championship game.
The Panthers have won 21 straight entering the game and have not lost to a fellow 2A team this season.
Senior N.C. State commit and McDonald's All-American Zamareya Jones leads the Panthers in scoring (25.2 ppg.), steals (4.2) and blocks (1.3), while Jordan Speller dishes 5.7 assists and Zihanna Lightfoot pulls in 8.1 rebounds.
NP has not played a close game in the playoffs, winning its first four contests by a combined 122 points.
East Burke's Cavaliers have ridden a similar road to the final, beating Southwestern Randolph (72-39), Salisbury (76-57), East Rutherford (57-40) and Lincoln Charter (48-39) to make the championship tilt.
Junior Braelyn Stillwell averages 22.8 points, 7.2 assists and 7.2 steals per contest. Kara Brinkley averages 8.0 rebounds.
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