In 2024, the Farmville Central Jaguars basketball team will continue their annual tradition of competing in the 2A eastern regional final.

The top-seeded Farmville team of the 2A East region emerged victorious with a score of 77-70 against Northwood in a packed home game. Northwood, seeded as 4th, put up a tough fight. Farmville Central will now face off against 2nd-seeded Goldsboro in the upcoming regional finals on Wednesday.

The game featured two teams that competed in a state championship last year. Farmville emerged as the victor of the 2A championship, while Northwood suffered a loss in the 3A division. In the off-season, Northwood moved down to the 2A level due to the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s mid-alignment adjustments. This was a result of the opening of a new nearby school, Seaforth High, which caused a decrease in Northwood’s student population after the previous realignment.

Drake Powell, a 5-star recruit committed to UNC, played his final high school game for the Chargers. With a height of 6-foot-6, he is ranked as high as the No. 8 player in the class of 2024. Powell scored 22 points and displayed excellent defense throughout the game. Coach Larry Williford of Farmville Central acknowledged the team’s preparation for Powell’s defensive skills, but it still proved to be a challenge during the game.

MJ Williams, guard for the junior team at Farmville, was the top scorer of the night with a total of 35 points. He had 24 points in the first half alone, with six of those points coming from successful 3-point shots.

With 5 minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the first period, Farmville took an early 8-2 advantage thanks to two successful shots by Williams. Northwood’s coach, Matt Brown, promptly called a timeout.

Alex Moye was assigned to Powell for the night in Farmville, while other players took turns guarding him. They successfully limited his productivity in the first half with a sluggish start. Moye’s early draw of a charging foul appeared to establish the pace of the game.

Trailing by eight points, Powell made a successful three-point shot to score for Northwood. Shortly after, Northwood gained control of the game with a layup by second-year player Cameron Fowler and took the lead 13-12. Fowler then extended Northwood’s lead to 17-14 with a jump shot, with only 1 minute and 32 seconds remaining.

During the Farmville game, Chris Robles successfully made a three-pointer from the corner while being guarded by Powell, resulting in a tie score of 17-17 with only 28 seconds left in the first quarter. The tie carried over into the second quarter.

At 5:55 remaining in the first half, Williams scored a three-pointer, giving the Jags a 25-21 lead.

Senior Hampton Evans connected with Robles for a corner three-pointer following a charge. On the subsequent defensive possession, Evans forced Powell into his second offensive foul with another charge.

With 4:45 remaining in the second, Williams made a floater off the glass to give Farmville a 30-21 lead. Northwood’s Jake Leighton then countered with a three-point shot from the wing to halt the opponent’s momentum. Williams quickly responded with his fourth three-pointer at the 3:50 mark.

Williford used his first timeout when Fred Whitaker Jr. of the Chargers made two free throws, bringing the score to 33-26 with 3:31 remaining in the second quarter.

Soon after, Williams made two consecutive shots from beyond the arc, bringing the Jaguars’ score to 41-30 with only 1 minute and 11 seconds remaining in the first half. Following that, Robles made his third 3-pointer, giving Farmville a 14-point lead. Powell then countered with a basket and a foul, narrowing the gap to 11 points at halftime.

During the second half, the team maintained a consistent lead of around 11 points for the first three minutes of play.

Northwood scored one point from a free throw by Leighton and two from Powell, resulting in a score of 50-42 with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter. Evans then made two free throws to extend the lead to 52-42 with 3:43 on the clock. Williford called a timeout.

At 1:52 remaining in the third quarter, Powell assisted Leighton in making a successful jumper near the foul line, reducing Farmville’s lead to 52-45. Following a timeout, Powell made a steal and was fouled before attempting a dunk on the fast break. He scored both free throws, bringing the lead down to five points. Williams then scored a basket and drew a foul, but missed the free throw. Powell countered with a impressive dunk in the half court offense.

The score in the game between Northwood and Farmville was narrowed to 54-49 at the start of the fourth quarter. Northwood’s strong defense only allowed Farmville to score 10 points in the third quarter, which was unusually low.

Powell began the final quarter with a smooth reverse layup. Evans responded with a three-pointer from the corner with 6:20 left in regular play, breaking Farmville’s offensive drought.

Meanwhile, Northwood’s second-year center, Chad Graves, successfully made a 3-point play following a blocking foul on Farmville. A layup from Moye and a steal and basket by Robles brought the score to 61-54 with 5:20 remaining.

After Northwood lost possession, senior Tyler Whitehurst successfully made a three-point shot from the wing, increasing the lead to double digits once again. As Farmville’s offense found its stride, Northwood began to rush and commit errors while in possession. Northwood took a timeout while trailing 64-54 with 4:24 left on the clock.

With approximately three minutes remaining, Powell nailed a difficult, contested jump shot to increase the score to 66-60. The Chargers committed a foul, allowing Williams to go to the free throw line with 2 minutes and 43 seconds left. Williams only managed to score one point.

With just over two minutes remaining on the clock, Powell was able to connect with Fowler for a layup, bringing the game to within five points. Unfortunately for Northwood, they were unable to take advantage of a missed shot from Farmville and ended up turning the ball over.

The Chargers employed the strategy of intentionally fouling and sent Williams to the free throw line. Williams successfully made both free throws, extending the lead to seven points. Northwood was then unable to score and the ball was knocked out of bounds, giving possession to the Jaguars. Williams was once again sent to the free throw line and made one of the shots.

With just 25 seconds remaining, Powell scored a layup, bringing the score to 72-66. Following a timeout, Northwood made a 3-pointer, increasing the score to 74-69. 3 then made one successful free throw.

Powell was called for a foul while attempting to score near the basket and successfully made one of the shots, resulting in a five-point lead. Later on, senior JD Daniels sealed the game by making shots from the free throw line with only 3.6 seconds remaining on the clock.

The season for Northwood ended with a record of 27 wins and 4 losses. Powell’s career came to a close with a total of 1,766 points earned.

Source: highschoolot.com