One can always count on death, taxes, and Farmville Central basketball to end up in the state championship game.

Certain things are always certain.

The Jaguars have reached the NCHSAA basketball championship for the 11th time in their school’s history, with six of those appearances occurring since 2016. Farmville Central, the top 2A seed from the eastern region, secured their spot in the title game with a commanding 74-54 victory over Goldsboro, the second seed.

The Jaguars dominated the Cougars in the second quarter, causing them to lose their eight-game winning streak as they played in Winston-Salem. Goldsboro (27-4) was unable to regain their momentum afterwards.

Reworded:

On Saturday, Farmville Central (30-1) aims to win their fourth state championship in the past five years and consecutive title. This marks their sixth consecutive appearance in the title game and seventh since 2016, along with their 23-game winning streak. They reached the finals by switching up their game plan and playing aggressively against Goldsboro. In the championship game, they will face either Reidsville or Salisbury.

The Jaguars caused 26 turnovers and were not affected by the Cougars’ early 10-0 lead. In the second quarter, Goldsboro had 21 offensive opportunities, with 10 of them resulting in turnovers.

The Cougars committed 26 turnovers, resulting in Farmville Central scoring 24 points.

In the second quarter, Farmville Central dominated Goldsboro, scoring 25 points compared to Goldsboro’s 4, and establishing a strong 35-16 advantage. At a certain moment, the Jaguars went on a 24-2 streak, causing the Cougars to commit nine turnovers. By the end of the first half, Goldsboro had a total of 17 turnovers.

At the beginning of the game, the Cougars made an impressive start by scoring on a dunk by Amari Latham. This gave them a lot of momentum, leading to a 10-0 advantage in the first quarter.

At 3:05 on the clock, Farmville Central scored their first point with two successful free throws from Hampton Evans. Evans was responsible for reviving the team, earning six out of the first nine points for Farmville Central. By the end of the first quarter, the Jaguars had reduced the lead to two points (12-10). In the second quarter, Farmville Central gained the lead with a three-pointer from Tyler Whitehurt on their first play and maintained it for the rest of the game. The Jaguars had a 42 percent three-point shooting percentage in the second quarter, making three out of seven attempts, exceeding the total number of field goals made by the Cougars in the same period.

After a layup by Malik Cadet brought the game to a tie at 14, Goldsboro experienced a streak of 10 possessions without scoring. Meanwhile, Farmville Central took advantage of the Cougars’ drought and scored multiple points.

During the game, Whitehurst and Mykal Williams successfully connected for three points. When their shots were not going in, Evans and his teammates were able to retrieve the ball and score points through offensive rebounds. Evans alone had three offensive rebounds in the first half, which was the same number as the entire Goldsboro team.

By the five-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the spectators at Lawrence Joel had witnessed a lot. Chris Rhodes even scored a four-point play, bringing the score to 60-36, proving there was still more excitement to come.

The Farmville Central team had four players who scored in double digits. Whitehurt was the top scorer with 13 points, making 3 out of 8 three-point shots. J.D. Daniels had 12 points, while Jordan Jones and Williams each contributed 11 and 10 points respectively.

Latham was the top scorer with 22 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds, making 9 out of 16 attempts from the field. He was the only Goldsboro player to score in double digits. Andre Williams contributed seven points, while Maurice Tyler ended with six.

At Farmville Central, the top scorers were Tyler Whitehurst with 13 points, J.D. Daniels with 12 points, and Jordan Jones with 11 points. Mykal Williams contributed 10 points, followed by Chris Rhodes with 9 points, Hampton Evans with 8 points, and Alex Moye with 6 points. Landen Barnes scored 4 points, while Jocquez Dixon chipped in 1 point.

In the game against Goldsboro, Amari Lathan scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Andre Williams had 7 points, while Maurice Tyler, Nyrese Williams, Jae’Quan Green, Malik Cadet, Xavier White, Devin Bishop, and Keshawn Kenner each scored 6, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, and 3 points, respectively.

Source: highschoolot.com