Good morning, it’s time to preview Day One of this year’s N.C. High School Athletic Association’s regional championships, which features the 3A classification. This is the second year of a “final four” format, and the winners of today’s regional finals will play in the state championships on Friday.

HighSchoolOT will have you covered all week at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum.

Let’s get to today’s schedule, a quick by-the-numbers preview of each team, plus a list of the best players that will take the floor for these 3A regional finals.

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Today’s schedule — Monday, March 10

2 PM — 3A West Girls: (3) North Lincoln (29-1) vs. (1) Stuart Cramer (28-2)
4 PM — 3A East Boys: (2) Southern Durham (29-2) vs. (1) Swansboro (25-1)
6 PM — 3A East Girls: (2) Western Alamance (26-4) vs. (1) Terry Sanford (27-3)
8 PM — 3A West Boys: (12) Hunter Huss (20-8) vs. (11) Ben L. Smith (27-3)

Interactive 2024 NCHSAA boys & girls basketball state playoff brackets

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Each 3A Regional Finalist — By The Numbers

North Lincoln girls (29-1)

• 29 — straight wins after losing the season opener to 4A Lake Norman (who is also still playing this week)
• 18 — the closest margin of victory in the playoffs
• 1,021 — career points already by sophomore Ally Smith (20.1 per game this year)

Stuart Cramer girls (28-2)

• 2,176 — career points already for junior Oshauna Holland (28.3 per game this year)
• 0 — losses at home or on a neutral court this year
• 21 — points AND rebounds for Lauren Humphrey in a fourth-round win over Jay M. Robinson

Southern Durham boys (29-2)

• 140 — points scored in four rounds of playoffs by senior Jackson Keith (35.0 per game)
• 27-0 — Southern Durham hasn’t lost to an in-state school this season, with a 27-0 record
• 14 — “Southern School of Energy and Sustainability” is 14 syllables long, or 10 more than “Southern Durham”
• 1 — Southern Durham has made it to the state final once, finishing runner-up in 1959

Swansboro boys (25-1)

• 10 — the Pirates’ only loss was by 10 points to 4A East finalist New Hanover
• 3 — three of Swansboro’s playoff opponents were held to 43 points or less
• 6 — six of the Pirates’ top seven scorers are seniors, led by three with more than 16.3 points per game

Western Alamance girls (26-4)

• 20 — the Warriors scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to turn a four-point game to a 12-point win against Union Pines on Friday
• 121 — made 3-pointers by Allie Sykes alone (the team has 261 and counting)
• 5 — five of the Warriors’ top six scorers are seniors
• 1 — Western Alamance has made it to the state final once, finishing runner-up in 2000

Terry Sanford girls (27-3)

• 4 — four of the Bulldogs’ five in-state losses over the last two years have come to state champs, including two this year to already-crowned Grace Christian of Sanford (NCISAA 3A)
• 4 — four of Terry Sanford’s starters from last year’s state runner-up are returning to Winston-Salem this season
• 6 — six different Bulldogs have recorded at least one double-double this year
• 4 — Terry Sanford has made it to the state final four times but has yet to win a state title

Hunter Huss boys (20-8)

• 56 — freshman Jaleel Smith shot 56 percent from the field (10-of-18) to take down rival Ashbrook in the fourth round
• 3 — three of the Huskies’ playoff wins have been by 10 points or less
• 7 — seven of the Huskies’ eight losses came to teams that reached the fourth round
• 3 — Hunter Huss has made it to the state final three times, winning a state title each time

Ben L. Smith boys (27-3)

• 5 — the combined margin of victory in the last two rounds on the road for the Golden Eagles (50-48 at Dudley, 61-58 at Crest)
• 0.1 — inches away from a second overtime at Crest as Kady’n Turner-Scott’s 3 hit the corner of the top of the backboard and miraculously dropped through the net for the win
• 104 — the Golden Eagles have 104 wins across the last four seasons, falling to eventual state champions twice in those three years
• 1 — Ben L. Smith has made it to the state final once, finishing runner-up in 1995

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Top 10 Boys Players

1. Jackson Keith, Southern Durham — the Butler recruit has put it all together in his final year
2. Jyi Dawkins, Ben L. Smith — the guard brings it on both ends of the court
3. Jermaine Cunningham, Swansboro — steady senior point guard who gets to the rim and plays tough on-ball defense
4. Tayvion Tangiora, Swansboro — most certainly the top true post player left in 3A, shooting 67 percent
5. Jaleel Smith, Hunter Huss — 22.3 points per game and cue the “he’s-a-fresh-man” chants now
6. Zaiyir Phillips, Hunter Huss — averages 18.8 points and 5.6 assists per game, but somehow overlooked
7. A.J. Morman Jr., Southern Durham — the freshman floor general has a bright, bright future
8. Kenny Miller Jr., Ben L. Smith — the veteran is one the Golden Eagles can rely on to break up a scoring drought
9. Jonah Holt, Swansboro — focus too much on Cunningham or Tangiora, and he’ll make you pay
10. Ty’sere Payne, Ben L. Smith — if the 6-foot-10 big has a good game, the Golden Eagles are hard to beat

Top 10 Girls Players

1. Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer — it’s not just the scoring, but the all-around effort, that makes her special
2. Breonna Roaf, Terry Sanford — the senior heartbeat of the Bulldogs averaging 8.0 assists and 5.7 steals
3. Allie Sykes, Western Alamance — she’s not just a sharpshooter but someone who can create her own shot
4. Ally Smith, North Lincoln — sensational ball-handler who can change speeds like few can
5. Jaidiah Blake, Terry Sanford — has made the sophomore leap with ease
6. Ameya Brown, Terry Sanford — the game’s a wrap if she gets going from outside
7. Ashlyn Black, North Lincoln — the second sophomore from the Knights on here, she too has moments of brillance
8. Tina Bowers, Western Alamance — her all-around game will be needed in a big way
9. Lauren Humphrey, Stuart Cramer — she may not get 21/21 again, but she’s crucial to the Storm’s success
10. Amya Harrington, Terry Sanford — leads the Bulldogs in double-doubles with 12 this year