If you inquire about Tarris Bouie from anyone who has seen him this year, you will hear that the sophomore has a bright future ahead.

However, in the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A boys basketball playoffs on Tuesday night, Bouie showed that his current situation is still good.

Using a strong performance of 40 points from Bouie, Chambers secured a spot in the fourth round on Friday with a 78-68 victory against Weddington. The game remained close throughout, but the visiting Cougars pulled ahead with fast break points and aggressive drives to the basket.

Bouie was the most aggressive player at the rim, scoring 20 points in the first half, only three points in the third quarter, and adding 17 more in the fourth quarter. He made four field goals and converted 9 out of 10 free throws.

Next up on the schedule for the 11th-ranked Cougars (22-8) is a journey to face the second-seeded Lake Norman team. The victor of this game will then advance to Winston-Salem the following week to compete for the West regional championship, as part of the recently implemented “final four” setup.

At the end of the first half, Chambers had a score of 30 points while Weddington (27-2) had 29 points. However, Weddington’s senior player Jack Ellyson was able to score points right before the buzzer in both quarters. In the first quarter, he made a layup from an out-of-bounds play and in the second quarter, he made a tip-in. Weddington started off strong with a 14-11 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 21-11 with a 7-0 run in the second quarter. However, Chambers improved their defense and was able to score 19 points in the last few minutes of the second quarter, making it a close game.

The Warriors, who defeated Chambers on their path to winning the 2022 4A championship, were guided by Grant Hamilton and K.J. Younger who both scored 23 points. Ellyson contributed 18 points.

In addition, Chambers received 17 points from Maurio Hanson, a senior player in the post who dominated the rebound game in the last three quarters, disrupting what had been effective for Weddington in the beginning.

Scoring Summary

Chambers: Markus Kerr 5, Malik McCotter 9, Tarris Bouie 40, Jordan Patton 4, Jayden Terrell 3, Maurio Hansen 17

Weddington: Jack Ellyson 18, Grant Hamilton 23, Aidan Cook, Mason Zepp 2, K.J. Younger 23

Source: highschoolot.com