The Saturday night game in Pittsboro presented an opportunity for both teams to gain something, regardless of the outcome.

As the boys’ basketball season reaches the final stretch, Myers Park and Northwood are both ranked in the top five teams according to the latest HighSchoolOT rankings. They are also considered strong contenders for the state titles in their respective classifications. Instead of participating in an MLK weekend event, they faced each other in a nonconference game to improve their skills and prepare for playoffs. Despite being a typical nonconference match, the level of talent on the court was exceptional.

At the final buzzer, it was No. 1 Myers Park, the reigning 4A champion, who secured a significant 63-47 victory in front of the No. 5 Northwood audience. The Mustangs (13-2) remain undefeated against in-state opponents this season, while Northwood (12-3) has suffered one loss to an out-of-state team and two losses to top-five teams within the state, with one being Reidsville.

The first half of the game at Myers Park began with a 30-21 advantage, but this score did not accurately depict the whole game. The Mustangs were ahead 14-7 after the initial quarter, largely due to Sadiq White Jr.’s impressive performance in the low block, scoring eight points (he ultimately scored 16 points). However, Northwood quickly caught up and briefly took the lead at 19-16 before Myers Park responded with a 14-2 run to end the quarter.

In the first half, the Mustangs had a strong performance from beyond the 3-point line, making six shots. Ashton King contributed three of those shots, earning a total of 13 points.

In the third quarter, Sir Mohammed played a key role in securing the win for his team. The Notre Dame recruit scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers (five total in the game). Northwood was behind 55-34 at the start of the final period.

Despite Drake Powell, a recruit from North Carolina, scoring 23 points in the game, 11 of those points were in the fourth quarter for the Chargers. None of the other players from Northwood scored in double digits, showing the strength of the Myers Park defense that has been difficult to defeat for the past three seasons.

Scoring Summary

In Myers Park’s game, Sadiq White Jr. scored 16 points, Jacob Paraison had 3 points, Bishop Boswell had 8 points, Ashton King had 13 points, Josh Hines had 2 points, Sir Mohammed had 18 points, and Adam Barnes had 3 points.

Northwood: Cameron Fowler 7, Fred Whitaker 2, Beau Harvey 5, Drake Powell 23, Jake Leighton 4, Chad Graves 6.

Source: highschoolot.com