Zack Allen, right, helped Hoggard to a first round win as the guard scored 16 second half points.  Photo: Calvin McGowan

New Hanover 61 - Durham Hillside 39

It was closer than the final score indicates, at least until the mid-way point of the third quarter when the defending state champs pulled away.

At halftime, the Wildcats led by just two points, 21-19, and were clearly having trouble getting the game into a flow where they felt comfortable offensively.  Head coach Franklin McMillan said, “They did a good job of slowing the pace down.”  Hillside got back on defense with extreme alacrity and prevented easy fast break hoops, which is how New Hanover loves to take advantage of their opponent.

Instead of attacking Hillside’s sagging zone defense, the Wildcats spent much of the first half trying to make perfect passes instead of driving and dishing, which is their bread and butter.  By swinging the ball around the perimeter too much, they let Hillside take the air out of the ball, which was clearly to the visitors’ benefit.

With the offense struggling,  New Hanover held a lead at the half because of their defense.  If they play four full quarters of lock down defense, they are going to be tough to beat.  Rakeem Wilson used his quickness to put pressure on the ball and while he is a star on offense, he can be a shut down defender as well.  With the height New Hanover has on the back row and the quickness of their guards, they can be a nightmare on D.

And sure enough, eventually, the offense kicked it into gear.  After scoring just 21 points in the first half, they scored 19 in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth.  They started the second half with a 13-7 run and looked to be dictating tempo.  Too often in the first half, New Hanover settled for playing on the perimeter, but Coach McMillan noted, “We are much better when we go inside-out.”  The Wildcats started getting in the paint in the second half, and Hillside didn’t have many answers defensively with their undersized front-line.

The Wildcats opened up a twelve point lead by the end of their third quarter and pulled away in the fourth.  Rakeem Wilson, 14, David Pellom, 13, and Ty Walker, 12, led the balanced attack for New Hanover which will be at home again on Thursday for their second round match-up.  Tip is set for 7:00, as are all state tournament games.

Hoggard 78 - Southeast Raleigh 53

Zack Allen scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the second half as Hoggard raced past Southeast Raleigh 78-53 in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs in Wilmington on Tuesday night.  The Vikings (19-8) will travel to Southern Durham on Thursday night in the second round.  Southern defeated Lumberton 67-63 on Tuesday.  

Hoggard shot 70 percent from the floor, 55 percent from three-point range, and 75 percent from the free throw line in the win.  The Vikings made 11 of their 14 second half field goal attempts, including all eight from inside the arc.

There were 56 fouls called in the game resulting in 73 free throw attempts.  Hoggard was 30-40 from the line while Southeast was 18-33.

Griffin Leuck added 15 points and Logan Cain scored 13 to help the Hoggard offensive attack.  Jordan Jeremias added nine points and six assists as well.

The Viking football team defeated Southern Durham on their way to the State Championship 21-6 in the Eastern Championship game and on Thursday, the boys’ basketball team will be looking for a win over Southern to propel them into the third round.

- Information provided by hoggardbasketball.com  

Panther Creek 70 - Laney 37

The post-season was unkind to the Bucs this year.  After getting bounced by Ashley in the first round of the Mideastern Conference Tourney, Panther Creek eliminated Laney from the State Championships on Tuesday with a dominating 70-37 win.

The Bucs were never the same after star guard Jermaine Emmanuel went down with an injury and despite their efforts, Coach Fred Lynch’s boys were no match for Panther Creek.  Laney finishes the season 15-11.

Other Mideastern Teams Win In 3A Tournament

Jacksonville and White Oak have to go up against the Wilmington 4A schools throughout the season, but apparently were well prepared for the state tournament as a result.  Jacksonville beat Havelock 88-74 while White Oak downed Washington 56-54.