Gardner and McAllister combine for 42 points in Heritage's 69-63 win over Broughton

By: Zack Adams

2/28/18

RALEIGH — #3 Heritage (24-4) are on to Saturday’s 4A East Regional Final following their 69-63 victory over #2 Broughton (26-3) Tuesday in Holliday Gym. The Caps have very little answer for the Huskies’ two future Division-1 stars, Jayden Gardner (East Carolina) and Jarren McAllister (Virginia Tech) as the two combined for 42 points and 18 rebounds.

Gardner scored a team and game-high, 24 points Tuesday night while grabbing seven boards. Eight of his 24 came in the closing frame. The Heritage forward shot 9/12 from the foul line, which goes for 75%. McAllister exploded for yet another double-double as he went for 18 points and 11 rebounds. 

In the previous three games for Heritage, the Huskies have got point production from a variety of guys. Tuesday, it was freshman toward Redford “Red” Dunton and junior guard Dyson Pender. Red Dunton tallied 12 points and five rebounds, on 2/5 shooting from three. Dunton scored eight of his 12 in the first half, including those two corner threes. Pender finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Nine of Pender’s points came in the second half which were big in the Husky victory. 

Jeff Ferrell’s guards played really well on Tuesday, and really well might even be an understatement. Senior Jalen Finch concluded his high school career with an 18 point outing; along with five rebounds. Finch only had three points at halftime, where the Caps were down just one (28-27). Finch shot 60% (3/5) from three on the game and 83% (5/6) from the foul line on the game. Junior DJ Thomas contributed 17 points in the Caps’ home defeat, nine of those came in the first half. Thomas really attacked the basket well and became very pestering to the Heritage defense early, which lead to the second quarter comeback for Broughton after being down 19-7 after one frame. Like Finch, Tyler Palmer’s high school career came to a close Tuesday evening and his shooting kept Broughton in the game throughout. Palmer knocked down four threes to total 12 points for the game. Three of those four triples came in the first half as he helped Thomas in the previously stated second quarter comeback.

Broughton had won 10 consecutive games prior to this defeat. Their last loss was all the way back on Jan. 16 against Leesville Road, where they dropped that road tilt 72-58. Heritage has not lost since Dec. 29 where Cannon School knocked the Huskies off, 64-55 at the John Wall Holiday Invitational. 

That leads us into the Regional Final Saturday. Heritage will face #4 South Central this Saturday in the 4A East Final. The Falcons upset #1 Garner Magnet by two, 69-67 Tuesday night that unfortunately concluded the end of Eddie Gray’s tenure as the Trojans head coach. South Central heads to the Regional Final with a 27-0 record as they look to remain perfect and go to the State Championships next weekend at either N.C. State or North Carolina.

Gardner and McAllister lead Heritage past Millbrook in second round

By: Zack Adams

2/23/18

WAKE FOREST — Heritage (22-4) left no doubt Thursday as they pounded Millbrook (16-13) 91-72 in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs. Heritage seniors Jayden Gardner and Jarren McAllister combined for 54 points and 22 rebounds in the victory. Heritage “broke out the brooms” Thursday as they picked up their third victory of the season over Millbrook. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 240-200 in those three meetings.

East Carolina commit Jayden Gardner finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks. Gardner also shot a perfect 5/5 from the foul line. Virginia Tech commit Jarren McAllister would not be out done, though. McAllister finished with 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists. McAllister has bounce if you did not know already. The future Hokie jumped from nearly the foul line and threw down a two handed slam in the fourth but that’s not all he did in the final stanza. Millbrook’s Philip Burwell attempted a floater in a “No Fly Zone” area. McAllister pinned Burwell’s attempt to the back board which brought the Husky faithful to their feet. Gardner and McAllister did not produce all the offense because after all, they scored 91 points. Freshman Lucas Taylor came off the bench and finished with 15 points and four rebounds. The “frosh” missed his first two three attempts in the first half but after that, found his stroke. Taylor shot a perfect 5/5 from three there after, four of which came in the second half. Many of those threes were knocked down off Tre Waller assists. The sophomore finished with seven of those to go along with his two points.

Heritage junior point guard Dyson Pender fouled out with 5:30 to play in the fourth. Back in December, we saw the impact Pender makes on the team as he left the Cannon School game (64-55 L) with an ankle injury and the Huskies struggled without a ball handler. Not Thursday. Heritage weathered the storm without Pender to pull away for the 19 point victory. Pender finished with six points and three rebounds on the evening.

It’s just something about Collin Lewis and playing Heritage. In last season’s Cap-8 Tournament Championship game, Lewis poured in 15 points in Millbrook’s 57-54 victory. Thursday, Lewis finished with 23 points on 3/4 shooting from three. Also, the Wildcat junior shot 8/9 from the foul line on the road. Very cool, calm, and collected was Lewis Thursday. Senior Adrian Scarborough had 11 points and eight rebounds in his final high school game. Sam Hood added eight points, all in the first half. Unfortunately for Millbrook, they were without senior guard Jabari Brown. Brown left the Broughton game (Cap-7 Championship) with an injury and was on crutches and had a brace on his leg Thursday night. Brown averaged 12 points per game for the season and shot 34% from three.

#3 Heritage will now move on to host #6 Green Hope on Saturday in Husky Gym (7:30). Green Hope downed rival Panther Creek by just four, 69-65 in the second round. The Falcons were led by PJ Fenton’s 21 points and eight rebounds in that one. That game will follow #10 Wakefield vs #2 Heritage (6:00) girls game. 

Clemons pours in 33 in Rolesville’s 66-57 victory over Cary

By: Zack Adams

2/21/18

ROLESVILLE — #16 Rolesville (16-10) advances to the Second Round of the 2018 NCHSAA Men’s Basketball Playoffs following a 66-57 win over #17 Cary (13-12). The Imps gave the Rams all they could handle Tuesday night but Ricky Clemons and company pulled away down the stretch to give Rolesville a second round birth.

Rolesville senior Ricky Clemons was a “walking bucket” on Tuesday. Clemons went for 33 points while grabbing five rebounds. The 6’2” senior guard also stepped to the foul line 20 times. Clemons made 16 of those 20 free throws, which accounts for 80%. Clemons was sent to the foul line 12 times in the fourth quarter where he went 11 of 12 (91%) to seal the victory. Fellow senior Reid Bowens complimented Clemons’ 33-point assault by tallying 12 points and six rebounds. Bowens also stepped outside and knocked down two much needed threes in the game. Seven of Bowens’ seven came in the second half. Dominique Johnson finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. More of a “quiet game” as we have seen in the past, but still knocked down key jumpers, grabbed needed rebounds, and sent the “Rolesville Riot” into an uproar with a couple of dunks. 

Coach Gus’ Imps were led by 17 points from junior Jett Fortuny. Fortuny shot three of five (60%) from three. Jalen Thomas and DJ Horne each contributed 12. Thomas scored eight of his 12 in the second half as he helped keep Cary in the game. The Leesville Road transfer (Horne) stuffed the stat sheet Tuesday evening. To go along with his 12 points, Horne grabbed five rebounds, fished out five assist, and forced four steals. 

Both Cary and Rolesville were without “regulars” in the Playoffs’ opening round. Cary missed starting center Philip Blackley (foot) Tuesday night. That was “huge” (pun intended) as the Imps got out rebounded 33-18 by the Rams. Rolesville were without starting point guard Jaylin Parker. Parker had missed two games in NAC-6 play against Heritage (77-62 L) and Corinth Holders (45-36 W). No apparent reason as to why Parker missed Tuesday’s game but the Rams would love to have him back in Thursday’s second round contest at Garner. 

The 16 seeded, Rolesville Rams will now travel to top seeded, Garner (24-1) on Thursday (Feb. 22). These two teams met twice earlier in the season where Garner took both match ups. Garner won 83-69 in their season opener and stole one 88-76 in overtime at Rolesville eight nights later. Garner has won 20 games in a row so a Rolesville upset Thursday would put an end to that streak and possibly Garner coach Eddie Gray’s tenure at the Wake County powerhouse.

Heritage and Knightdale advance to Friday’s Championship game following Semifinal victories

By: Zack Adams

2/16/18

WAKE FOREST — Thursday marked the Semifinals in the inaugural Boys NAC-6 Tournament. Both games were played at Heritage because the Huskies did finish an unbeaten, 10-0 in conference play. The host Huskies met Rolesville in the first semifinal while the three seed, Wakefield battled the two seed, Knightdale in the night cap.

MBB: #4 Rolesville vs #1 Heritage

#1 Heritage (20-4, 11-0) protected home court Thursday as they knocked off #4 Rolesville (15-10, 6-6), 70-59. For Heritage, success all comes down to the impact and play of their two future Division-One players, Jayden Gardner (East Carolina) and Jarren McAllister (Virginia Tech). Well Thursday, Gardner and McAllister showed up, especially in the second half to help secure their teams’ spot in Friday’s Championship game.

Gardner and McAllister combined for 42 points and 34 rebounds against the Rams Thursday. Gardner scored a Heritage high, 23 points and grabbed 24 rebounds. Yes, Jayden “Beast Mode” Gardner hauled in more rebounds than he scored points. He’s an animal, a dawg, or whatever you want to call him — confirmed. The future ACC talent, Jarren McAllister would not be denied in the box score, of course. McAllister poured in 19 points and had himself 10 rebounds as that accounts him for a double-double. The future Hokie also dished our six assists, created three steals, and had two rejections. “Stat stuffer” can be a named dubbed to McAllister, no doubt. 

Gardner and McAllister did get help from two underclassmen. Junior point guard Dyson Pender is normally a “pass first” guy. Thursday, Pender scored 13 points and only distributed two assists. Very uncharacteristic, yet needed game from the junior. Sophomore Tre Waller also had himself a solid night as he scored eight points, including two threes.    

Rolesville senior Ricky Clemons had himself two “disappointing” performances in the two previous meeting against the Huskies. 11 points, five assists, and six rebounds in the teams’ meeting on Feb. 5 and 15 points this past Friday. 11 and 15 point night’s don’t seem that bad, but when you average 19.2 per game on the season and 17.4 for your career, you expect more out of a talent like his. Thursday, Clemons finished with 17 points (6/12 FG), three steals, and two assists. Nine of those 17 came in the second quarter where Rolesville cut the Heritage lead to just 32-25 at halftime. 

With 6:15 to play in the third, Rolesville had cut that Husky lead to just two as they opened the half on a 7-2 run and Jaylin Parker got four of his 12 on the game in that stretch. Heritage coach Tilden Brill III called a timeout at the 6:15 mark and woke his team up, McAllister especially because he had nine of his 19 in the third. It also did not help the Rams that Parker (Rolesville’s point guard) picked up his fourth personal early in the third and had to sit. That led to the 20-10 run in that final 6:15 of the third stanza.

Also for Rolesville, Dominique “Dom” Johnson and Jordan Cooper each scored nine in the game. To go along with Johnson’s nine points, he grabbed 10 rebounds.

Every time Rolesville would get a key basket, Heritage responded on the other end with one or found themselves at the foul line. So with that, Heritage took the first semifinal of the night by 11 to punch their ticket to the first-ever NAC-6 Championship game at their place on Friday night. 

MBB: #3 Wakefield vs #2 Knightdale

A little too close for comfort for Knightdale (17-6, 8-3) coach Anthony Byrd but he will take it, as his Knights put down Wakefield (17-9, 6-6) in the second semifinal Thursday, 59-56. Wakefield trailed basically the entire game until they went on a 19-5 run in the fourth to make this one interesting in the final minutes. Knightdale handled business on both the defensive end and at the foul line to seal the victory. The Knights shot 3/5 (60%) from the charity stripe in the fourth but JV call-up, Rodney Ellis hit two much needed free throws late to propel Knightdale to victory. Just an assumption here, but those two free throws were probably the two biggest of Ellis’ basketball career as he is only a freshman.

Senior Cole Johnson and junior Shayne Saigo combined for 28 points, 14 each to lead Knightdale. Johnson knocked down four of his six attempted triples Thursday en route to his 14 point night while Saigo scored 10 of his 14 in the opening half. Another JV call-up, and a freshman for that matter stepped up as well for the Knights Thursday. Jaylen McDonald scored nine points including a left handed throw down in the fourth as he put Wakefield’s Trent Wilson in a poster. Xavier Fennell also added seven for Knightdale. 

Balanced scoring night for sure for Wakefield. After scraping by Corinth Holders Tuesday to get to “Semifinal Thursday”, they almost gutted out another victory over Knightdale. Juniors Trae Smith and Elijah Shabazz showed up yet again Thursday. Smith led Wakefield with 12 points while Shabazz added 10 points. Six of the 10 from Shabazz came in the fourth, including four free throws late. Sophomore Vernon Fraley also scored 10 points, Nyeem Smiley added seven and Wakefield got six from both Michael Gbondo and Trent Wilson.

I just mentioned how Wilson scored six points. The senior wing hit two threes in the second half that were “clutch” for Garrett Stevens’ squad. Wilson not only hit the three with 1:57 left that cut the Knightdale lead to 57-54 at the time, but he made a hustle play with eight seconds to play that gave the Wolverines a chance to win it in the end. Wilson, unfortunately for the Wolverine faithful had both of his threes in the final eight ticks rim off to send Knightdale to the Championship game.

Friday night is “Championship Friday” in the Northern Athletic Conference. The Girls Championship will tip-off at 5:30 between the hosts, Heritage (one seed) and Wakefield (two seed). In the night cap, #1 Heritage will meet #2 Knightdale. Heritage swept Knightdale where the Huskies won by six and 17 in two meetings. Should be a great night of basketball in the NAC-6 so if you’re able, go out to Heritage High to catch some of the best basketball in the “Hoop State”.

Smith and Shabazz lead Wakefield past Corinth Holders in NAC-6 Tournament opener

By: Zack Adams

2/14/18

RALEIGH -- Tuesday marked the opening day of the Boys Northern Athletic Conference, or the NAC-6 Tournament. Wakefield (17-8, 6-5) took home the three seed in the NAC-6 so they played host to the six seed, Corinth Holders (5-19, 1-10). Wakefield staved off the Pirates three point assault from the first half to storm back to beat Corinth Holders, 56-52.

Both Trae Smith and Elijah Shabazz have gotten their fare share of points and rebounds against the "purple and gold" in the two previous meetings. Smith scored 22 and Shabazz had 11 points and 13 rebounds in the teams' meeting on Jan. 12 (59-37 Wakefield win). Smith poured in 17 and grabbed 13 rebounds on Feb. 2 in Wendell while Shabazz just scored seven points but hauled in 15 rebounds, seven of which coming in the closing stanza (49-48 Corinth win).

Tuesday, Episode Three of the "Smith and Shabazz Show" aired. Trae Smith led Wakefield with 15 points and eight rebounds. Smith also shot a perfect, 5/5 from the foul line. Elijah Shabazz is just an animal inside. Shabazz chipped in 12 points but grabbed a game-high, 18 rebounds. Jayden Gardner must have shared some Kool-Aid with Shabazz pre-game or something. Not only did he stuff the points and rebounding column on the stat sheet, he dished out some dimes. Seven assists for Shabazz, which was also a game-high. Reminder to any NAC-6 foe for the 2018-19 season, these two are juniors. Senior Styles McClain finished with 12 points as well and also shot perfect from the foul line, as he went 4/4.

Corinth Holders came out firing, literally. The Pirates knocked down four of their seven threes Tuesday in the opening frame. Of those seven triples, Tanner Smith hit three of them. Smith shot 60% (3/5) from long distance en route to his 15-point night. After only scoring six and two points in Corinth's previous two contests, putting up a 15 spot in his team's final game of the season is all you can ask for to close his sophomore campaign. Junior Cameron Walden also poured in 15 points. Walden knocked down two threes in the first half as well, a season-high from him downtown. The junior does most of the ball handling for Chris Davis' Pirates and he did his job of getting his teammates involved. Walden dished out six assists, three per half. Guilford College commit, Warren Ramsey concluded his high school career with 10 points. Ramsey averaged 11.6 points per game over his last five contests and unfortunately for the Pirates, the senior got hot a bit too late.

As previously stated, the Pirates came out on fire. Wakefield, not so much. Corinth Holders shot 50% (7/14) from three point land while Wakefield shot just 0.83%. (1/12). The only three the Wolverines hit was clutch, though. Trent Wilson received a dime from none other than -- wait for it -- Elijah Shabazz and connected on the three from the wing, with 3:36 to play in the game.

Wakefield indeed handled business from the foul line in the fourth. Garrett Stevens' team shot 9/12, or 75% from the stripe in the closing eight minutes to seal the deal. Smith went 4/4 and McClain went 2/2 in the quarter. As a team for the game, the Wolverines also shot 75% (15/20). Corinth Holders also shot foul shots well and they went 8/9 (88%) from the stripe, which is a season best.

Corinth may have shot well but they surely did not rebound well. Wakefield won the rebound margin by a whopping 20 rebounds (41-21). 18 of those 41 came from Shabazz so yet again to make another statement of how good the junior played, he almost single handily out-rebounded Corinth Holders. Insanity. Senior Zack Brewster pulled down 12 rebounds for the Pirates to go with his four points and four blocks.

This four-point defeat concludes Corinth Holders' season. The young Pirates squad finished their first season of 4A ball just 1-10 in the NAC-6 but did grow up a lot over the course of four months. Wakefield, who owns the three seed, will now face the two seeded, Knightdale Knights on Thursday at Heritage. That one is set to tip-off at 7:00.

Balanced scoring leads Rolesville girls and guys past Corinth Holders

By: Zack Adams

2/6/18

WENDELL -- Both varsity games weren't the prettiest but Rolesvile came out with victories in both contests over Corinth Holders, on the Pirates "Senior Night". Rolesville also swept Corinth back on Jan. 10 when the sides met at Rolesville High so with tonight's victories, that completes the season sweep of Corinth Holders for the Rams.

GBB: Rolesville vs Corinth Holders
The tale of the first half in this one was definitely whistles. The three officials combined to hit both sides with a combined, 19 personal fouls in the opening 16 minutes. 12 of those 19 fouls came in the opening quarter. Rolesville (13-10, 4-5) ended up winning this one, 46-27 over Corinth Holders (5-17, 0-8).

Balanced scoring way definitely key for Clinton Williams' Lady Rams. After not finding a three point rhythm in this meeting with Corinth Holders (made eight in Jan. 10 meeting), Rolesville depended on high percentage shots as they only hit four threes Tuesday. Arianna Hopkins and Crystin Williams each had nine points to lead the Lady Rams. Anderson University commit Valencia Carroll added eight, five of which came in the fourth. Kashara Williams also got in on the scoring as she finished with seven.

The Lady Rams' press really caused havoc for Corinth Holders. Rolesville scored a majority of their points (that didn't come at the foul line) off of turnovers. Ball protection has been a real issue for Corinth Holders throughout NAC-6 play and it was evident Tuesday.

Lamaya Miles had a team-high, eight points for Corinth Holders. To help Miles, Deonna Adams scored seven points that all came in the final quarter.

Tuesday's victory for Rolesville snapped a four game losing skid and was huge for the team, especially coming off a 77-24 thrashing Monday against #2 Heritage.

MBB: Rolesville vs Corinth Holders
Rolesville (14-8, 5-4) picked up a much needed road win Tuesday night over Corinth Holders (5-16, 1-7), 45-36 to spoil the Pirates "Senior Night". Like the girls game, very sloppy victory but no matter what, a win's a win so you'll take it if you're a Ram supporter.

Junior Jordan Cooper has taken up the starting point guard role nicely. The Rams were without Jaylin Parker last night against Heritage and tonight against Corinth Holders. Cooper posted 12 points and three dimes Monday against Heritage. Make that 14 points per game on average in two games as tonight, the junior scored 16 points on 60% shooting from three (3/5). Cooper knocked down two well contested jumpers from the elbow in the second quarter with Pirates guard Tanner Smith all over him. You knew when those two went down, Cooper was on the way to a special evening.

Corinth Holders has held Ricky Clemons to his season lows in scoring in games that he has started. Clemons only scored six points against Knightdale back on Jan. 30 but only played the third and fourth quarters. On Jan. 10 and tonight, Clemons was held to just 13 points. Clemons added four points and three assists to go along with those 13. He also shot 4/7 from the foul line. Fellow senior, Dominique "Dom" Johnson  also "showed out" Tuesday. Johnson scored just eight points but grabbed 13 rebounds.

Tanner Smith had 10 to lead Corinth Holders. The sophomore shot a perfect 5/5 from the foul line Tuesday. Cameron Walden had eight points and eight rebounds while seniors Warren Ramsey and Dylan Corbett had five a piece. Zack Brewster did not score but filled the stat sheet everywhere else for Coach Davis and the Pirates. Brewster grabbed eight rebounds, dished out two assists, and totaled four blocks. Big time "Senior Night" for Corinth's 6'5" forward.

Defense, as opposed to offense, has been Corinth Holders' strength all season. In NAC-6 play, the Pirates are averaging just 58.9 points per game against some of the best competition in the state of North Carolina, or the "Hoop State". The Corinth offense is not so hot. Corinth is now averaging just 42.5 points per game in NAC-6 play and that near 16 point difference obviously just will not win you games at this high level on competition that the Northern Athletic Conference presents.

Shooting is a vast reason for the struggle on offense. For example, against Rolesville this season (in two games of course), Corinth Holders shot 4/38. For those who cannot do that math mentally, that is 10.5% against coach Tommy Moore and his Rams. Very porous job from three point land from Corinth Holders against the Rams and shooting 16.6% like they did tonight from three (3/18), just does not spell out victories in a conference of this caliber.

Corinth Holders will host Knightdale (#19 girls, #22 boys) tomorrow night. Rolesville will host Heritage on Friday (#2 girls, #6 boys). The girls' contest in those are set to tip at 6:30 followed by the boys at 8:00.

Robertson scores 17 to lead Clayton to route of West Johnston

By: Zack Adams

2/6/18

CLAYTON -- Clayton (14-6, 7-1) came to play Monday night as the Comets ran bye Greater Neuse River Conference and county foe, West Johnston (5-16, 2-6), 63-35. The Comets knocked down seven threes in the ballgame, plus having the home crowd inside Jeff Adams Gymnasium just spelt "no potential comeback" for Scotty Williams' Wildcats on Monday.

Clayton got things going from the get go as MaCaleb Robertson hit a deep triple from "da-da-da-downtown" as Clayton PA announcer Daniel Manzer would say, on the opening possession of the game. That three also jump started Robertson's night as the senior would tally 17 points in the ballgame, 14 of which came in the first quarter. The Comets senior point guard knocked down five threes total in the game as to say the least, he was "feelin' it" last night in "Comet Country".

NC State football commit Devin Carter, have you heard of him? I think so, but Carter also had himself a stellar night on the hardwood as he finished with 11 points to go along with three blocks. Of those 11 points, four of which came off two massive throw downs including a poster on a West Johnston defender in the third. Dev Carter is well, very athletic if you did not know that already.

Shockingly, Donally Tyrell Jr. finished with a quiet 15 points. In most high school basketball games here in the Triangle, 15 points is a headliner or a team high but when Robertson and Carter stole the show with shooting (Robertson) and dunks/blocked shots (Carter), Tyrell Jr.'s 15 was "over-shined). The senior scored nine of his 15 came in the opening half.

Jalin Graham led West Johnston with 14 points. After having a quiet first half (6 points) for a guy averaging 14.2 a game, Graham exploded for eight points in the third quarter to lead him to meeting his season average. Andrik Cole had nine points to contribute to the West Johnston scoring.

The Clayton press really got to West Johnston in this game. After three, Clayton led West Johnston by 26, 53-27. But Clayton also really keyed in on the Wildcats leading scorer, Jakim Graham. Graham came into the game averaging 19.5 points per game. Also, Graham had scored at least 15 points in West's previous three games. Monday, Graham was held to just three points.

Next up, West Johnston travels to Cleveland tonight (Tues. Feb. 6) for another county rivalry game with the Rams in night two of a back-to-back. That one will tip-off at 8:00. As for Clayton, they'll host Smithfield-Selma on Senior Night Tuesday, or tonight. Tip-off for the Spartans + Comets is set for 7:30, following all of the Senior Night festivities.

Super Bowl LII Preview: Can the Eagles avenge their 2004 defeat to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, this Sunday?

By: Zack Adams

2/4/18

MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2017-18 NFL season will conclude this Sunday inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis when the AFC champion, the New England Patriots square off against the NFC champion, the Philadelphia Eagles. It will all come down to this. A rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX that was played down in Jacksonville where the Patriots secured their third Super Bowl victory in four seasons back in '04. New England of course won that game, 24-21. The rematch in the league's biggest game is finally here are 14 years of waiting for Eagles fans, and very well this could be the year for the NFC champions but never count out Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the Playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

GAME DETAILS:

Where? - U.S. Bank Stadium -- Minneapolis, Minnesota -- Home of the Minnesota Vikings
When? - February 4th, 2018 at 6:30pm EST
What? - Super Bowl LII (52)
Line - NE -4.5
Hashtags - #PHIvsNE // #SBLII
Broadcast - NBC (Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)
Halftime Show - Justin Timberlake

POSTSEASON STAT LEADERS:

PHI:
Passing - Nick Foles 49/63, 598 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions
Rushing - Jay Ajayi 33 attempts and 127 yards
Receiving - Alshon Jeffrey 9 catches, 146 yards, two touchdowns
Kicking - Jake Elliott 4/4 field goals, 5/6 extra points
Tackles - Ronald Darby 14 total tackles (12 solo)
Interceptions - Patrick Robinson/Corey Graham one each -- Robinson's was a Pick-6 vs Minnesota

NE:
Passing - Tom Brady 61/91, 627 yards, 5 touchdowns
Rushing - Dion Lewis 24 attempts, 96 yards, one touchdown
Receiving - Danny Amendola 18 catches, 196 yards, two touchdowns
Kicking - Stephen Gostkowski 1/2 field goals, 8/8 extra points
Tackles - Trey Flowers 12 tackles (eight solo)
Interceptions - NONE

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:
When Carson Wentz went down in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10 with a torn ACL, most NFL fans including myself, "threw in the towel" for a potential Eagles Super Bowl run. Following that game (which was a 43-35 victory), they sat at 11-2  with three regular season games remaining. The NFC East was already on lock down but it was maintaining home field advantage throughout the Playoffs became the goal for Doug Pederson's squad. Philly went 2-1 over that stretch with Nick Foles under center, including Foles throwing for four touchdowns in a 34-29 road victory over the Giants on Dec. 17. The former Arizona Wildcat actually is a "steal" as backup quarterback. Foles was selected to the Pro Bowl back in 2013. The same season that he lead the league in passer rating at 119.2. Nick Foles gave Eagles fans hope. Hope that they would overcome being the "underdog" and still make it out of the NFC. Without quarterback Carson Wentz and tackle Jason Peters, the Philadelphia Eagles have a chance to play for a Super Bowl. The Eagles sit at 0-2 in franchise history in the big game. One of those two losses came back in 2004 to the Patriots in the 39th edition of the Super Bowl.

The Eagles indeed have offensive fire power to potentially win their first Super Bowl in three tries Sunday. On Halloween, Jay Ajayi was traded from Miami to Philadelphia. No tricks, just a treat. Ajayi was a huge add to the Eagles backfield that already had LaGarrette Blount. Ajayi has rushed for 408 yards since the trade. Receiver Alshon Jeffrey was acquired this past offseason via Free Agency from the Chicago Bears. Guess what Jeffrey said last season?

"I guarantee you we'll win a Super Bowl." - Alshon Jeffrey

That was when he was still a member of the Chicago Bears. Well, Jeffrey never specified which "team" would be winning said Super Bowl. Jeffrey has a chance to make his bold prediction from December of 2016 a reality Sunday. Jeffrey has caught 57 passes for 789 yards and nine touchdowns this season. In Chicago, Jeffrey eclipsed the 800 yard receiving mark in his two previous seasons but he was the "only guy" in Chicago. Here, he shares targets with tight end Zach Ertz (824 yards) and fellow wide receiver Nelson Agholor (768 yards). So Nick Foles has three impactful weapons at his disposal against New England. The trio combined for 25 touchdown grabs in the regular season.

The Eagles defense has given up just 17 points in two Playoff games. A 15-10 victory over the Falcons in the Divisional Round followed by a 38-7 thrashing of the Vikings in the NFC Championship game. Obviously, the Philadelphia defense has played great in the postseason, but they also performed great at stopping the run all season. The Eagles had the best rush defense in the NFL during the regular season as they held opponents to just 1,267 total rushing yards on 3.8 yards per carry. Their opponents in Super Bowl LII, the Patriots, are 10th in the league in rushing at they totaled 1,889 yards with 4.2 yards per carry on average. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles rush defense can contain an average Patriot rushing attack. The Pats final two touchdowns in Super Bowl LI were scored on runs by James White.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS:
The New England Patriots will be playing in their third Super Bowl in four years Sunday. Many thought when Julian Edelman went down in the Preseason, it would be hard for New England to get back to the Super Bowl; especially after the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Foxsborough in Week 1 and beat the Patriots, 42-27. After starting the season 2-2, Bill Belichick lit a fire under his team (I assume) and they won 11 of their last twelve in which included an eight game win streak before dropping a game to AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins 27-20 on Monday Night Football.

The so called, "Greatest of All Time" Tom Brady indeed had himself an MVP like season as he took home his third career NFL Most Valuable Player award Saturday night. Brady threw for 4,577 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions during the regular season. Nine of Brady's 16 regular season starts came without an interception. As for touchdowns, Brady has five 3+ touchdown games this season. Not to mention, that Tom Brady is doing all of this without his leading receiver from a season ago, Julian Edelman. If anyone still questions Brady's ability and these numbers mean nothing to you, well watch Super Bowl LII and you will see that Tom's "still got it".

As previously stated, Julian Edelman went down in the Preseason with a Torn ACL. No need to fear for New England fans when it happened, though. The Patriots acquired Brandin Cooks for the New Orleans Saints this past offseason and that gave Brady yet another offensive weapon. Cooks was second on the team in receiving with 1,082 yards on 65 receptions. Cooks also caught 7 touchdowns. Rob Gronkowski was New England's leading receiver, because of course Gronk was. For the third time in four years actually, Gronkowski has lead the team in receiving yards. Gronk caught 69 passes (insert Gronk joke here) for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. Danny Amendola came in clutch in the 24-20 win in the AFC Championship game over the Jaguars by catching two touchdowns, including the game winner. During the regular season, Amendola caught 61 passes for 659 yards and two touchdowns.

New England's strength is of course, through the air. But New England can also get it done on the ground. Dion Lewis led the team in rushing with 896 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. Lewis has just totaled 96 rushing yards in the regular season. that leads the team over the postseason. The Super Bowl LI hero from a year ago, James White only totaled 171 yards during the regular season but he has came in "clutch" in two Playoff games. Only 15 yards on the ground in those two games, but two big touchdowns for White. He scored three touchdowns a year ago in Super Bowl LI what will White do this year in the NFL's biggest game?

The New England defense would have to be the team's kryptonite. The Patriots are 29th in total yards allowed with 5,586 yards given up. If the Eagles can do any damage through the air or their offensive line can open holes for Ajayi or Blount, it could be a long night for Matt Patricia's defense but yet again, they would not be in the Super Bowl without a pretty solid defense when it counts and Sunday it's now or never, of course, because the Vince Lombardi trophy will be on the line.

MY PREDICTION:
Patriots 31-26. Back-to-back Super Bowl victories from Brady and Belichick. It is nearly impossible to stop these two in the Super Bowl, well, unless your quarterback is Eli Manning. But seriously, I do think that these two teams match up well with one another and I do expect a good game. No 28-3 business though, New England. I am not even a Falcons fan but I cannot deal with another year of memes. I say Philadelphia leads early on and into halftime but the Tom Brady Show heats up in the third and the Pats maintain a lead in the fourth to give them their fifth Super Bowl victory, or fifth Vince Lombardi trophy.

Heritage blows past Corinth Holders for the second time in a week

By: Zack Adams

2/1/18

WENDELL -- For the second time in just six days, Heritage took down Corinth Holders in both varsity girls and boys basketball. Both Heritage girls and boys are ranked in the Top 10 in ther respective N&O Preps Now polls. Corinth Holders on the other hand are just moving up to 3A and when facing the best team in the conference twice in six days, these losses are expected to occur.

GBB: Heritage vs Corinth Holders
#2 Heritage (18-2, 6-0) won their seventh consecutive game Thursday, 56-30 over Corinth Holders (5-15, 0-6). Washington, Johnson, and Smalls paced the Lady Huskies Friday in their 44-point victory over the Lady Pirates and they did the same again tonight in Wendell.

Demi Washington led Heritage with a double-double, totaling 16 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Cydney Johnson had herself a 15 point night where eight of those came right before the half in quarter two. Morehead State commit, Alissa Smalls filled up the stat sheet for Coach Kennedy. The senior point guard finished with five points, nine assists, three rebounds, and eight steals. Now that is being a true point guard. Smalls dished out five assists and forced six steals by halftime.

Friday, Heritage needed a 22-1 run to spark their victory over Corinth Holders. Thursday, they outscored the home Pirates by 12, 17-5 in the opening quarter. Also, the Lady Huskies played great defense as not in a single quarter did Corinth Holders reach double-digits.

Junior Mikayla Thompson led Corinth Holders with eight points. Gabby Miller added seven points and six rebounds to the Lady Pirates total.

MBB: Heritage vs Corinth Holders
Heritage (15-4, 6-0) never let their foot off the gas from the get-go as they earned their eight straight victory over Corinth Holders (4-15, 0-6), 83-47. Heritage opened up the game on a 25-4 run after the first quarter. From there, the Preps Now #6 team would never look back.

Virginia Tech commit Jarren McAllister paced the Huskies with 21 points. McAllister scored 10 of those 21 before halftime including a couple of dunks to bring both the Heritage and Corinth Holders faithful to their feet. McAllister got a "shot to the mouth" and came back on the court and scored six consecutive points in that 10-point second quarter. Jayden Gardner is a "dawg". I feel like I have tweeted that out before but the East Carolina commit had 15 points and 14 boards. The Huskie big man had 13 points and 11 of those rebounds at halftime. That just shows you the work the "big fella" was doing on the boards Thursday night in Wendell. Dyson Pender added nine points (four dimes) and Redford "Red" Dunton had eight points and seven boards.

Sophomore Tanner Smith got back on track in Thursday's loss to Heritage, luckily for the Pirates. Smith scored a team-high 13 points on 3/5 (60%) shooting from three. Jermaine Best added eight points off bench while Marcus Bland contributed six for Corinth Holders.

Rebounding, yet again haunted Corinth Holders. Heritage grabbed 46 rebounds Friday against Corinth Holders and Thursday, the Huskies could grab 40 to the Pirates 22. A load of those went to Gardner of course where he found opportunities for multiple second chance points. Corinth Holders did knock down a team NAC-6 high, seven threes on the ballgame though, which was noted by Coach Chris Davis post game.

Friday, #2/6 Heritage will play host to red-hot Knightdale (#13 boys) in a game that could very well decide who wins the regular season NAC-6 Boys Championship, or at least a share of it. Corinth Holders plays Wakefield (#8 girls // #16 boys) Friday. The girls contest are supposed to tip-off at 6:30, followed by the guys at 8:00.