Cabarrus Sports Blast: Bulldogs battle way to regional final
The Jay M. Robinson Bulldogs, the SPC champs, have their sights set on a bigger prize. Hunter Huss stands in the way.
Jay M. Robinson battled its way into the 5A Western Regional final with a 54-53 win over East Lincoln. The win puts Coach Lavar Batts’ Bulldogs just one game away from the state title game.
The Bulldogs play Hunter Huss on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. at Lenoir-Rhyne University. The winner advances to Winston-Salem to play in the state title game against the winner of the Eastern Regional final between Southeastern Alamance and Fike.
As usual, Robinson got contributions up and down the lineup against East Lincoln. There were three players in double-figures: Da'Montre Harlee 16 (with five rebounds and two assists), Jamell Reid 13 (four rebounds and two assists), and Noah Speller 10 (four rebounds, two assists). Roger Walton Jr. ran the point with six points, six assists, four steals and a rebound.
The Bulldogs are ranked #2 in North Carolina by MaxPreps with a 25-3 record. They have won 14 games in a row since losing on Jan. 13 to Jesse Carson, 72-64. Since then, the Bulldogs have beaten the Cougars twice by double-digits.
A marquee matchup
The Western Final is a game fit for a state title game. Hunter Huss, from Gastonia, is ranked #1 in North Carolina by MaxPreps.
The Huskies are led by one of the state's top players — Jaleel Smith. The 6-1 guard is averaging 29.7 points a game with 7.1 rebounds, five steals and nearly five assists.
Smith has numerous offers to play college ball, including from N.C. State, Wake Forest and Mississippi State.
Defense will be a key for the Bulldogs. That's been their strong suit all season long.
Tipoff is at 8 p.m. Saturday at Lenoir-Rhyne. The game will be livestreamed on the NFHS Network at https://bit.ly/westregionalfinal.
Coach Lavar Batts, shown here during SPC Boys Basketball Tournament, is looking for his third state title at Jay M. Robinson.
Spring sports in full swing
Besides the Bulldogs, other schools and teams have moved on to spring sports. Girls' soccer, men's tennis, softball, baseball and track and field are cranking up.
Encourage your coaches to keep us up-to-date on how their teams are doing.
Player profiles wanted
Do you have a player or student that you believe would be of interest to Independent Tribune readers?
Email me and let me know. Our goal is to feature more Cabarrus people in the newspaper. My email is mplemmons@independenttribune.com.
Report your team's score and information to mplemmons@independenttribune.com.
