With the Sam Moir Christmas Classic cranking up Thursday, basketball fans are asking the question, “Can anyone beat West Rowan’s boys?”
The answer is — probably not.
The tall, talented Falcons (9-0) rate as overwhelming favorites to win their first Moir title since 1998, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some entertaining games over the course of the three-day event.
Take that probable Davie County-South Rowan semifinal on Friday, for instance.
If that matchup occurs, it will pit conference rivals that — to put it politely — do not hold one another in high esteem. All three of their matchups last season generated serious heat.
No. 2 seed Davie (6-1) would be favored, but No. 3 South (5-4) has made it a habit of beating the War Eagles at least once every season. And now that the Raiders are making a few 3-pointers, they’re a dangerous team.
That first-round East-North matchup could be much more than a ho-hummer, as well.
Most years, the No. 4 Cavaliers play Secretariat to No. 5 East’s Mr. Ed, but that may not be the case this time. North’s won two meetings by 11 and 13 points, but it’s tough to beat anyone three times.
East (2-5) hasn’t beaten North (2-4) since 1993, but that win did come in the Moir tourney, so who knows?
No. 6 Salisbury isn’t likely to pull off a first-round upset a South team that’s already beaten the Hornets twice, but the Hornets are good enough to have a shot at upsetting the East-North loser in Friday’s consolation game.
A win in this tournament would be a real positive for the Hornets, who might still do OK in their league.
Most who come to the tournament will be there to check out the Falcons, who have a chance to be the best of coach Mike Gurley’s five West teams. And that’s saying something.
The 3A Falcons have already whipped five 4A teams and have crushed five county opponents by anywhere from 22 to 47 points.
If Davie reaches the finals opposite West, its long-range shooters, Sean Stevens (27.9 ppg) and Nemanja Kreckovic (24.4 ppg), would pose some problems.
But the War Eagles would need to make half their 3-point attempts to have any chance against the Falcons, who have a huge size advantage.
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While the boys title appears to be an open-and-shut case, the girls side of the bracket is as wide open as it’s ever been.
Each of the top four present both major assets and problems that haven’t been resolved yet.
Top-seeded East (8-0) deserves the mantle of favorite, but without injured guard Haley Shaw, the Mustangs are paper thin.
West (8-1) has athletes and speed, but has struggled to shoot straight from the field.
No. 3 South (5-4) is the most physically imposing team by far, but is just as capable of being awful as awesome.
The Raiders might roll to the tournament title or they could lose two straight and go home.
South was responsible for West’s only loss and Salisbury’s only victory. Last week, South lost by a point at East, then nearly stubbed its toe at home against winless Mooresville 24 hours later. If you can figure these girls out, call coach James Greene. He’s looking for answers.
No. 4 Davie (4-4) has been nearly as hard to predict. Coach Carol Cozart just crosses her fingers each night and hopes the right team shows up.
No. 5 Salisbury (1-6) is capable of a first-round upset, but it’s hard to see the Hornets winning three in a row.
North is trying, but is still a long way from having a chance to win games.
One thing is certain, the girls teams in this field are going to be awesome years down the road. Everyone’s young. Davie’s best players are juniors and the top Rowan teams are led by sophomores and/or freshmen.
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