Staff report

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s boys basketball team finished fifth in the 2A West RPI rankings, but is the No. 4 seed in the 32-team bracket.

That’s because Lincolnton, third in the RPI rankings, didn’t win its conference and had to be seeded below all the conference champs. Maiden, the No. 5 seed and a potential opponent for the Hornets later in the playoffs, won the conference that Lincolnton plays in.

The Hornets (23-3), winners of 22 in a row, hope to start a playoff run on Tuesday at home against 29th-seeded Morehead (11-15). If the Hornets get past that one, a second-round game would be played at Salisbury on Friday.

Lexington (13-11) is in the 2A West bracket as the No. 20 seed and will play at No 13 seed Pine Lake Prep (20-7) in the first round.

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North Rowan (16-10) was 16th in the final 1A West RPI rankings, but is seeded as a conference champion as the top 1A team from the 1A/2A Central Carolina Conference. The Cavaliers got the No. 9 seed and will host 24th-seeded North Stokes (14-12) in the first round.

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Carson (17-9) did not get a favorable draw.

Seeded 22nd in 3A West, the Cougars will head to Greensboro to play Ben L. Smith. Smith (23-3) is the 11th seed in the bracket, but was actually third in the final 3A West RPI rankings. Smith is seeded so low because it didn’t win its conference. Dudley won the conference that Smith plays in.

South Piedmont Conference regular season and tournament champ Robinson (24-3) is seeded fourth in the bracket and hopes to start a playoff run against No. 29 seed Rockingham County (12-10).

Concord (17-8) is seeded 25th and plays at No. 8 Ledford (20-5).

Northwest Cabarrus (15-10) is seeded 26th and plays at No. 7 Freedom (20-6).

Central Cabarrus (12-13) is seeded 31st and has a tough assignment at undefeated and second-seeded East Henderson (26-0).

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Lake Norman (25-1) has a chance to go all the way. The top-seeded Wildcats are nationally ranked and will host No. 32 seed Cuthbertson (14-13).

Hickory Ridge (18-7) is seeded 20th and plays at No. 13 Chambers (19-8).

Mooresville (21-5) is seeded 12th in the 4A West bracket and will host No. 21 Ardrey Kell (18-7). The Blue Devils were seventh in the final RPI ratings, but are in the same conference with Lake Norman, so they are seeded behind all the conference champions.

No. 27 Cox Mill (12-13) plays at No. 6 Weddington (21-5).

The first four rounds are hosted by the team with the better seed.

A Final Four format will be used with regional championships (March 10-13) and state championships (March 14-15) held at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ols were given a chance to check for potential errors early Sunday evening.

The first round of the basketball playoffs is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the higher seed. Winners advance to the second round on Friday, Feb. 28, also at the higher seed. The first four rounds will be played at the higher seed.

For the second straight year, the NCHSAA will hold the semifinals and finals at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The “Final Four” style portion of the tournament will take place March 14-15.

The playoff brackets were delayed this year. Initially, the NCHSAA was scheduled to release the brackets on Saturday. However, the NCHSAA delayed the release by one day to allow schools and conferences impacted by a winter storm an opportunity to complete conference tournaments and tie-breaker games on Saturday.

Basketball Playoff Schedule

Here is the schedule for the NCHSAA basketball state playoffs. Check with your local school for official start times for each round.

• Feb. 25: First Round @ Higher Seed
• Feb. 28: Second Round @ Higher Seed
• Mar. 4: Third Round @ Higher Seed
• Mar. 7: Fourth Round @ Higher Seed
• Mar. 10-13: Regional Championships @ Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem
• Mar. 14-15: State Championships @ Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem

Teams who win regional championships on Mar. 10 or Mar. 11 will meet to play for state championships on Mar. 14. Teams that win semifinal games on Mar. 12 and Mar. 13 will play in state championship games on Mar. 15. There will be four games per day on Mar. 10-15.