NCHSAA State Playoffs: Reidsville’s Dominance, Underdog Stories & Championship Contenders

From Reidsville’s unstoppable streak to Myers Park’s stunning resurgence, here are five key takeaways from the third round of the North Carolina high school basketball playoffs

New Hanover's #1 Quin'sier Waddell comes down with the ball as New Hanover beat Heritage 62-52 in the 2nd round of the 2025 NCHSAA Basketball Championships. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) boys basketball state playoffs are in full swing, and the third round delivered everything from powerhouse performances to Cinderella stories. Reidsville continues its historic run, South Stokes is on fire, and Oak Grove’s thrilling upset bid nearly rewrote the script. Meanwhile, Myers Park has risen from a rough start to a deep playoff push, and New Hanover is proving once again why it’s a 4-A title contender. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest takeaways as the championship chase intensifies.

Here are 5 takeaways.

Reidsville keeps rolling

Reidsville has won 57 consecutive games. Let that sink in. The defending 2-A state champions haven’t slowed a bit as they seek back-to-back titles. 

The Rams are 28-0 after their latest victory, 50-36 over Monroe in the third round. Kendre Harrison continues to dominate. The 6-foot-7, 243-pound Oregon football commit had 25 points and 15 rebounds in the Rams’ 94-62 second-round win over North Stanly. Point guard Dionte Neal, who also has offers in both football and basketball, had 29 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.

With two players like that, winning almost seems inevitable. But the Rams also have other solid players like Johnniyus Sharpe and Cam’Ron Jones. 

It’s tough for any team to contend with that kind of juggernaut. Salisbury and its 25-game winning streak are next.

South Stokes sizzles

The Sauras have won 56 of their last 60 games. Yes, they’re good. The one thing missing is a state championship and they’re in the hunt.

South Stokes was 29-2 last year, falling to charter school Corvian Community in the 1-A state semifinals. 

Northern Guilford and East Forsyth are the only teams to beat the Sauras this season, back in December during a tournament. 

What makes the Sauras so good is they have four players – Brady Clark, Korrin N’Diaye, B.J. Gray and Michael Siedlecki – who can light it up. That will make them a tough out.

South Stokes has defeated Elkin, Carver and Eastern Randolph so far in the playoffs.

Oak Grove’s stirring run

Will Essick is Oak Grove’s second-year coach and the former Ledford player has the Grizzlies headed in the right direction. They were 12-15 in 2023-24 and just completed a 19-7 season.

Oak Grove, a guard-oriented team, won two playoff games and nearly a third. The Grizzlies will never forget their 75-72 win over previously undefeated East Henderson on Max Hurt’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. 

In the third round, the Grizzlies led Crest 37-32 at halftime on the strength of six 3-pointers. Crest rallied in the second half and pulled out a 62-59 win. 

It was quite a run.

Myers Park’s stunning re-emergence

Myers Park opened the season 0-6. That kind of start usually points in the direction of a subpar season. It came on the heels of last season’s 27-3 campaign that reached the state semifinals.

Those six losses were all close games.

Right now, they don’t mean a whole lot because the Mustangs are in the fourth round and their record is 17-12. They won two playoff games and then picked up a forfeit when powerhouse Lake Norman was expelled from the playoffs for using an ineligible player. 

Now they get a second chance at Chambers, a team that beat them 61-57 during the season-opening slump.

New Hanover makes another run

New Hanover has gone 60-3 since the beginning of the 2023-24 season. You can’t get much better than that.

The Wildcats won their first 32 games of the season last year before losing the one that matters the most. 

Led by senior guard Rodmik Allen, the Wildcats are back at it chasing the 4-A state championship with a 28-2 record and hosting Green Level in the fourth round. 

New Hanover’s only losses this season are to Lake Norman and Clayton. The Wildcats handed 3-A contender Swansboro its only loss.