No. 2 Hoggard 79 No. 7 Topsail 64
Hoggard cruised to a 79-64 victory over Topsail in the opening round of the Mideastern Conference Tournament at Brunswick Community College on Monday.
A.J. Frye led all scorers with 22 points and Jack Bagley added 18 as Hoggard took a 46-25 advantage at the break. Xavier Johnson chipped in with nine, while Patrick Morrison scored eight points.
Winners in seven of their last eight, the Vikings moved to 17-8 overall and grabbed a three-game season sweep over the Pirates.
Topsail freshman D.J. Montano held team-high honors with 18 points and Alec Baker had 14 points.
No. 2 Hoggard faces No. 3 West Brunswick in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The two teams each picked up a win on their opponent’s home floor during the regular season. Ty Hill hit a last second buzzer beater to hand Hoggard a 55-54 setback on Jan. 5, but the Vikings returned the favor in a 73-61 result in Shallotte on Jan. 29.
No. 3 West Brunswick 72 No. 6 South Brunswick 55
After cruising to a pair of wins against their cross-county foes during the regular season, West Brunswick overcame a slow start and used a huge third quarter to break away from South Brunswick in a 72-55 win on Monday.
Josh Woodard scored a team-high 18 points for West Brunswick, who improved to 17-6 overall. Tyler Stanley also had 14 points and Ty Hill put in 11.
Trailing 17-14 after the opening eight minutes of action, the Trojans grabbed a two-point lead at the break and outscored South Brunswick 26-5 during the third quarter to secure a spot in the Mideastern Conference Tournament semifinals.
No. 4 Laney 59 No. 5 Ashley 48
Laney led for most of the way to grab a 59-48 result over Ashley on Monday.
With the Bucs in front by two possessions late in the third quarter, senior Jordan John knocked down back-to-back treys over the final 90 seconds of the period to extend Laney’s cushion to double digits.
John finished with a game-high 16 points, while Sherod Sidbury chipped in with 12.
The Bucs held a 12-9 advantage after the opening eight minutes and went up 25-18 at the half. The pair of long range shots by John made it 41-31 after three quarters and Sidbury helped put the finishing touches on the win.
Hunter Cook added nine in the win, while Chris Bennett finished with eight. Ryan Keller scored a team-high 15 points for Ashley. Daitreon Daye also put in 13 points.
The Bucs face top-seeded New Hanover in the Mideastern Conference Tournament semifinals at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Semifinals at Brunswick Community College on Wednesday, Feb. 17
No. 1 New Hanover vs. No. 4 Laney at 6 p.m.
No. 2 Hoggard vs. No. 3 West Brunswick at 7:30 p.m.
