FARMVILLE, N.C. — Northwood’s quest to avenge last year’s state final defeat came to an end Friday night.
In a 2A East fourth round showdown in front of a packed crowd between No. 1 Farmville Central and No. 4 Northwood, the Chargers fell just short of making a regional appearance, 77-70.
Led by junior guard MJ Williams, Farmville Central, the defending 2A state champions, lit the net on fire, hitting 13 threes at a 59 percent three-point shooting clip throughout the night.
A few buckets from Williams and a solid defensive effort gave the Jaguars a small lead to open the game, but Northwood sophomore Cam Fowler came off the bench and scored six quick points to get the Chargers right back in it.
The game went back and forth in the final minutes of the first quarter as both teams were tied at 17 going into the second. Northwood also got some solid production from seniors Fred Whitaker and Jake Leighton and junior Beau Harvey as they combined for 21 points in the first half.
Their contributions were much needed as Farmville Central did a good job of containing senior Drake Powell in the first half, holding him to just six points.
Williams’ hot hand was just too much for the Chargers in the first half, though. He made six three pointers himself and scored 24 points to help Farmville Central to a 44-33 lead at halftime.
After the break, Williams’ scoring slowed significantly with Powell matched up on him for multiple possessions. Northwood slowly but steadily chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter by getting necessary defensive stops and converting on the offensive end.
Powell also started to heat up in the third quarter as he scored nine of Northwood’s 16 points in the period.
Down 54-49 going into the final quarter, the Chargers continued to climb back into the game. They closed to gap to just three points with seven minutes left to go, but a few turnovers leading to more threes for the Jaguars brought the deficit right back to 10 points with just over four minutes left to play.
With Powell continuing to attack and getting to the free-throw line, Northwood continued to fight and even got the lead down to just six with 25 seconds remaining. However, the Chargers just couldn’t make the necessary shots to complete the comeback in the final ticks.
Powell finished as the leading scorer for Northwood, pouring in 22 points in his final game as a Charger. Farmville Central’s Williams was the highest scorer for both teams, recording 35 points.
Northwood finished its season with a 27-4 overall record and a 16-0 conference record, claiming the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A regular season and tournament titles.