GREENSBORO — Last week, Olivia Porter took a flight from Michigan to Raleigh for the final game of her high school career.
And just like she’s treated any basketball road trip during her time in Pittsboro — by car, bus or plane — it was just another business trip for the Northwood star.
Porter shined during the annual N.C. Coaches Association East-West Women’s Basketball All-Star Game at the Greensboro Coliseum on July 11, amassing 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in her high school curtain call.
Her 9 fourth-quarter points helped lift the West over the East in a comeback thriller, 62-55.
“It was good, it was really competitive from the jump,” Porter told the News + Record. “We had a very slow start, but once everybody got acclimated and started hitting shots, we really started playing well. We had fun and that’s all that really matters. Obviously, the win makes it better, but it was just having fun with each other.”
Trailing by 8 points entering the fourth quarter, 53-45, the West outscored its cross-state opponents, 27-12, in the final period to seal the win.
“The fourth quarter’s kind of when I went off,” Porter said proudly. “It all started with a (3-pointer), then I really started going crazy in transition and making my layups, finishing shots and hitting free throws.”
Porter said she wasn’t happy with the way she played in the opening half, when the East got out to an early double-digit lead, but when you’re playing against some of the top competition in the state, slumps are expected.
Of the 20 players featured in the showcase, nine of them are headed to Division I schools this fall, with nearly all of them committed to playing basketball at the next level in some fashion.
Yet, once the fourth quarter rolled around, Porter’s signature confidence kicked in, propelling her to a monster fourth quarter that fueled the West comeback.
“In the fourth quarter, I really started playing like myself,” Porter said, “just really embracing it and going at people’s necks because I didn’t want to lose.”
Porter is the second Northwood women’s basketball player to be selected to compete in Greensboro, the first of which was Kristian Eanes, who scored 6 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the West’s close loss to the East, 74-71, in 2017.
Eanes was one of many Northwood supporters in the stands to cheer on Porter, who had plenty of hometown support at the Coliseum, including familiar faces like Northwood state champions Myla Marve and Caroline Allen, along with former Charger McKenna Snively and a plethora of alumni and coaches.
Porter said that the outpouring of kind words helped her realize what she meant to the Northwood community, despite having played just one season as a Charger.
“A guy at the end of the game was like, ‘You put Chatham County on the map, thank you so much,’ and it’s just crazy,” she explained, “how I can impact people and the younger generation, being as young as I am. It’s kind of chilling.”
Her fourth-quarter explosion for the West will not only be her final moment on the court representing the Chargers, but after committing to Michigan State a couple of weeks ago, it may also be her final moment as a member of a North Carolina-based team.
If you ask her, a come-from-behind win was a nice way to put a bow on her illustrious high school career that spanned two states in Alabama and North Carolina.
“It kind of feels like a dream,” she continued. “It’s like, ‘Wow, I’m really here, I’m really doing the things that I’m doing and I just played in my last high school event.’ Luckily, I got a W.
“Now I’m 31-1, essentially,” Porter said, tacking an extra victory onto Northwood’s impressive 30-1 title-winning season last year. “It was just great to end my high school career on such a high note, losing only one game my senior year. I really couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Reporter Victor Hensley can be reached at vhensley@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @Frezeal33.