Leesville Road wins battle of Raleigh against RTA
RALEIGH -- The lights shone brightly for Raleigh Trinity Academy's Isaiah Todd, but they'll shine brighter in the next round for a different team from the City of Oaks.
Leesville Road, also of Raleigh, defeated Trinity Academy 82-63 on Wednesday night in the T.J. Warren bracket in the first day of action at the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
The Pride (6-4) had a balanced scoring attack that outmatched the 27 points (9-of-24 shooting) scored by the 6-foot-10 Todd, who is considered by many outlets as the top junior player in the country.
Leesville, making its seventh appearance in the Holiday Invitational and fourth in five seasons, got a near-triple-double from sophomore star Carter Whitt (21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists), 16 points from Presbyterian recruit R.J. Wilson, 13 points from Alec Carawan, and a breakout day from another sophomore: Chase Hakerem.
Hakerem, who comes off the bench and stands just 5-foot-8, won over the crowd with his scoring (24 points, 7-of-10 shooting) and ball-handling ability that broke the Trinity press.
"We don't have a secret weapon anymore ... Santa unwrapped a gift," Leesville Road coach Russ Frazier quipped.
Trinity Academy (9-6) was led by game-highs from Todd in both points (27) and rebounds (18), while Jake Bertolini-Felice added 21 points.
The Tigers had never played in the Holiday Invitational until Wednesday, but coach Bryan Burrell was an all-tournament selection in his playing days for now-N.C. Central coach Levelle Moton at Raleigh's Sanderson High in 2003.
"I'm hoping in the next two days we'll be able to push through and play the way we want to play for four quarters," Burrell said. "It's an awesome opportunity to bring this program to this level."
With the win, Leesville will be playing in Friday's T.J. Warren semifinal against Winterville's South Central, a rematch of the 2016 N.C. High School Athletic Association East final (which Leesville Road won 44-43 on a free throw made with 1 second left). South Central got revenge last season in a non-conference match-up.
Raleigh Trinity Academy falls into the consolation side of the bracket and will play at 1 p.m. on Friday against crosstown foe Athens Drive.
RALEIGH -- The lights shone brightly for Raleigh Trinity Academy's Isaiah Todd, but they'll shine brighter in the next round for a different team from the City of Oaks.
Leesville Road, also of Raleigh, defeated Trinity Academy 82-63 on Wednesday night in the T.J. Warren bracket in the first day of action at the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
The Pride (6-4) had a balanced scoring attack that outmatched the 27 points (9-of-24 shooting) scored by the 6-foot-10 Todd, who is considered by many outlets as the top junior player in the country.
Leesville, making its seventh appearance in the Holiday Invitational and fourth in five seasons, got a near-triple-double from sophomore star Carter Whitt (21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists), 16 points from Presbyterian recruit R.J. Wilson, 13 points from Alec Carawan, and a breakout day from another sophomore: Chase Hakerem.
Hakerem, who comes off the bench and stands just 5-foot-8, won over the crowd with his scoring (24 points, 7-of-10 shooting) and ball-handling ability that broke the Trinity press.
"We don't have a secret weapon anymore ... Santa unwrapped a gift," Leesville Road coach Russ Frazier quipped.
Trinity Academy (9-6) was led by game-highs from Todd in both points (27) and rebounds (18), while Jake Bertolini-Felice added 21 points.
The Tigers had never played in the Holiday Invitational until Wednesday, but coach Bryan Burrell was an all-tournament selection in his playing days for now-N.C. Central coach Levelle Moton at Raleigh's Sanderson High in 2003.
"I'm hoping in the next two days we'll be able to push through and play the way we want to play for four quarters," Burrell said. "It's an awesome opportunity to bring this program to this level."
With the win, Leesville will be playing in Friday's T.J. Warren semifinal against Winterville's South Central, a rematch of the 2016 N.C. High School Athletic Association East final (which Leesville Road won 44-43 on a free throw made with 1 second left). South Central got revenge last season in a non-conference match-up.
Raleigh Trinity Academy falls into the consolation side of the bracket and will play at 1 p.m. on Friday against crosstown foe Athens Drive.
