Westover vs. Seventy-First: 5 keys, scouting report for NCHSAA 3A East Final Four matchup

The NCHSAA regional championships have arrived and the Fayetteville area will be gifted with yet another talent-filled playoff showdown from two of its top basketball teams.

On the girls' side of the 3A basketball bracket, No. 3-seeded Terry Sanford topped No. 2 Cape Fear in a fourth-round game that didn't disappoint.

For the boys, it will be a tie-breaking trilogy for No. 2-seeded Westover vs. No. 4 Seventy-First, 125 miles away at a neutral site in the Final Four of the NCHSAA playoffs to be held at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial at Wake Forest University.

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The Wolverines and Falcons split their two-game season series, with Westover coming out on top in the last meeting at home, 70-59, after a dynamic one-two punch from Westover stars Malachi Allen and NJIT commit Ari Fulton. In December, Seventy-First won the first competition 59-57 in thrilling fashion and became champions of the Bernie Poole Bracket in the Cumberland County Classic.

With the third meet carrying the highest stakes to reach the season's highest accomplishment, here's a quick overlook on the season and regional championship history along with three keys that will likely determine either Fayetteville team's success to challenge the 3A West winner between No.1 Hickory/No. 2 Central Carrabus for the 3A state championship.

Season outlook & regional history

Both Seventy-First and Westover are basketball giants, and each dominated their respective conferences, going undefeated and winning both AAC and U8 tournament championships.

When it comes to regional championships, this will be the Falcons' 18th trip in school history (8-9) overall and their first visit since 2022.

Westover is playing its first regional championship since 2020, when it was declared state co-champion due to the cancellation of final games as the COVID-19 pandemic arose.

Defense wins

"Defense is our number one thing, that's what wins championships," Falcons coach Jeremy Ingram said.

Both Seventy-First and Westover have strong defensive stands in their outings this season. The Falcons average 9.2 steals per game while the Wolverines get about 7.6 steals, and both teams average around two blocks per game and are lengthy around the perimeter.

"Defense wins championships because with good defense, your offense will come together and create a groove on both ends of the floor," Ingram said. How well each team defends down the stretch will likely determine the outcome of the game.

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The 6th man

Neutral environments are never easy to play in on any level of basketball, so fan support is always needed by the players and coaches to set the atmosphere.

For the first time in the playoffs, all teams, whether a higher or lower seed, will lose their home-court advantage in the regional championships.

While Seventy-First is 1-1 in neutral games this season, Westover is 5-1 and defeated some tough opponents like Northern Nash, Trinity Christian, and New Life Christian on neutral courts.

Both programs have die-hard fan bases and are prepared to see big numbers travel to Winston-Salem. The sixth man will be extremely important for both teams to give them that motivational boost that's needed to shake the nerves.

The teacher vs. the mentor

"It's all meant to be," Seventy-First coach Ingram said about facing his mentor, Westover coach George Stackhouse, for the third time this season.

Coaching down the stretch can be pivotal for any team this deep in the playoffs. But experience also plays a big part as well.

Coach Ingram began his coaching career at Westover as an assistant under Stackhouse when the Wolverines went 30-0, and were declared co-champions in the 2019-2020 season. As a head coach, Ingram has been in place for two years now, but Stackhouse has been in the coaching realm from high school to college for over 30 years.

At some point, how does all of that factor in when it comes down to clutch moments? It could be a minor key, but when it matters most, it could have the largest impact on getting to the state championship game.

Discipline

Offensive and defensive discipline have been huge talking points for both coaches all season. And that's what it'll take for either team to be successful in Tuesday's heavyweight bout.

"Discipline beats talent," Stackhouse said after the win over the Falcons in January.

Both coaches are harping on playing their game and not doing things that are outside of their teams' nature. "It's a lot of talent on the floor, but the team that can impact the game with the things that they work on every day in practice, is the team that can be the most successful," Stackhouse said.

The DeAndre Nance effect vs. The Ari Fulton takeover

It's no secret who the two stars are that'll be featured in the 3A East Final Four matchup on Tuesday: Westover's Ari Fulton and Seventy-First's DeAndre Nance.

When going head-to-head in the Cumberland County Classic, it was one of Nance's first handful of games back on the hardwood after making a run for a football state championship. Though he didn't score in double figures, his impact is far more valuable than points show. In the Falcons' U8 Championship win, Nance put up a season-high 36 points against Lumberton. While Nance scoring a load of points isn't necessary for the Falcons' success, it wouldn't hurt in one of the biggest games of his career

Westover's Fulton is arguably the best basketball player in Cumberland County. Averaging just over 19 points per game, Fulton's dominance can never be denied and is always effective down the stretch. The 6-foot-7 forward leads the Wolverines in all major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.) Ensuring that Fulton gets off to a good start and is able to get to his "sweet spots" and maintaining his consistency to score is imperative for continued Wolverine success.

While neither Westover nor Seventy-First has won an out-right basketball state championship, one of the two will get their chance to compete for the first in school history on Friday. These keys aren't the end all, be all for team-success, but executing and dominating in a few of these areas will almost guarantee their opportunity to punch their ticket to the big game.