N&O All-Metro boys and girls basketball teams and final top 15 rankings
Seventeen of this year’s 20 players who made The News & Observer boys and girls All-Metro basketball teams have made the team for the first time.
Among the few who have been selected before, two were N.C. Basketball Coaches Association state players of the year: Apex’s Ian Boyd and Millbrook’s Kai Crutchfield.
Voyager Academy’s Jay Huff is also a repeat All-Metro pick.
The boys’ team has six players from the top five teams in the final N&O rankings, including two from No. 1 Cary. The N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A runners-up were led by senior Cory Gensler and junior Donte Tatum.
The Imps were followed in the rankings by 4A East runner-up Garner (which had Thomas Allen on the All-Metro team), Millbrook (Faison Brock), Ravenscroft (Mike Okuaru) and NCHSAA 1A champ Voyager Academy (Huff).
Sophomores Jayden Gardner (Heritage) and Kris Monroe (St. David’s) round out the 10-player boys’ team along with junior Darius McGhee (Roxboro Community), the first player in NCHSAA history to score 1,000 points in a season.
On the girls’ side, NCHSAA 4A champ Millbrook ends the year No. 1 for the first time since 2013. The Wildcats had two juniors – Crutchfield and Powell – on the All-Metro team.
The Wildcats were followed in the rankings by 4A East runner-up Hillside – whose only losses came to Millbrook – Southeast Raleigh, East Wake and Riverside.
Hillside was represented by Elisia Grissett on the team, while East Wake had Angel Rizor. The other six players – Lee County’s Shantel Bennett, Northern Durham’s Rhianna Council, Grace Christian Raleigh’s Carol-Anne Obusek, Cardinal Gibbons’ Olivia Smith, South Johnston’s Anna Webster and Knightdale’s Mickaya Wilson, averaged double-doubles or came close to it.
J. Mike Blake: 919-460-2606, @JMBpreps
Final N&O Boys’ basketball rankings
Team | Rank | Record |
1. Cary | 1 | 31-2 |
2. Garner | 2 | 29-3 |
3. Millbrook | 3 | 28-2 |
4. Ravenscroft | 4 | 22-6 |
5. Voyager Academy | 5 | 31-4 |
6. Southern Durham | 6 | 22-4 |
7. Apex | 7 | 22-8 |
8. St. David’s | 8 | 22-4 |
9. Word of God | 9 | 23-14 |
10. Riverside | 10 | 19-9 |
11. Northern Durham | 11 | 21-7 |
12. Leesville Road | 12 | 16-13 |
13. Heritage | 13 | 21-8 |
14. Broughton | 14 | 17-11 |
15. Jordan-Matthews | 15 | 22-5 |
Final N&O Girls’ basketball rankings
Team | Rank | Record |
1. Millbrook | 1 | 30-2 |
2. Hillside | 2 | 28-2 |
3. Southeast Raleigh | 3 | 27-4 |
4. East Wake | 4 | 24-5 |
5. Riverside | 5 | 21-7 |
6. Green Hope | 6 | 25-5 |
7. Ravenscroft | 7 | 24-5 |
8. Heritage | 8 | 23-6 |
9. Knightdale | 9 | 19-7 |
10. Cleveland | 10 | 25-3 |
11. Holly Springs | 11 | 21-5 |
12. Chapel Hill | 12 | 22-6 |
13. Northwood | 13 | 25-5 |
14. Leesville Road | 14 | 21-7 |
15. Roxboro Community | 15 | 30-3 |
N&O All-Metro boys team
Name, Yr., School | Ht. | Pts. | Reb. | Accomplishments |
Thomas Allen, Jr., Garner | 6-2 | 21.3 | 3.1 | Greater Neuse 4A player of the year |
Ian Boyd, Sr., Apex* | 6-3
| 24.9
| 7.5
| George Mason recruit, NCBCA POTY, Apex’s all-time leading scorer |
Faison Brock, Sr., Millbrook | 6-6 | 13.9 | 8.8 | Co-scoring leader, top rebounder for 28-2 Wildcats |
Jayden Gardner, Soph., Heritage | 6-6
| 20.3
| 10.9
| Cap-8 4A player of the year |
Cory Gensler, Sr., Cary | 6-4 | 17.5 | 8.8 | Campbell recruit, Cary’s all-time leading scorer |
Jay Huff, Sr., Voyager Acad.* | 6-11
| 15.6
| 10.1
| Virginia recruit had triple-double in 1A title game, avg 5.5 blocks |
Darius McGhee, Jr., Roxboro Comm. | 5-9 | 36.4 | 8.0 | First N.C. player to score 1,000 points in a season |
Kris Monroe, Soph. St. David’s | 6-7
| 20.3
| 9.0
| All-state; highly-recruited forward posted 10 double-doubles |
Mike Okuaru, Jr., Ravenscroft | 6-3 | 14.6 | 4.4 | All-state point guard was a defensive force |
Donte Tatum, Jr., Cary | 6-2
| 18.7
| 5.6
| Shot 58% from the field, 47% from 3 |
*-two-time All-Metro
N&O All-Metro girls team
Name, Yr., School | Ht. | Pts. | Reb. | Accomplishments |
Shantel Bennett, Sr., Lee County | 5-5 | 17.3 | 9.2 | Cape Fear Valley 3A POTY; avg 6.6 assists, 4.8 steals |
Rhianna Council, Sr., No. Durham | 5-11
| 25.1
| 9.8
| PAC-6 4A player of the year |
Kai Crutchfield, Jr., Millbrook# | 5-8 | 11.1 | 4.0 | N.C. State recruit, NCBCA state player of the year |
Elisia Grissett, Jr., Hillside | 6-2 | 22.2 | 9.3 | Leading scorer for 28-2 Hornets |
Carol-Anne Obusek, Sr., Grace Christian Ral. | 6-2 | 22.5 | 17.5 | High Point recruit was all-state in NCISAA, avg 3.1 blocks |
Dazia Powell, Jr., Millbrook | 5-9
| 12.3
| 5.5
| MOP in 4A state title game |
Angel Rizor, Sr., East Wake | 6-2 | 17.7 | 9.1 | Cincinatti recruit, Greater Neuse 4A POTY |
Olivia Smith, Sr., Cardinal Gibbons | 6-0
| 21.4
| 10.8
| Will walk-on at North Carolina |
Anna Webster, Sr., South Johnston
| 5-9 | 23.8 | 7.9 | Char. Southern recruit, Two Rivers 3A player of the year |
Mikayla Wilson, Sr., Knightdale
| 5-7
| 15.3
| 6.7
| App. State recruit avg 8.4 assists, 3.8 steals per game |
#-three-time All-Metro
This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "N&O All-Metro boys and girls basketball teams and final top 15 rankings."