Top 5 Raleigh Players from the 2019-20 season
The 2019-20 high school basketball season in Raleigh is set to end in just a couple of weeks, but many players from the region have emerged as potential college prospects heading into the long offseason. Below is a list of…
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Continue ReadingThe 2019-20 high school basketball season in Raleigh is set to end in just a couple of weeks, but many players from the region have emerged as potential college prospects heading into the long offseason.
Below is a list of players who have positively impacted the season of their respective teams and have set milestones during the year.
Indya Nivar– So., Apex Friendship
Indya Nivar emerged as a contributor for the Apex Friendship Patriots by the end of her freshman year, where she put up 31 and 34 points against the Middle Creek Mustangs and the Holly Springs Golden Hawks during back to back victories at the end of February.
Now in her sophomore campaign, Nivar has continued to evolve her game by leading the Patriots with 25.4 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game and 5.6 steals per game, all of which has helped the Patriots establish a comfortable lead in the South Wake Athletic 4A Conference with a 19-1 overall record.
Despite enduring some consistency issues at the beginning of the year, Nivar has come to life during the closing weeks of the regular season, with her highlights including a career-high of 42 points in a narrow 71-70 triumph over the Garner Magnet Trojans on Jan. 17.
Sammi Sever- Sr., Green Hope
The 2019-20 season has been filled with mixed results for the Green Hope Falcons, who currently maintain a 12-8 overall record and sit in a tie for third in the Triangle 8 4A Conference.
One constant for Green Hope during the year has been the continued development of senior Sammi Sever, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding and steals with 24.6, 8.2 and 3.1 in each respective category.
Sever has not scored below 14 points in any game during the season, and tallied a career-high 45 points in a 70-44 victory over the Cary Imps on Jan. 24.
Sever will end her career at Green Hope as a 1,000-point scorer, which she formally accomplished on Jan. 17 against the Riverside-Durham Pirates.
Diamond Thomas– Jr., Knightdale
In only her junior season, Diamond Thomas has already eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier at Knightdale High School and has played an instrumental role in her team’s 16-7 overall record.
Thomas leads her team in scoring with 22.5 points per game, but her game extends far beyond her shooting accuracy, as she averages six rebounds an evening and leads her team in steals with 3.3 per game.
Thomas has scored 30 points or more on four occasions during the 2019-20 season, but her career-high of 37 was achieved during her sophomore year in a 56-43 victory over the Wake Forest Cougars on Jan. 10, 2019.
Jerni Kiaku– So., Garner Magnet
Jerni Kiaku‘s high school basketball career got off to an exceptional start, as she scored 38 points in a 70-61 victory over the Wake Forest Cougars on Nov. 19, 2018.
Kiaku finished her first season with a total of 502 points, and continued her dominance during the following year by averaging 22.4 points per game and 3.6 assists per game, before officially breaking the 1,000-point milestone in a 67-59 loss to the Holly Springs Golden Hawks on Feb. 4.
The efficiency of Kiaku has enabled the Garner Magnet Trojans to enjoy a solid 17-6 record during the season, and are expected to remain contenders inside the South Wake Athletic 4A Conference with Kiaku enrolled for two more years.
Teonni Key– Jr., Cary
The Cary Imps have gone through a tumultuous 2019-20 season in which they have only won five of their 22 games, but junior Teonni Key has been a positive development for them through the struggles.
After a decent freshman campaign, Key began to hit her stride during her sophomore season by scoring 20 or more points in five games, before finally emerging as an all-around player this season, which included a career-high 32-point performance in a 63-54 victory over the Panther Creek Catamounts on Jan. 7.
Key leads Cary in scoring with 19.9 points per game, but she has also been a monstrous force underneath the rim for her team by averaging 12.9 rebounds per game.