Salisbury defeated
Reidsville 83-68 in the North Carolina Class 4A state title game Friday night to spoil a storybook ending to the decorated career of
Dionte Neal.
Catawba pledge
Braylon Taylor led Salisbury with 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the victory. After leading by two at the half, the Hornets outscored Reidsville 30-15 in the third quarter to pull away.
Salisbury (24-7) completed its unlikely state championship run with a dominant effort Friday after escaping with a 47-46 victory over
Central Davidson (Lexington) in the state semifinals on a buzzer-beating, half-court heave from freshman
Royce Perkins.
Salisbury celebrates after punching its ticket to the state championship game. (FILE PHOTO: Brad Arrowood)
Neal piled up 38 points and three steals in the title game to finish his career with 2,739 points, 1,103 assists (No. 16 all-time) and 645 steals (No. 10 all-time). The 5-foot-9 guard went 109-3 on the hardwood at Reidsville with a pair of state championships, leading the program to a 63 game win streak that ended in December of 2025.
Entering the contest, Neal was averaging 35.6 points, 8.6 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 69 percent from the field and 90.7 percent from the free throw line.
Neal earned second team MaxPreps Freshman All-America honors in 2022-23, was a MaxPreps Sophomore All-America honorable mention selection in 2023-24 and received second team MaxPreps Junior All-America honors in 2024-25.
The two-sport athlete was also a star for a Reidsville football team that captured the Class 4A state title this season. Neal completed 32 of 51 passes for 542 yards and 10 touchdowns, carried 43 times for 511 yards and eight touchdowns and hauled in 68 receptions for 1,352 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also recorded seven interceptions.
With Neal, Reidsville also captured two state championships on the gridiron as he helped guide the program to a record of 53-6 in his career.
