High school basketball: Unbeaten defending North Carolina champion forfeits state tournament opener due to COVID-19 protocols

High school basketball state tournament play tipped off last night in North Carolina but one of the heavyweights in the Class 4A boys bracket was sidelined and forced to forfeit. Defending champion South Central (Winterville) ceded a first round matchup against Rolesville due to COVID-19 protocols according to multiple reports.

The Falcons were undefeated at 13-0 led by juniors Moses Tufts (17.0 points, 9.5 rebounds per game) and Omar Harris (14.2 points, 5.3 rebounds). Another junior, Joe Thompson, and sophomores Jamir Wright and Daylinh Brown were also major contributors. If there is any silver lining, South Central could be back in the hunt in 2021-22 due to its youthful roster.

South Central went 30-1 and captured the NCHSAA Class 4A state title in 2018-19, finishing the season ranked No. 11 nationally by MaxPreps. University of North Carolina freshman Day'Ron Sharpe was the centerpiece of that team.

Rolesville advances to the second round of state tournament, where it will face Pinecrest (Southern Pines) on Friday.

The day prior, the Southside (Chocowinity) boys basketball team and Whiteville girls basketball team also forfeited first round contests due to COVID-19 protocols.