Championship Saturday brings out the best in everyone. The North Carolina high school state championships were loaded with talent and some top notch performances. Rivals.com's Jamie Shaw recaps the day that was.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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Smith exploded for a near triple-double as he won his third-consecutive state championship going for 33 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Smith was awarded the 2A Championship MVP for his explosive performance. He is wired to score the ball, playing with length, pop and the utmost confidence. The questions of his strength and court vision will be answered in time, once he gets on campus, but there is no denying that Smith is bringing a winning pedigree to the NC State campus. Over the past three years, Smith has amassed a 75-2 record with threee state championships and two undefeated seasons.

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While having one of North Carolina’s most storied high school programs over the past fifteen years, this was the first state championship won for Millbrook High School. Four-star Eric van der Heijden carried the Millbrook team through the first three and a half quarters of the game, with his 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. He left it all on the floor before fouling out, going 5-of-7 from three. What is van der Heijden bringing to the Cardinals, shooting and IQ. He is an excellent spot shooter (career 42.3 percent in high school) and can really pass the ball from different spots on the floor.

Van der Heijden ended his two seasons Millbrook career with a 42-4 record and a state championship. He averaged a double-double on the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds per game, while adding four assists, 3.8 blocks and shooting 40.7 percent from three.

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Freshman Jarin Stevenson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Stevenson’s freshman teammate Drake Powell finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting from three. In everyone’s never ending quest to find the next best thing in recruiting you need to look no further than Northwood High School and the 3A NCHSAA state championship game.

The 6-foot-8 Stevenson is tracking as the top prospect in North Carolina’s 2024 class and has the look someone whose recruitment will reach a national level, soon. With his court vision, motor and understanding of how to score at each level, any college coach who watched the game was sure to highlight Stevenson’s name on the roster. The 6-foot-5 Powell is also tracking as one of the top prospects in North Carolina for the 2024 class. He has great length, with an ability to make plays and is never afraid of the moment.

As for school ties, Stevenson’s mother played basketball at North Carolina and his father played basketball at Richmond. Powell’s dad played baseball for the Tar Heels and his sister is currently playing volleyball at Virginia Tech. While neither player has an offer yet, they should be on the horizon, watch these both take off due to their own play.

Junior Elijah Gray woke up in the second half to lead the way for Ardrey Kell. The 6-foot-8 Gray answered any questions after finishing the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists going 6-of-11 from the field and 1-of-3 from three. Gray told us, “I am an all-around player, can score for you, work hard on defense. Whatever you need me to do to help the team.”

On the recruiting trail Gray carried nine offers into this state championship game. However, Gray says he hears from three of them more than the rest, “I would say I hear from Tulsa, East Carolina and Charlotte the most.” Gray is set to play with Team Curry on the Under Armour circuit this summer, look for a lot of coach’s to have eyes on the skilled forward.

Junior Chase Lowe was awarded the MVP of the 3A title game after leading his Weddington team to an undefeated season. A season that saw the team go 17-0 with an average win margin of 29.3 points and culminate in the school’s first state championship. Lowe filled the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the game.

Watching the long armed, 6-foot-6 Lowe, you see he has a unique skill set as he initiates the offense with the ball in his hands, showcasing a nice handle and excellent court vision. Defensively, he guards from the one to the five throughout the course of the game. This could be his calling card at the next level, on the defensive end with the many things you are able to do with him. The high academic Lowe carries no offers currently, but he is in consistent contact with Virginia, Yale, Winthrop, Dartmouth, Presbyterian, Colgate and Princeton. He could help any number of programs win games.

Every year the North Carolina state playoffs see a senior start the event with no offers, get hot throughout the state tournament and end up as a college commodity. This year, shooting guard Knoah Carver was this guy for Ardrey Kell. For the season the 6-foot-3 Carver averaged 16 points per game, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc. Carver followed up his 23 point effort in the state final four win with a team high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field in the state title game.

Carver entered the playoffs with no offers, in a year of uncertainty with COVID, minimized game schedules and college coaches not allowed on the road caused some players to slip through the cracks. Carver took full advantage of his biggest stage of the season to show his value as a player who could help a number of programs at the next level.

1A: Wilson Prep 65 def. Lincoln Charter 58

2A: Farmville Central 113 def. Hendersonville 98

3A: Weddington 56 def. Northwood 47

4A: Millbrook 67 def. Ardrey Kell 65 (in OT)