Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

CLEMMONS — It’s almost Christmas and the West Forsyth boys basketball team was given an early gift on Monday.  

The West Forsyth boys basketball team was named the No. 2 seed for next week’s Frank Spencer Holiday Classic Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket. 

West Forsyth is 3-0 as of Monday. It is scheduled to play No. 7 Northwest Guilford Tue., Dec. 19, at 3:45 p.m. at Mount Tabor.  

“I thought it was a good seed for us,” Coach Marlon Brim of West Forsyth said. “We’ve been playing well. So, I thought the No. 2 seed would be pretty good for us.” 

As well as the Titans have been playing through the first three games there was a possibility that they could’ve been the No. 1 seed. 

“I thought we could’ve been the 1 or the 2 to be honest with you, no lower than 3,” Brim said. “But there’s some other good teams in that bracket, so we’ve got to be able to play no matter what our seed is.” 

The Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket is loaded with top teams – No. 1 seed and defending champion Mount Tabor, No. 3 South Stokes, No. 4 Reagan, No. 5 Walkertown, No. 6 East Forsyth, and No. 8 North Surry, which lost to Mount Tabor in last year’s championship. Reagan won the Pepsi Bracket last year.  

Each game, including consolation games, in this bracket will be played at Mount Tabor from Dec. 19-21.  

Because of the possibility of teams playing three, four, or even five times, the tournament will do all it can to not match conference teams or teams that will play or have played this season in a consolation game. However, teams in the winner’s bracket of both the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket and the Pepsi Bracket will play the winners of the game in front of them no matter what.  

“It kind of reminds me of the Frank Spencer of old,” Brim said. “We had the best eight teams playing that for three games and one championship. So, it’s going to be a real deep tournament. We’re going to have to be able to play Game 1, Game 2, or Game 3.” 

There are four teams from the Central Piedmont 4-A, including West Forsyth, in the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket – the others being Mount Tabor, Reagan and East Forsyth.  

“The CPC has always been a tough conference,” Brim said. “It’s one of the toughest conferences in the state. So, to have us, Tabor, East, and Reagan in that, those are four of the teams that went to the playoffs last year.” 

Before the tournament starts next week, West Forsyth is scheduled to face Central Piedmont 4-A foe Parkland Friday night in the Titans’ home opener. 

“They want to talk about the Spencer, but they know we’ve got Parkland next,” Brim said. “So, I think we’ll be ready and focused (on Parkland).” 

As for top-seeded Mount Tabor, it’s almost like a holiday ritual. Andy Muse, the head coach at Mount Tabor, has been the No. 1 seed numerous times and he has won seven championships as a coach.  

“Going into my 30th year as head coach at Mount Tabor, it’s been a great run,” Muse said. “I’ve seen a lot of basketball on the Frank Spencer basketball court, and it’s just a fun time of the year. It’s bragging rights for anybody that wins and we’ve got a bracket that I think five or six teams could win the tournament.” 

Mount Tabor is scheduled to play No. 8 North Surry at 2 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Mount Tabor.  

“I’m very impressed with South Stokes and Walkertown, West Forsyth and Reagan High School,” Muse said. “So, even though we’re the No. 1 seed, you know, we’re going to embrace it, and at the same time we know our work’s cut out for us.” 

If Mount Tabor, which is 1-1 as of Monday, defeats North Surry in a rematch of last year’s championship in which Mount Tabor won 79-74, it would play the winner of the 7:15 game between No. 5 Walkertown and No. 4 Reagan, in the semifinals on Dec. 20 at 5:30 at Mount Tabor. Reagan is coached by Muse’s son, Adam. 

Following the Mount Tabor game, Northwest Guilford will face West Forsyth, and at 5:30 No. 6 East Forsyth will face No. 3 South Stokes. The championship game is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at Mount Tabor. 

The winners of the Northwest Guilford-West Forsyth game and the East Forsyth-South Stokes game will play in the semifinals at 7:15. The championship is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 at Mount Tabor.  

“This tournament, you’ve got to win three games back-to-back-to back,” Andy Muse said. “That’s hard to do for any team.” 

In the Pepsi Bracket, it will have a new championship because Reagan moved up to the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket. Reynolds, which is 4-2 as of Monday, was named the No. 1 seed for the Pepsi Bracket and will face No. 8 Carver at 2 p.m. on Dec. 19 at East Forsyth.  

“It’s an honor to be a No. 1 seed in any bracket,” Coach Billy Martin of Reynolds said. “You know, this is such a great event, that we have a top seed is an honor.” 

The winner of the Carver-Reynolds game will play the winner of the 7:15 game between No. 5 North Forsyth and No. 4 East Surry, in the semifinals at 5:30 on Dec. 20 at East Forsyth. 

“I thought we’d probably play up in the Atrium, but the thing is you’ve still got to play three basketball games, and you’ve got to play well to win it, regardless of brackets” Martin said.  

On the other side of the Pepsi Bracket, No. 7 Winston-Salem Prep will face No. 2 Glenn at 3:45 on Dec. 19 at East Forsyth, and at 5:30, No. 6 Atkins will face No. 3 Parkland. Those winners will play in the semifinals on Dec. 20 at 7:15 at East Forsyth. The championship is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Dec. 21 at East Forsyth.  

“That’s what a lot of coaches have talked about was the parity and the brackets we were in because you’ve got to play to win any type of tournament,” Martin said. 

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket 

(At Mount Tabor, Dec. 19-21) 

First-round games (Dec. 19) 

No. 8 North Surry vs. No. 1 Mount Tabor, 2 p.m. 

No. 7 NW Guilford vs. No. 2 West Forsyth, 3:45 

No. 6 East Forsyth vs. No. 3 South Stokes, 5:30 

No. 5 Walkertown vs. No. 4 Reagan, 7:15 

Semifinals (Dec. 20) 

No. 5 Walkertown or No. 4 Reagan winner vs. No. 8 North Surry or No. 1 Mount Tabor winner, 5:30 

No. 6 East Forsyth or No. 3 South Stokes winner vs. No. 7 NW Guilford or No. 2 West Forsyth, 7:15 

Championship (Dec. 21) 

Semifinals winners, 7 p.m. 

 

Pepsi Bracket 

(At East Forsyth, Dec. 19-21) 

First-round games (Dec. 19) 

No. 8 Carver vs. No. 1 Reynolds, 2 p.m. 

No. 7 W-S Prep vs. No. 2 Glenn, 3:45 

No. 6 Atkins vs. No. 3 Parkland, 5:30 

No. 5 North Forsyth vs. No. 4 East Surry, 7:15 

Semifinals games (Dec. 20) 

No. 5 North Forsyth or No. 4 East Surry vs. No. 8 Carver or No. 1 Reynolds, 5:30 

No. 6 Atkins or No. 3 Parkland vs. No. 7 W-S Prep or No. 2 Glenn, 7:15 

Championship (Dec. 21) 

Semifinals winners, 4 p.m.