J. Mike Blake - HighSchoolOT (300+ 🏫)

This isn't just high school basketball. This isn't just any team. These are the Lady Braves. An entire nation rests on these players' shoulders. A story that took me almost a year ⤵️

Photos and more here: highschoolot.com/story/no-3-mar…

@DoctorLemma Kilograms and mum

19 years ago, a high school basketball coach put his team manager into a game for the final four minutes. The kid had never played a single minute of competitive basketball in his life. He scored 20 points. Jason McElwain was diagnosed with severe autism at age two. He didn’t speak until he was five. He couldn’t chew solid food until he was six. He wore a nappy for most of his early childhood. As a baby, he was rigid, wouldn’t make eye contact, and hid in corners away from other children. He tried out for his school basketball team every year and got cut every time. Too small. Too slight. Barely 5’6 and about 54 kilograms. But he loved the game so much that his mum called the school and asked if there was any way he could be involved. The coach created a team manager role for him. For three years, McElwain showed up to every practice and every game. He wore a shirt and tie on match days. He ran drills, handed out water, kept stats, and cheered every basket like he’d scored it himself. On 15 February 2006, the last home game of his final school year, the coach let him suit up in a proper jersey and sit on the bench. With four minutes left and a comfortable lead, the coach sent him in. His first shot missed. His second missed. Then something shifted. He hit a three-pointer. Then another. Then another. His teammates stopped shooting entirely and just kept passing him the ball. He hit six three-pointers and a two-pointer. 20 points in four minutes. The highest scorer in the game. When the final buzzer went, the entire crowd rushed the court and lifted him onto their shoulders. His mum tapped the coach on the shoulder, in tears. “This is the nicest gift you could have ever given my son.” McElwain won the ESPY Award for Best Moment in Sports that year, beating out some of the biggest names in professional sport. He’s 36 now. He works at a local supermarket, coaches basketball, has run 17 marathons including five Boston Marathons, and travels the country speaking about never giving up. When asked about that night, his coach still gets emotional. “For him to come in and seize the moment like he did was certainly more than I ever expected. I was an emotional wreck.”

SPRING SPORTS RANKINGS There were many changes, but a new No. 1 in both softball and girls soccer leads the list of updates. ⚾️ Baseball Top 25: 3 new teams ⚾️Baseball Area Code Rankings: 14 new teams total 🥎 Softball Top 25: 8 new teams, new No. 1 🥎Softball Area Code Rankings: 11 new teams total, two new No. 1s ⚽️ Girls Soccer Top 25: 3 new teams, new No. 1 ⚽️Girls Soccer Area Code Rankings: 13 new teams total, one new No. 1 🥍 Boys Lacrosse Top 25: 2 new teams 🥍Girls Lacrosse Top 25: 1 new team

@JoelBryantHSOT and @EvanMoestaHSOT the hardest working dudes in the state. Nobody better. Glad they let me tag along. Now get some rest!

An elite atmosphere here in Winston-Salem. 📸: @oceanmannjr

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North Mecklenburg's dynamic duo made the most of their time in the 7A state championship game. Lenise Joseph and Morgan Knox combined for 40 points and 12 rebounds in the Vikings' win. Full coverage on HighSchoolOT.com.

The Joel is rocking for the finale of NCHSAA March Madness. Southern Durham and Mooresville are squaring off in the 7A boys state championship. Updates below and coverage on @HighSchoolOT.

North Meck is taking home its first girls basketball state championship in 40 years. The Vikings got double-double performances from Lenise Joseph and Morgan Knox in a huge win over Southern Durham this evening.

Hunter Huss breaks the century mark in the 5A state championship game, scoring the second-most points in state title history, to take down Fike this afternoon. Jaleel Smith and Zaiyir Phillips combined for 68 points in the win. It is the Huskies' fourth title in program history.

Breaking News: Huss Eclipses 100 Points in 5A State Championship Win wral.com/12706857/?brea…

Nothing was going to deny North Lincoln's girls of the 5A title. The Knights, the second-lowest-seeded to ever win a state championship, came from behind late to snap the 35-game win streak of defending champion Southeast Alamance.

Story: What does the recruiting future hold for Dionte Neal? highschoolot.com/story/what-s-t…

Paylor answers back... and one. She puts one in off the glass and hits the free throw. North Lincoln's lead is down to 50-49 with 2:49 left.

Follow along with live updates from Saturday's 5A and 7A basketball state championship games highschoolot.com/story/live-blo…

HighSchoolOT State Championship Postgame Show, presented by Alpaca Peruvian Chicken x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

One of the greatest ever to play in North Carolina. 📸: @oceanmannjr