2025-26 Boys Basketball

Week 2 Review

Day 2 of the Forsyth County middle school boys basketball season saw road teams dominate across both grades, setting up early logjams atop the standings.

In the 7th grade, four of five visiting teams earned wins Tuesday night, three by 15 points or more. Little Mill, Riverwatch, and South Forsyth all moved to 2–0. The closest contest came between Riverwatch and Liberty, where the Panthers led most of the way before holding off a late Patriots push to win by two. The only home victory belonged to Lakeside, which pulled away from Hendricks after a close opening quarter.

The 8th grade followed a similar script, with four road teams winning by double figures to improve to 2–0. Hendricks delivered the night’s most competitive road win, breaking open a tight defensive battle with Lakeside in the fourth quarter to secure a 12-point victory. North Forsyth was the lone home winner, surviving a late rally from Little Mill to hang on for a two-point win and move to 1–1.

The trend of road success continued on day 3 in Forsyth County middle school basketball, as visiting teams once again made their presence felt across both grades.

In the 7th grade, three road squads came away with victories. Liberty and DeSana each earned hard-fought wins in challenging environments, while Riverwatch remained unbeaten with another strong performance. The home teams that prevailed — Little Mill and Vickery Creek — did so in contrasting fashion: the Mustangs dominated in a lopsided win, while the Vipers edged a tight contest to defend their floor. The closest road victory came in the Riverwatch–Piney Grove matchup, where the Panthers held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter before delivering their highest-scoring period to secure a seven-point win.

In the 8th grade, road teams were equally impressive. Three visitors claimed victories, with South Forsyth and Riverwatch rolling to blowouts, and DeSana surviving a hostile environment for a hard-earned win. Even the home teams that prevailed — Lakeside and Vickery Creek — had to grind out razor-thin victories, highlighting the competitiveness of the day. The tightest road triumph came in the DeSana–Hendricks game, where the Dragons built a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter and held off a late Hawks rally for a six-point win.

Featured Matchup

7th Grade

South Forsyth (26) @ Little Mill (61)

For the third straight game, Little Mill came out firing and lit up the scoreboard in the opening quarter, racing out to a big double-digit lead. This time, the Mustangs stormed ahead 24–6 by the first-quarter horn. From there, it was more of the same. Little Mill kept the offensive pressure rolling, while South Forsyth settled in but still lost six more points in the second quarter, allowing the deficit to grow even larger. By halftime, the Mustangs’ advantage had ballooned to 24.

Little Mill was powered by a familiar name in the scoring column, as Liam Brundidge poured in 15 first-half points. Colt McKinney wasn’t far behind with 12, and six different Mustangs found the scoresheet before the break. South Forsyth had four players contribute in the first half, led by Alex Carpio’s 11, but no other Eagle scored more than three as Little Mill maintained firm control.

The scoring slowed down in the second half, but Little Mill still steadily built on its lead all the way to the final buzzer. The Mustangs controlled the pace, tightened up defensively, and continued to create quality looks on offense even as the game settled into a slower rhythm. By the time it was over, Little Mill had more than doubled up the Eagles, outscoring them 19–8 after halftime to put the finishing touches on a complete, wire-to-wire performance.

Colt McKinney finished as Little Mill’s top scorer, putting together two consistent halves to end the night with 21 points. Liam Brundidge added two buckets after halftime to bring his total to 19, while Andrew Vanderhoff and Jack Styles chipped in eight points apiece to round out the Mustangs’ balanced attack.

For South Forsyth, Alex Carpio managed just two made free throws in the fourth quarter but still led the Eagles with 13 points. Henry Radtke contributed six in the loss as South Forsyth struggled to keep pace with Little Mill’s offense.

Notable Contest

8th Grade

Riverwatch (56) @ Piney Grove (30)

Both teams opened the game looking a bit out of rhythm, trading empty possessions as neither side could get into a groove. Riverwatch was the first to shake off the slow start, stringing together a few clean trips on offense and tightening up defensively to grab the early momentum. Once the Panthers found their footing, they began to control the pace, building their lead throughout the second quarter with a mix of aggressive drives and timely mid-range shots.

Piney Grove finally responded in the final minutes before halftime, turning defensive stops into quick scores to chip the margin down to six heading into the break.

Riverwatch spread the scoring around in the first half, getting contributions from four different players. Korbin Nation led the charge with 10 points, providing a steady offensive presence. Piney Grove also had balanced production with five players reaching the scorebook, though none were able to hit double figures. Conner Maleski paced the Grizzlies with seven points to keep them within striking distance.

Riverwatch controlled the pace for nearly the entire second half, never allowing Piney Grove to seriously threaten their lead. The Panthers wasted no time reestablishing a double-digit cushion after the break, pushing the margin to 14 by the end of the third quarter with efficient offense and disciplined defense.

The lead hovered in that range for much of the fourth, and with the outcome essentially decided, Piney Grove went to their bench in the final minutes. Riverwatch slammed the door with authority, closing the game on a dominant 16–0 run to seal the victory.

In total, seven different Panthers reached the scorebook. Korbin Nation led the way with a team- and game-high 22 points, while Yafeth Samuel added a strong 14-point performance to help anchor the offense.

For Piney Grove, the same five players who scored in the first half were the only ones to contribute after the break. Conner Maleski was the lone Grizzlies player to hit double figures, finishing with 11 points to cap his steady effort.