Camden wins Coby White title with strong second-half

RALEIGH – Only ahead by six points at the half, Camden, N.J., outscored Pittsboro Northwood and its UNC recruit 37-18 in the second half; the result was a 60-35 Coby White bracket championship in the 2022 John Wall Holiday Invitational at Raleigh Broughton High School.

Camden and its pair of 5-star Kentucky commits – D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw – took over the game in the second half to earn the title over Northwood and UNC commit Drake Powell.

The second half opened with Northwood scoring the first 4 points while forcing Wagner into uncomfortable positions on the other end. The Camden lead was cut to one with 4 minutes left in the third.

Bradshaw picked up his third foul halfway through the quarter, putting him on the bench; it ended up playing to Camden’s advantage as the Panthers played a lineup with five athletic guards and wings, unclogging the paint and allowing them to go on a 9-0 run.

After the run, Camden led 36-26 with just under 2 minutes left in the third. Wagner hit another 3 at the buzzer, pushing the lead to 13. Camden continued to slowly stretch their lead in the fourth, going up by as much as 26.

Wagner finished with 22 points and five rebounds to earn bracket MVP honors. His Panther teammates Bradshaw and Billy Richmond were named to the all-tourney team.

Powell earned Most Outstanding Player honors after finishing with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Cary Panther Creek’s Amari Richardson was also named to the all-tourney team.