Four-star North Carolina State signee Paul McNeil Jr. of Richmond (Rockingham) broke the North Carolina High School Athletic Association single-game scoring record Tuesday, exploding for a career-high 71 points in a 118-52 win over Lee County (Sanford).
The No. 62 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports, eclipsed the mark set in 1950 by Bob Poole of Clayton who scored 67 points in an 88-27 victory.
McNeil got off to a hot start in the contest scoring 35 points in the first half before upping his total to 56 points through three quarters.
The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 33.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per contest while shooting 53 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the free throw line.He also earned 2021-22 MaxPreps North Carolina Player of the Year honors after averaging 24.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest to guide the Raiders to the Class 4A state semifinals.
McNeil is also approaching 2,000 career points in his career as his 71-point performance puts him at 1,952 points over his four years, according to MaxPreps data.
His previous high was 50 points in a 90-45 victory against First Flight (Kill Devil Hills) on Dec. ...