Two of Chatham County’s most decorated former athletes will put their own version of the Battle of Pittsboro in front of a national audience later this year.
Drake Powell, a North Carolina forward out of Northwood High School, and Jarin Stevenson an Alabama forward out of Seaforth High School, will face off when the Tar Heels host the Crimson Tide in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 4.
Including just sanctioned high school and collegiate competition, this will be the second time that the local stars play against each other. Powell and the Chargers got the best of Stevenson and the Hawks on Nov. 23, 2021 when Northwood beat Seaforth, 72-42. In that game, Powell led the Chargers with 26 points and eight steals while Stevenson recorded 13 points and four rebounds while shooting 63% from the floor.
Before that game and the opening of Seaforth, Powell and Stevenson played together at Northwood in their 2020-21 freshman campaigns, helping lead the Chargers to a 14-3 overall record and a 3A state runner up finish. That year, Stevenson and Powell led the team in scoring, pouring in 13.7 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
Both Powell and Stevenson have accomplished a lot in their careers leading up to December’s meeting. According to 247 Sports, Stevenson, a four-star recruit, was ranked the No. 2 class of 2023 prospect in North Carolina after reclassifying out of the 2024 class. After averaging 21.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his final high school season, Stevenson was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year for North Carolina.
Stevenson enrolled at Alabama shortly after leaving Seaforth, and he made a significant impact as a freshman. He played in all 37 games and made five starts in SEC play. Stevenson’s most memorable moment came in Alabama’s 2024 Final Four run in which he made a career-high five threes for a career-high 19 points to help the Crimson Tide take down Clemson in the Elite Eight.
Against North Carolina in last year’s NCAA tournament, Stevenson grabbed four boards and made some key defensive plays in Alabama’s win.
Powell was a five-star recruit, the No. 2 class of 2024 prospect in North Carolina and the No. 3 2024 small forward in the country, per 247Sports. He helped lead the Chargers to another 3A state runner up finish in 2023 and deep playoff runs in each of his four seasons. After averaging 17.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in his senior year, Powell earned McDonald’s All-American honors. Other than the McDonald’s All-American Game, Powell participated in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Josh Level Classic before reporting to UNC earlier this month.
For the matchup between UNC and Alabama, the hype goes deeper than Powell and Stevenson facing off. On Nov. 27, 2022, just months removed from North Carolina’s run to the title game, Alabama beat North Carolina 103-101 after a four-overtime battle in the Phil Knight Invitational. The Crimson Tide then beat the Tar Heels again that offseason after signing Stevenson away from his hometown program, and in the following season, Alabama pulled out a close 89-87 win over UNC in the Sweet 16.
So, while Powell and Stevenson look to represent Chatham County in the college basketball world, North Carolina will be looking for payback.