There's no one in Mecklenburg County, and maybe all of North Carolina, playing better basketball than North Mecklenburg High senior guard Shivaughn Wiggins.

The Vikings, No. 2 in the Sweet 16, have won eight straight games. Wiggins has scored 30 or more points in six of them. He's averaged 25 in the other two.

Since North Mecklenburg returned from Christmas break, Wiggins has averaged 32.6 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds. Those numbers surpass his season averages (25.8 points, 5.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds).

"I feel more confident," Wiggins said after going for 30 points, five assists and two steals in a 72-54 win over Lake Norman on Friday. "Our goal is to win a state title and I just want to help."

North Mecklenburg coach Duane Lewis said he felt Wiggins was the area's top point guard a year ago, when Wiggins averaged 13 points and a Mecklenburg County best 7.5 assists on a team that produced three college players. Lewis felt Wiggins, 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, might have deferred to his older teammates too much last year, but Wiggins also had a hole in his game.

He couldn't consistently hit the outside jumper.

"He can really get to the (rim) and finish around the basket," Lewis said. "He could always do that, but what transformed him was making the 3 this year. Now, you've got to go out there and guard him and he's so strong with the ball."

Wiggins said he remembers days in the off-season when Lewis wouldn't let him leave the gym until he made 250 3-pointers. At first, that took awhile. Wiggins said he made five 3-pointers his junior season. With time, and a lot of what he called "sore-arm days," the shot got better.

Wiggins made four 3-pointers against Lake Norman on Friday, for example.

"My main focus," he said, "was to really work on that area and make myself better."

In the summer, Wiggins hit the University YMCA five or six days a week at 7:30 a.m. and shot and worked on his game until 10 a.m. Then it was home to sleep and eat. Then he came back for pick-up ball in the evenings.

The work is paying off. Lewis said College of Charleston coaches came to see Wiggins play against Garinger on Wednesday, when Wiggins had 34 points, four assists and four steals. Coaches from Appalachian State, Colgate, High Point, Navy, N.C. A&T and St. Francis (N.Y.) have also come. And Lewis said coaches from South Dakota, North Dakota and Binghamton (N.Y.) are among those who have called to ask about his progress.

"He plays hard and we have an unselfish team," Lewis said. "They find him. He has the ball in his hands a lot, but he's a great decision-maker. This year, we've asked him to score and he's done that. He's a complete player now, and he's such a warrior. He plays so hard."

Hopewell's Sharee' Boyd, whose father Gary Richmond coaches the team, is another player on a hot run. In her past four games, she's averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. She had 15 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and four assists against West Charlotte on Friday.

Covenant Day junior David Airing scored his 1,000th point Friday against Westminster Catawba. Charlotte Latin girls' star Garland Austin scored her 1,000th Friday against Asheville School. Gaston Day sophomore Keyshawn Woods scored his 1000th point Friday, too.

United Faith beat rival Davidson Day on Thursday 70-63 behind 31 points, three rebounds and three steals from Florida recruit Braxton Ogbueze. Davidson Day beat United Faith earlier this season at home.