Friday’s HS Roundup: Sweet 16 teams fall, Gaston Day rules on busy night

Elevator

↑Morganton Freedom defense: Patriots jumped out to a 31-6 first quarter lead at Hickory St. Stephens Friday. Fletcher Abee had 28 for Freedom (5-0), which plays at No. 9 Hickory Tuesday.

↑Lincolnton: Robbie Cowie had 19 points and Kris Robinson 15 as the Wolves won their rivalry game at East Lincoln 64-48. Lincolnton is 5-1. Coleson Leach had 19 for East Lincoln.

↑Mount Pleasant’s historic win: Tigers beat Central Cabarrus for the first time in 15 years Friday, winning 65-59. Trey Barnhardt had 16 points, 13 rebounds; Hunter Sloop had 10 points, nine rebounds; and Evan DeVitto had 15 points, four assists.

↑West Charlotte perseverance: Vance outscored the Lions 15-6 in the second quarter, but West Charlotte rallied to win 57-50.

↑Konrad Christian, Community School of Davidson: 20 points, on 10-of-15 shooting, in a 85-46 win over Carolina International. The 6-foot-9 senior added 14 points, five blocks, three steals and one assists. His team is 4-1.

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Friday’s boys high school basketball capsules

Friday’s girls high school basketball capsules

Friday’s girls roundup: #BIG5, Elevator, recaps, more

Friday’s top boys, girls performers

Shrine Bowl football kicks off Saturday: TV info, preview, rosters

#BIG5 Performers

Demi Adelekun, Gaston Day: 6-foot-8 junior center had 23 points, 13 rebounds and a block in a 78-63 win at Carmel Christian. It was a game that could be a preview of the NCISAA 2A state championship game in February.

Jamarius Burton, Independence: 6-5 senior guard had 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in an emphatic 78-70 win over rival Butler.

Jaden Springer, Darlinstone Dunbar, Rocky River: 26 points, 13 rebounds for Springer in an 80-35 win at East Meck. Dunbar had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Nate Springs, Sam Wolfe, United Faith: Springs had 18 points, 21 rebounds, seven blocks in a 71-34 win over University Christian. Wolfe had 19 points, six rebounds.

Brice Williams, Hopewell: 14 points, plus the game-winning basket with three seconds left in a 63-62 win over Mallard Creek. Teammate Zack Dixon had a team-high 21. Kyle Austin had 24 for Mallard Creek.

Sweet 16 Roundup

No. 1 Cox Mill 89, West Rowan 48: Wendell Moore had 36 points, four rebounds and four assists in the easy win. UNC recruit Rechon “Leaky” Black added 18 points, four rebounds and four assists for the unbeaten Chargers.

No. 2 North Mecklenburg 51, Hough 45: The Vikings limited Hough to 14 points in the second and third quarters to get a win in a game matching teams tied for first place in the IMECK conference. Hough (6-3, 3-1) got 11 points from Myles Washington. North Meck (9-0, 4-0) got 17 from sophomore Tristan Maxwell and 10 from junior Jae’Lyn Withers.

No. 4 Independence 78, No. 5 Butler 70: The Patriots got a 15-8 early lead and basically made it stand up in a battle of top five Sweet 16 teams. Independence also got a leg up in the Southwestern 4A standings on Butler, which lost for the second time this week. Butler got 25 points from Gerrale Gates and 21 from DJ Little. Andra’ McKee had 26 points, two blocks for Independence. Matthew Smith had 13 points, nine rebounds, three blocks; and Jordan Mobley added 19 points, four rebounds.

No. 7 Charlotte Christian 74, Hickory Grove Christian 52: After having lost three of its past four games, the Knights got back on track Friday, getting 24 points from Liberty recruit Blake Preston, 13 from Seth Bennett and 12 from Paul Hudson in an easy win. KJ Freeman and AJ Smith had 14 each for Hickory Grove.

Marion McDowell 74, No. 9 Hickory 65: Skyler McKinney and Travis Corpening had 20 points each as McDowell (5-1, 1-0 Northwestern) won its third straight game. Hickory (4-1, 0-1) got 21 from Torey James.

Harding 45, No. 13 Ardrey Kell 43: Harding (9-3, 4-0 SoMeck) won its sixth straight game and upset Ardrey Kell (7-2, 3-1). Brian Ross led Harding with 13 points. David Kasanganay, a Navy signee, had 16 for Ardrey Kell.

No. 14 Marshville Forest Hills 72, Concord 44: The Yellow Jackets (5-1) had an easy time with a Concord team (4-6) that was a preseason Sweet 16 member. Jaleel McLaughlin had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Forest Hills. Jai Rorie had 16 points, Trey Belin had 14 and Nas Tyson 11 in the win. Concord managed seven points in the first quarter and just four in the third.

Friday’s Game Recaps

Gaston Day 78, Carmel Christian 63: Donovan Gregory had a game-high 29 points for Carmel Christian (11-1) but his team struggled to score during long stretches of a showdown game with Gaston Day. Gaston Day (10-2) built leads as large as 22 points. For the Spartans, Quan McCluney had 21 points, seven rebounds; Nate Hinton had 17 points, five assists, five rebounds; and MJ Armstrong had 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.

▪ Gregory was honored before the game for scoring his 1,000th career point.

Lake Norman Charter 57, North Lincoln 52: Senior Connor Reed had 27 points and made 9-of-10 fourth-quarter free throws in a tight game to lead Lake Norman Charter. Teammate Ian Martino had 14 points.

Myers Park 75, Harrisburg Hickory Ridge 61: John Ingram had 16 points and Caleb McReed 14 as the Mustangs won for the sixth time in seven games. Myers Park led 21-9 in the first quarter and limited Hickory Ridge to 16 first-half points. Darian Bell had 17 for Hickory Ridge.

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 12:51 AM with the headline "Friday’s HS Roundup: Sweet 16 teams fall, Gaston Day rules on busy night."