High School Sports
Girls Sweet 16: major reshuffle lands former No. 1 back at the top
The Call with Charlotte Latin’s Ruthie Jones
On Friday, Butler High upset then No. 1 Harrisburg Hickory Ridge and set off a big reshuffling of the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll.
Vance — the preseason No. 1 team — returns to the top spot. Vance (20-2) has won four straight games and can lock up a share of the I-MECK 4A Tuesday at home against North Mecklenburg.
Elsewhere, No. 2 Davidson Day — another former No. 1 team — jumps up three spots this week. The Patriots (17-5) have played one of the state’s toughest schedules and have lost to only one N.C. team all year, falling 39-37 to Vance back in November.
Butler jumped three spots to No. 3, and this week, one new team joins the poll: Union Academy (20-1) is in, totina an 18-game win streak with it.
Sweet 16 Girls’ Basketball
Rk | Team | Cl | Rec | Prvs. |
1 | Vance | 4A | 20-2 | 2 |
2 | Davidson Day | IND | 17-5 | 5 |
3 | Butler | 4A | 20-2 | 6 |
4 | Morganton Freedom | 3A | 21-1 | 3 |
5 | Harrisburg Hickory Ridge | 4A | 18-3 | 1 |
6 | Rocky River | 4A | 15-3 | 7 |
7 | Mallard Creek | 4A | 17-4 | 4 |
| 8 | China Grove Carson | 3A | 21-1 | 8 |
9 | Providence | 4A | 19-3 | 10 |
10 | Waxhaw Cuthbertson | 3A | 20-2 | 11 |
11 | East Rutherford | 2A | 19-1 | 13 |
12 | Ardrey Kell | 4A | 18-5 | 14 |
13 | Rock Hill South Pointe | 5A | 22-4 | 13 |
14 | Victory Christian | IND | 20-4 | 15 |
15 | Union Academy | 1A | 20-1 | NR |
16 | North Iredell | 3A | 16-4 | 9 |
Dropped Out: South Mecklenburg (4A, 14-7). Also receiving consideration: Kings Mountain (3A, 17-3); West Rowan (3A, 18-4); Hopewell (4A, 15-6); North Mecklenburg (4A, 15-7); Charlotte Catholic (3A, 17-5); North Gaston (3A, 16-5); Salisbury (2A 18-3); Newton-Conover (2A, 18-4); East Burke (2A, 18-5); Charlotte Latin (IND, 16-6); Concord First Assembly (IND, 20-6); Albemarle (1A, 22-1).
Note: The Observer’s Sweet 16 poll is a ranking of the top 16 boys and girls teams in the newspaper’s 162-school coverage-area in North and South Carolina. The poll considers performance, strength of schedule and strength of class. To be considered, teams must play for a recognized state association.
Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.”
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