New No. 1 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 and shuffle before holiday tournaments
Two I-MECK 4A conference schools sit atop the latest Charlotte Observer Sweet 16 boys and girls basketball polls.
On the boys side, North Mecklenburg retains its grip on the top spot. The Vikings have been ranked No. 1 all season. No new teams joined the poll this week, but there was some shuffling. After a busy post-Christmas tournament week, you can expect more changes when the first 2020 poll debuts in January.
▪ Mallard Creek’s girls moved to the top spot after former No. 1 Hopewell lost three straight games. Hopewell (10-3) dropped to No. 10.
Unbeatens Lake Norman (6-0) and Salisbury (8-0) join this week’s girls poll, which like the boys, suffered significant shakeups.
Boys Sweet 16
| Rk. | School (Cl) | Rec. | Prvs. |
| 1. | North Mecklenburg (4A) | 9-0 | 1 |
| 2. | Vance (4A) | 9-0 | 2 |
| 3. | Carmel Christian (IND) | 13-2 | 4 |
| 4. | Davidson Day (IND) | 12-1 | 6 |
| 5. | First Assembly (IND) | 13-2 | 2 |
| 6. | Ardrey Kell (4A) | 10-1 | 9 |
| 7. | Olympic (4A) | 7-2 | 7 |
| 8. | Cannon School (IND) | 11-5 | 5 |
| 9. | Forest Hills (2A) | 9-0 | 10 |
| 10. | Freedom (3A) | 8-0 | 12 |
| 11. | Hunter Huss (3A) | 6-1 | 13 |
| 12. | Cox Mill (3A) | 9-1 | 14 |
| 13. | Myers Park (4A) | 7-2 | 8 |
| 14. | Hough (4A) | 9-1 | 15 |
| 15. | Westminster Catawba (IND) | 12-1 | 16 |
| 16. | Charlotte Catholic (3A) | 7-2 | 11 |
Dropped out: none. Also receiving consideration: Richmond Senior (4A, 7-0); Hickory Ridge (4A, 6-2); Hickory (3A, 7-0); Crest (3A, 6-0); Weddington (3A, 8-2); AL Brown (3A, 7-2); Charlotte Latin (IND, 9-3); Hibriten (2A, 7-0); West Caldwell (2A, 7-0); Lincoln Charter (1A, 9-1).
Girls Sweet 16
| Rk. | School (Cl) | Rec. | Prvs. |
| 1. | Mallard Creek (4A) | 10-1 | 2 |
| 2. | Freedom (4A) | 8-0 | 3 |
| 3. | Providence (4A) | 12-0 | 4 |
| 4. | Vance (4A) | 6-2 | 5 |
| 5. | Cuthbertson (3A) | 12-1 | 6 |
| 6. | East Rowan (3A) | 10-0 | 7 |
| 7. | South Pointe (4A) | 9-0 | 8 |
| 8. | East Burke (2A) | 9-2 | 9 |
| 9. | Hopewell (4A) | 10-3 | 1 |
| 10. | Independence (4A) | 8-1 | 11 |
| 11. | West Rowan (3A) | 8-0 | 13 |
| 12. | North Mecklenburg (4A) | 10-2 | 12 |
| 13. | Carson (3A) | 9-1 | 14 |
| 14. | South Caldwell (4A) | 6-1 | 10 |
| 15. | Lake Norman (4A) | 6-0 | NR |
| 16. | Salisbury (2A) | 8-0 | NR |
Dropped out: Weddington (3A, 8-2); Providence Day (IND, 7-5). Also receiving consideration: South Mecklenburg (4A, 9-3); Ardrey Kell (4A, 9-3); Charlotte Catholic (3A, 6-2); Hickory (3A, 6-2); Shelby (2A, 6-0); Newton-Conover (2A, 6-1); Langtree Charter (1A, 10-0); Gray Stone Day (1A, 6-0); Community School of Davidson (1A, 8-1); Gaston Day (IND, 9-2); Clover (5A, 8-1)
▪ Records through games of Dec. 22.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 4:52 PM.
