Friday’s Rewind: North Meck survives Hough upset bid with Jeremy Gregory free throw
North Mecklenburg’s boys’ basketball team is 25-1, has won 13 straight games, and is considered a top contender for North Carolina’s 4A state championship.
But the Vikings might want to avoid Hough in the state playoffs.
After getting a rough test from the Huskies twice during the regular season, No. 1-ranked North Mecklenburg barely survived a Hough upset bid Friday night in the I-Meck tournament semifinals, winning 80-79 in overtime.
The Vikings will face second-seed and host Vance at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for the conference title. Vance subdued West Charlotte 75-59 in the opening semifinal.
Hough (17-9) gave North Mecklenburg all it could handle, before a packed house. The Huskies led for long stretches of the game, and the Vikings finally prevailed when Jeremy Gregory made the second of two free throw attempts with one second remaining for the winning point.
Hough’s Jackson Bissette, who sank three three-pointers in the second half, launched a desperation shot shortly before the buzzer sounded, but the ball fell short.
“We’ve faced adversity all year, with Chris Ford being hurt and missing other people at times,” Vikings’ coach Duane Lewis said. “The guys have worked hard, and we’ve had people step up when we needed them.”
North Mecklenburg won despite the absence of their scoring leader this season, Tristan Maxwell, who fouled out with 1:27 remaining in regulation.
“We have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxwell, who finished with a team-high 23 points.
The final seconds of regulation and overtime were frenetic.
Trailing 70-68 with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Hough called a time out and set up a back-door play with Nathan Chambers scoring the tying basket.
In overtime, with the score tied 79-79, North Mecklenburg missed a pair of close shots, but Gregory was fouled after grabbing a rebound. He went to the foul line, missed the first attempt, then hit the second.
That set up a Saturday afternoon match of the conference’s top two teams. North Mecklenburg won both regular-season meetings handily.
Vance coach Brian Frasier said his team “will have to shoot a lot better. We’ll have to get after it.”
The Cougars (21-5) got after West Charlotte (15-10) in the early going Friday night, bolting to a 15-2 lead in the opening four minutes. Vance led by 20, 34-14, at the midway point of the second quarter.
But the Lions never went away, and they narrowed the gap to nine points (66-57) with 1:42 left.
Vance responded to that by its last five free-throw attempts and outscoring West Charlotte 9-2 down the stretch.
“This is a very young team, and it’s been a grind this season,” Frasier said. “But they have worked hard and are coming around.”
THREE WHO MATTERED
Tristan Maxwell, North Mecklenburg: Maxwell scored 23 points and hit 10-of-11 shots from the foul line. He hit a pair of three-point field goals in the third quarter, when his team outscored Hough 24-17.
Garrett Schoolfield, Hough: He led the Huskies with 23 points, including 10 of his team’s 21 points in the fourth quarter. He scored on a driving layup in the closing seconds of regulation, forcing overtime.
Daniel Ransom, Vance: One of the few seniors on the Vance roster, Ransom scored a team-high 20 points -- 15 of those in the first half, when the Cougars built a big lead.
WORTH MENTIONING
▪ Trayden Williams was back in the lineup for North Mecklenburg for the first time after authorities dropped felony marijuana charges against him due to insufficient evidence. Williams was not in uniform for the Vikings’ last four regular-season games. Vikings’ officials did not address Williams’ situation.
▪ Saturday’s finals at Vance will actually be a triple-header. At noon, Butler and Myers Park will meet in a girls’ game to determine the Southwestern 4A’s third playoff seed. Then at 1:30, Mallard Creek (23-2) will face Vance (22-4) for the I-Meck 4A girls’ title. The North Mecklenburg-Vance boys’ game will follow at around 3:30 p.m.
▪ Hough senior Beau Maye dominated North Mecklenburg in the first half Friday night, grabbing seven rebounds and scoring 14 points. But the Vikings defended him closely in the second half, holding him to six points.
▪ The Vance-West Charlotte contest was the I-Meck’s version of a “futures” game. Vance had two freshmen and a sophomore in its starting lineup. West Charlotte started a freshman, three sophomores, and a junior. And the top reserves on each team also are returning next season.
Quick Links
Friday’s NCISAA, NCHSAA scores, boxscores and Saturday’s schedule
Charlotte Latin, Cannon, Providence Day girls march to NCISAA finals
Providence High star named girls player of the week
Stanly County star is boys player of the week
Elevator
↑Cuthbertson girls: beat Charlotte Catholic 52-39 in the Southern Carolinas championship game. Cuthbertson (25-2) held Catholic (20-5) to 10 points in the first half in a game matching teams that shared the regular-season title. Dane Bertolina had a game-high 29 for Catholic.
↑Lincoln Charter: beat Bessemer City 69-62 behind 22 points from Sam Cogan and 17 from Troy Fulton. Lincoln Charter (24-2) won its sixth straight conference tournament championship after winning its sixth straight regular-season title earlier this season.
↑Ardrey Kell: Knights beat West Meck in the SoMECK semifinals to get their 20th win Friday. The Knights have reached 20 wins for three straight season and in eight of the past 12. Ardrey Kell will play Olympic in Saturday’s SoMECK 7 final.
↑Hickory Ridge, Independence girls: upset co-Southwestern 4A regular-season champions Butler and Myers Park to advance to Saturday’s Southwestern 4A tournament final. Saturday’s tournament champion will get the No. 2 seed. Butler and Myers Park are playing Saturday to determine the top overall seed. The loser will be No. 3. The Butler-Myers Park game will tip at 12 p.m. at Vance High.
Friday’s #BIG5 Boys Top Performers
Omarion Bodrick, Independence: 16 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks in a 65-60 win over Myers Park in the Southwestern 4A semifinals. Independence rallied to win, outscoring Myers Park 19-10 in the fourth quarter. Nygell Verdier had 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals for the Patriots (19-7), who have won eight straight games. Drake Maye had 23 for Myers Park (18-8).
Adam Brazil, Davidson Day: 16 points, nine assists, three steals in a 61-37 win over Freedom Christian in the N.C. Independent Schools 2A semifinals. Davidson Day will play Wayne Country Day from Goldsboro in Saturday’s state final. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. at Charlotte Country Day.
Peyton Gerald, Ardrey Kell: career-high 20 points in a 71-43 win over West Meck.
Colin Thomas, Charlotte Catholic: game-high 26 points in a 66-65 win over Monroe in the Southern Carolinas conference championship game. Shaleak Knotts had 22 for Monroe, which outscored Catholic 37-27 in the second half.
Marcus Willis, Porter Ridge: Scored a game-high 29 points to lead his team to a 78-67 win over Hickory Ridge in the Southwestern 4A semifinals. Porter Ridge will play Independence Saturday afternoon in its first appearance in the championship game in school history.
Friday’s #BIG5 Girls Top Performers
Lauren Horton, Lincoln Charter: 21 points in the Southern Piedmont championship game, a 63-54 win over Christ The King. Horton made 13-of-15 free throws.
Alyssa Lewis, Hickory Ridge: 18 points, two steals in a 54-45 win over Butler in the Southwestern 4A semifinals. Hickory Ridge outscored Butler 35-10 in the second and third quarters. Kennedy Calhoun (15 points, three assists, three steals) and Jasmine Fearne (11 points, four rebounds, three steals) had strong games for Hickory Ridge. Butler got 15 from Michaela Lane.
Assiyah Mitchell, Victory Christian: game-high 18 points in a 61-39 win over Grace Christian in the NCISAA 1A semifinals. Victory will try to win its first state title since 2008 Saturday.
Trinity Thompson, Independence: game-high 29 points in a 56-50 upset over co-regular-season champion Myers Park in the Southwestern 4A tournament. Teammate Braylyn Milton had 14 points. Taylor Henderson led Myers Park with 23.
Lauren Whitley, Community School of Davidson: game-high 22 points for CSD (23-4) in a PAC 7 conference tournament championship win.
This story was originally published February 22, 2020 at 12:09 AM.
