Providence Day wins 17th NCISAA girls basketball championship with a twist - as an underdog
Providence Day won its 17th N.C. Independent Schools girls state championship Saturday, beating Greensboro Day 48-44 in front of a large, vocal crowd at Charlotte Latin School.
But this one felt a little different.
The Chargers (24-6) weren’t the favorites. They didn’t have a McDonald’s All-American or N.C. player of the year. This Chargers team, small and guard heavy, felt a little more mortal than the giants that came before it.
“You hit the nail on the head,” Providence Day coach Josh Springer said after watching his team win its first title since 2017. “We’ve been blessed with so many talented players through the years. But we don’t have someone on our scouting report that you’re going to say, ‘Oh, we gotta double or triple team (her), like we have had in years past. And that’s what is special about this group.”
For awhile, it looked like Providence Day, the No. 2 seed, might run away from top seeded Greensboro Day (28-3). Providence Day got five first half 3-point shots from Andi Levitz and led by as many as 17 in the first half.
But after shooting 6-for-28 in the first two quarters, Greensboro Day applied heavy man-to-man pressure.
Providence Day, which shot 12-for-24 in the first half, made just 7 of 23 in the second. So after scoring 33 points in the first 15 minutes, the Chargers managed only 15 points in the final 17 minutes.
And that nervous stretch included 12 turnovers in their final 19 possessions, when Greensboro Day got within three points twice.
But freshman Jordan Latter made layup the first time, to give Providence Day a 47-42 lead with 36.1 seconds.
The second time, after Greensboro Day’s Hailey Blackwell made two free throws, Providence Day freshman Chandler Brooks made a game-sealing free throw with 14 seconds left.
“Honestly I don’t even know” what happened, Levitz said. “I think the nerves started getting to us a little bit, but we pulled it off and that’s all that matters in the end.”
THREE WHO MATTERED
Levitz: top 40 nationally in made 3-pointers, she made five in the first half, scoring all of her 15 points, to help stake her team to an early lead She finished with seven rebounds and two assists.
Morgan Kelson, Providence Day: one of six seniors on the Chargers roster, the interior player was a calming presence all game, often helping to break the press or coming to the ball late on in bounds plays. She finished with a team-high 15 points, matching Levitz, and she had seven rebounds and two steals.
Hailey Blackwell, Greensboro Day: an absolute blur with the ball, Blackwell had a game-high 17 points. Just a sophomore, she’ll be a major problem for opponents the next two years.
WORTH MENTIONING
▪ Greensboro Day has five freshmen, five sophomores, five juniors and no seniors. They’ll be among favorites to reach the finals in 2021.
▪ Providence Day has now won 13 of the past 16 state championships.
▪ Providence Day has six seniors — Levitz, Kelson, Nina-Simone Clark, Kailey Smith, Grace Godwin and MiLeia Owns — but some promising young talent, including four freshmen.
THEY SAID IT
“We were definitely the underdogs. It’s crazy because after the first time we lost to them (55-49 Dec. 10, Springer) said, ‘Let’s see them in the state championship. I promise we’re gonna win.’ And that’s exactly what happened. I love my teammates. They’re the best. It means everything.” -- Levitz
Providence Day 21 12 8 7 — 48
Greensboro Day 10 8 9 17 — 44
PROVIDENCE DAY 48 — Jenson 4, Smith 2, Latter 4, Morgan Kelson 15, Andi Levitz 15, Brooks 5, Ferguson 3
GREENSBORO DAY 44 — Blackwell 17, Jones 2, Thomas 6, A’Shauna Robinson 11, Graichan 2, Fullwood 4
CISAA All-Conference Girls First Team: Reigan Richardson Jr. Cannon (Conference Player of the Year); Breya Busby Jr. Charlotte Christian; Laila Hankerson Fr. Charlotte Country Day; Morgan Kelson Sr. Providence Day; Andi Levitz Sr. Providence Day
Girls Second Team: Chandler Brooks Fr. Providence Day; Kennedy Grier Sr. Charlotte Country Day; Trinity Mathis Fr. Cannon; Mary Schleusner So. Latin; Ryan Swilling So. Charlotte Christian
NCISAA Girls 4A All-State Team: Hailey Blackwell, Greensboro Day; Breya Busby, Charlotte Christian; Je’Bria Fullwood, Greensboro Day; Kennedy Grier, Charlotte Country Day; Paula Graichen, Greensboro Day; Laila Hankerson, Charlotte Country Day; Morgan Kelson, Providence Day; Imani Lester, North Raleigh Christian; Andi Levitz, Providence Day; Aileen Marquez, Rabun Gap; Reigan Richardson, Cannon; Aliya Richmond Ravenscroft
This story was originally published February 22, 2020 at 1:11 PM.
