Who are the best basketball teams in the Charlotte-area? Who won the Observer’s Sweet 16?
North Mecklenburg High boys basketball coach Duane Lewis, whose team has been named Charlotte Observer Sweet 16 champions, said he really wants to play in a N.C. 4A state championship game this season. He just doubts it’s going to happen.
The Vikings won 30 of 31 games and qualified to play Lumberton in the finals. The game was scheduled for March 14 and the Vikings, nationally ranked in many polls, would’ve been favored to win their first state championship in 15 years.
It has been 14 years since Lewis led a team to the state finals, and he’s had many teams favored to get there since losing in 2006.
“You always want to play that big game,” Lewis said, “but it’s different in this world.”
Lewis said he knows how hard it is to get this far, and that’s why he said it’s a little tough to talk about this year’s final, which doesn’t look likely to be played due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association postponed the basketball championship games, and all spring sports, until at least May 18, when N.C. public schools are set to resume.
But Lewis knows those dates could change. He knows his team may never get the game it worked so hard to play in.
“At this point,” Lewis said, “with knowing what’s going on out there in the world, I don’t know if we can play. It’s iffy. But the one thing you go off of is we know how hard we worked and we won our last game (in the N.C. 4A Western regional championship against Olympic).”
Today, the Vikings are Sweet 16 boys basketball champions from a field that includes more than 140 teams in 15 counties. North Mecklenburg also won the poll in 2005. The school will receive a large banner sometime after the pandemic ends. Vance’s girls were named Sweet 16 champions Thursday.
Vikings star Tristan Maxwell, named N.C. player of the year by at least two publications, said however the season ultimately ends, it’s one he won’t soon forget.
“Our team,” he said, “fought through a lot of adversity. We had people going out and other people having to step up, and stuff like that. I really think the whole team had a great season.”
But Maxwell said not playing a championship would sting.
“Shoot,” he said. “I mean, it’s going to be really disappointing. I really hope they let us play the game. I really want to finish this season out, and it would be great for some of the younger kids on the team, for them to get their experience and get a ring.”
| Rk. | School (Cl) | Rec. | Prvs. |
| 1. | North Mecklenburg (4A) | 30-1 | 1 |
| 2. | Concord First Assembly (IND)* | 35-3 | 2 |
| 3. | Davidson Day (IND)* | 30-1 | 3 |
| 4. | Cannon School (IND)* | 27-6 | 4 |
| 5. | Freedom (3A) | 29-1 | 5 |
| 6. | Olympic (4A) | 22-7 | 10 |
| 7. | Hunter Huss (3A) | 26-5 | NR |
| 8. | Shelby (2A) | 26-3 | 11 |
| 9. | Forest Hills (2A) | 29-1 | 6 |
| 10. | Independence (4A) | 22-8 | 12 |
| 11. | Charlotte Latin (IND) | 22-8 | NR |
| 12. | Northside Christian (IND) | 24-8 | NR |
| 13. | Charlotte Catholic (3A) | 22-4 | 7 |
| 14. | Cox Mill (3A) | 25-4 | 8 |
| 15. | Carmel Christian (IND) | 22-7 | 9 |
| 16. | Vance (4A) | 22-7 | 14 |
Dropped Out: Ardrey Kell (4A, 22-7); Hickory Ridge (4A, 21-6); Lincoln Charter (1A, 27-3). Also receiving consideration: Hough (4A, 19-10); Harding (4A, 18-9); Weddington (3A, 22-8); Hickory (3A, 22-6); Lake Norman Charter (2A, 22-7); Northside Christian (IND, 24-8)
