The state champs have a message, y’all. Cannon School says ‘Don’t forget about us.’
Cannon School won the N.C. Independent Schools state championship in February and was poised to bring all five starters back. The Cougars would’ve been at least among the favorites to win a championship this season.
But when top-10 national recruit Jalen Bradley, the N.C. high school player of the year, decided to transfer to IMG Academy in Florida, something changed. Cougars coach Che’ Roth feels that when people began to talk about the top teams in North Carolina for the 2020-21 season, they began to leave the Cougars out.
And Roth feels that’s wrong.
“We bring four starters back and we bring back a whole lot of kids who invested a lot in that state championship,” Roth said after Friday’s 89-59 win over Freedom Christian at the Phenom Hoops’ “November Classic” in Rock Hill. “It’s a team thing. It’s a program thing. Taking nothing away from Jaden, he’s a special talent, but we had three guys on the all-state team last year and we played without (7-foot center Christian Reeves) all last year, and we had another starter (6-8 Elijah Ormiston) who was playing his first year or organized basketball.”
Ormiston, who averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds in his first season of organized basketball, is back for Year 2, and Reeves, a Division I recruit, is back from a back injury. Senior wing Jarvis Moss has turned into a bona-fide star. He scored 37 points in a game earlier this week. So make no mistake, Cannon still has a lot of pieces.
On Friday, the Cougars were down to eight players plus football star Tyler Green, who had one practice under his belt, due to nagging injuries. Two starters -- Reeves and Ormiston -- didn’t play. Still Cannon led 39-25 at halftime and ran away for an easy win.
Karon Boyd, a 6-5 transfer from Cox Mill, had 26 points, 16 rebounds and four assists. DJ Nix had 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists. Moss had 18 points, five assists and four rebounds.
And Cannon sent a message to all of North Carolina, playing in a big showcase event:
Don’t forget about us.
“I do like that people kind of (overlook) what our kids are all about,” Roth said. “They’re playing with a chip on their shoulders. But I always believe in our group. The uniform says ‘Cannon,’ and it’s a really, really tight team. It’s a brand new team. The ‘20 team won their championship and we closed the book on that team. This is a brand new team with brand new leadership. Jarvis (Moss) and DJ (Nix) and Deuce Rolle have done an exceptional job leading this team.
“We’ve got a lot of size, a lot of depth and we can shoot it. As long as we continue to work hard, I like our chances.”
Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Karon Boyd, Cannon School: 26 points, 16 rebounds, four assists in a win over Freedom Christian.
DJ Cuttino, HIckory Grove: 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals in a 74-45 win over Greater Cabarrus Athletic Association (GCAA).
Micah Handlogten, SouthLake Christian: 12 blocked shots and nine points in a 60-45 win over Charlotte Latin. SouthLake Christian (3-0) shot 53 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line.
Jordyn Latter, Providence Day girls: career-high 16 points in 67-45 win over Arborbrook Christian.
Blane St. Clair, Davidson Day: senior had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 73-34 win over Forsyth Country Day.
Friday’s Boys Basketball Capsules
BULL CITY PREP 65, NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN 62
BULL CITY 65 -- Leach 3, Treyvon Byrd 13, DonDre Watson 16, Therrien 4, Liron Thomas 23, Harris 6
NORTHSIDE 62 -- Lubamba 6, Wesley Tubbs 16, Glynn Hubbard 14, Mattocks 8, Homanen 5, Hall 4, Tesfa 9
BURLINGTON SCHOOL 67, PROVIDENCE DAY 58
Providence Day 12 17 16 13 58
Burlington School 20 13 19 15 67
PROVIDENCE DAY 58 -- Quave Propst-Allison 24, Wertz 3, Asrat 9, Joe McDonough 10, Gedeon 4, Scott 7, Villegas 1
BURLINGTON SCHOOL 67 -- Jamarii Thomas 18, Mading 7, Escobar 2, Walker 6, Powell 6, Roberts 9, George 8, Shane Peterson 11
Records: PDS: (0-2) TBS (3-0)
PDS Notable: Quave Propst Allison added 8 rebounds along with 24 points. Bryce Scott had 9 rebounds and 7 assists along with his 7 points.
CANNON 89, FREEDOM CHRISTIAN 59
CANNON 89 -- Swartz 5, Rolle 8, Jaylen Claggett 10, Jarvis Moss 18, DJ Nix 22, Karon Boyd 26
FREEDOM CHRISTIAN 59 -- Sharpe 8, Zy McLean 10, Deng Atak 12, Jacob Dar 10, Wilds 5, Jalen Higgins 14
CONCORD ACADEMY 76, BULL CITY PREP DURHAM 75
Concord Academy 17 25 22 12 -- 76
Bull City prep 12 26 17 20 -- 75
CONCORD ACADEMY 76 -- Trae Benham 15, Javian Cannady 13, KJ Perry 11, Tucker Johnson 3, Tyler Fearne 15, Logan Threatt 9, Sergej Cvetkvic 6, Nikola Mircic 4,
BULL CITY PREP 75 -- Thomas 9, Omar 21, Smith 14, Leach 6, Okpukpara 8, Leach 16
Notable: Tyler Fearne 15 pts, 11 rbs, Trae Benham 15 pts 9 rbs, Logan Threatt 9 pts, 9 rbs, 6 ast,
CA Record 2-1, Next game Trinity Christian Nov 21 at Phenom Nov Classic.
DAVIDSON DAY 73, FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY 34
DDS - 26 15 14 18= 73
FCD- 11 9 8 6= 34
DDS: Prunty 6, Clancy 6, Atwell 16, Horton 8, Perry 2, Howard 2, St. Clair 23, Ladd 2, Eley 3, Watson 7
FCD: Mitchell 6, William 3, Morgan 6, Crawford 2, Budd 2, Geremski 3, Baker 8, Young 2, Brim 2
Records: Davidson Day Patriots: 1-2; Forsyth Country Day Furies: 0-1
Game Stats: Senior Blane St. Clair led the Patriots with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Junior Donovan Atwell added 16 points, while Sophomore Trey Horton chipped in with 8 points and 10 rebounds
Notes: Davidson Day’s next game will be December 1st at Calvary Day in Winston-Salem.
GASTON DAY 63, WESTCHESTER COUNTRY DAY 35
Gaston Day 18 13 21 11 -- 63
Westchester Country Day 11 9 9 6 -- 35
GASTON DAY 63 -- Callum Richard 21, Colin Fayed 17, Dean Hunter 12, Zach Clark 4, Four Heilig 3, Jackson Crump 2, Chase Owens 2, Kurt Hunter 2
WESTCHESTER COUNTRY DAY 35 -- Matthews 13, Powell 9, Johnson 5, Patterson 5, Bayne 3
Gaston Day Record: 4-0; Next Game: Monday, 11/23 @ University Christian 7 PM
HICKORY GROVE 74, GREATER CABARRUS 45
Hickory Grove 21 15 26 12 -- 74
GCAA 12 8 10 15- 45
HICKORY GROVE 74 -- Chas Stinson 23, DJ Cuttino 15, Jordon Nelson 12, Adams 6, Stinson 9, Wilson 4, Parker 3, Jackson 2
GCAA 45 -- Marshall Baker 12, Madeira 10, Barrett 6, Pracht 2, Cole 3, Griffin 5, Nowak 5, Santigo 2
LEGION 66, WINSTON-SALEM CHRISTIAN REGIONAL 61
LEGION 66 -- Nelson 5, Turner 7, McDuffie 4, Hawkins 6, Kramer 2, Marcus Kell 25, Shane Blakeney 10, Crayton 7
WINSTON-SALEM 61 -- Arrington Jones 18, Martin 3, Watson 4, Lewis Walker 20, Spillman-Martin 2, Aaron Potter 12
LIBERTY HEIGHTS 57, MORAVIAN PREP 55, OT
MORAVIAN PREP 55 -- Williams 7, Shell 5, BJ Freeman 11, Jackson Holt 13, Anthony Sellars 11, Richardson 3, Bellamy 5
LIBERTY HEIGHTS 50 -- Elijah Jamison 10, Edwards 7, Jonas Aidoo 14, Ohonme 3, Farah 8, Brown 3, Bryan 4, Baker 6, Johnson 2
Friday’s Wake County area capsules
RAVENSCROFT 67, MOUNT ZION 34
Ravenscroft 21 16 16 14 - 67
Mount Zion 3 13 11 7 - 34
Ravenscroft 67 - Comeh Emuobor 15, Tre Corrigan 10, Alex Olander 10, Thomas Brown 8, Jeremiah Williams 8, Harrison Poole 7, Cole Gilbert 4, George Baker 2, Owen McGinnis 2, Anthony Melvin 1
Mount Zion 34 - S. Nieto 19, S. Jimenez 5, K. McDonald 4, S. Butler 4, J. Brandon 2, A. Klallai 1
Friday’s Girls Basketballl Capsules
DAVIDSON DAY 59, CHARLOTTE LATIN 45
Davidson Day 18 7 23 11--59
Latin 15 14 6 10--45
DAVIDSON DAY 59 -- Mallorie Haines 18, Jessie Wiles 14, Ashley Fowler 13, Juliana Park 11, Schuyler Moore 3
FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY 45 -- Holmes 21, Kilborn 9, Cavanaugh 6, Kusnic 5, Currie 4
Davidson Day notable: Mallorie Haines scored 18 points along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals to help pace the Patriots on Friday at home. Jessie Wiles added 14 points and 3 rebounds. Ashley Fowler contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, while Juliana Park had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
GASTON DAY SCHOOL 61, WESTCHESTER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 31
Gaston Day: 11- 21- 12- 17-61
Westchester Country: Day 9- 9-9-4- 31
GASTON DAY SCHOOL: Z. Clark 21, Mckynzie Mauney 16, Janiah Shular 10, Katherine Heilig 8, Trisha Andres 2, Gabriella Drury 2, Laura Mullins 2
WESTCHESTER COUNTRY DAY: Dory Keever 15, Safa Tonuzi 6, Anna Beth Merritt 4, Lulu Culler 3, Lucy Larkin Heard 2, Covington Houser
Notable: UNC Pembroke commit Zaria Clark scored 21 points. Mckynzie Mauney 16 and Janiah Shular a returning Sophomore 10 points. We had (3) players with double figures.
PROVIDENCE DAY 67, ARBORBROOK 45
PDS: 19-20-21-7—67
Arborbrook: 10-16-9-9—45
PDS: Jordyn Latter 16 Lili Brooker 11 El Ferguson 11 Sanchez 8 Levine 9 Brooks 8 Jensen 2 Roper 2
Arborbrook: Abriel Thrash 19 Cepeda 7 Owen 5 Phibbs 6 T.Thrash 2 Collins 2 Remiller 4
PDS Record/Notable: 2-0; Sophomore Jordyn Latter career high 16 pts
Wake County Boys Boxscores
LATE TUESDAY
PIEDMONT CLASSICAL 81, MOUNT ZION 40
Mzca. 15 9 10 6 -- 40
Pchs 26 29 11 13 -- 81
MZCA 40 -- S. Nieto 11, S. Jimenz 9
PIEDMONT 81 -- L. Mcniel 20, B. Randleman 12
Wake County Girls Boxscores
LATE TUESDAY
MOUNT ZION 58, PIEDMONT CLASSICAL 12
Mzca 21 20 9 8 - 58
Pchs. 3 3 0 6 -- 12
Mzca: Rayan Hazel 20, Benita Kola 12, S. Brown 12
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 6:07 PM.
