High School Sports

Saturday’s Rewind: Lake Norman Christian gets giant win over Ypsi Prep, Emoni Bates

Lake Norman Christian made the most of its moment on the big stage Saturday afternoon, finishing on a 9-0 run and handing nationally-ranked Ypsi Prep a 68-64 boys’ basketball setback.

In a game of ebbs and flows, the Ospreys got hot when it counted most, shutting down the Michigan-based team for the final 96 seconds.

“It was a special opportunity, a special stage, and our players took advantage of that,” Lake Norman Christian coach Pat McCarthy said.

The game drew national attention, as it featured last year’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Ypsi Prep junior Emoni Bates; heavily-recruited Lake Norman Christian sophomore Mikey Williams; and about 10 other Division 1 recruits on both teams.

Neither of the big-name players disappointed. Bates, returning to play after missing two games with an injury, scored a game-high 22 points. Williams led Lake Norman Christian with 21.

Playing at Davis Field House on the campus of Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., with Fox Sports carrying the game live, the Ospreys (16-5) played solid basketball after a shaky start.

They committed 10 turnovers in the first 12 minutes of play and trailed 24-15 with 4:24 in the half.

“That when we calmed ourselves down,” McCarthy said. “We started to control our controllables.”

The Ospreys committed just one turnover for the rest of the half and outscored the nationally 12th-ranked Ball Boys (6-3) 16-4 for the remainder of the second quarter.

The third quarter went back and forth, with four lead changes, and Ypsi Prep pulled away to a 63-55 lead on a layup by Baylor commit Javaughn Hannah layup. That followed a Lake Norman Christian turnover with 3:07 to play.

McCarthy called a time out, told his team to concentrate on what it does best, and the Ospreys outscored the Ball Boys 13-1 the rest of the way.

They took the lead, 65-64, on a Trey Green 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, padded the lead to 67-64 on two Green free throws with 25 seconds remaining, and clinched it when Williams hit the front half of a one-and-one with nine seconds remaining.

Bates, hounded by Williams and the rest of the Osprey defense, missed two 3-point attempts in the closing 30 seconds.

“We talked about the importance of guarding, of making it tough for them to get shots,” McCarthy said.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Mikey Williams, Lake Norman Christian: Williams finished with 21 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as his team rallied.

Emoni Bates, Ypsi Prep: Bates didn’t shoot well in the second half, hounded by the Lake Norman Christian defense. But he finished with 22 points. He scored eight points in a four-minute stretch of the first quarter, showing how he can take over a game.

Trey Green, Lake Norman Christian: Green scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including five points in the Ospreys’ closing run.

WORTH MENTIONING

Bates, a Michigan State commit, entered the game for the first time with 4:01 left in the first quarter. He scored eight points in the next 80 seconds, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and another field goal.

Lake Norman Christian piled up a 40-27 margin in rebounds, with 7-foot center Jonathan Kurtas (10 rebounds), 6-8 forward Adam Allenspach (nine) and 6-7 forward Joyful Hawkins (seven) leading the way. “We considered that a key to the game,” McCarthy said. “On video, it looked like they (Ypsi Prep) sometimes didn’t crash to the basket for the rebounds, so we made it a point to do so.”

Lake Norman Christian’s defense held Ypsi Prep to 37.1 percent field goal shooting (23-of-62). The Ospreys shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54).

One big play in the game came at the end of the third quarter. Ypsi Prep’s Jamal Sumlin, with his team up 48-46, fouled Trey Green while he was making an off-balance 3-point shot from just inside halfcourt. Green made all three free throws, giving his team the lead entering the fourth quarter.

Williams told Fox Sports after the game that he enjoyed playing against Bates, calling him “a great player.” McCarthy said, “I think Mikey really wanted to prove himself, going up against a guy like that.” Williams, 6-3, guarded the 6-9 Bates much of the game.

Ypsi Prep is a first-year school, based in Ypsilanti, Mich., One of its founders was Elgin Bates, Emoni’s father.

Game organizers said they would follow COVID-19 protocols and limit attendance to 1,200 in the 3,000-seat capacity arena. But it looked like the crowd was considerably larger. It was a big difference for Lake Norman Christian, which has played most of its games this season in near-empty gyms in North Carolina, which is enforcing strict attendance controls.

WHAT’S NEXT

Ypsi Prep’s schedule doesn’t show another game until Feb. 20, on the road against the Virginia-based Blue Majic. Lake Norman Christian plays Monday at Gospel Light Christian in Winston-Salem.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

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Ypsi Prep 13 15 20 16 -- 64

Lake Norman Christian 11 20 18 19 -- 68

YPSI PREP: Phillips 1; Dillon Hunter 11; Sumlin 7; Emoni Bates 22; Javaughn Hannah 18; Joplin 2; Barnes 3; Cooper 0; Carson 0; Kemp 0.

LAKE NORMAN CHRISTIAN: Mikey Williams 21; Kurtas 6; Hawkins 5; Adam Allenspach 11; Trey Green 15; Fernald 3; R. Allenspach 4; Bullock 3; Robinson 0.

Saturday’s #BIG5 Top Performers

Cade Nicholson, Charlotte Christian: 6-3 sophomore made seven 3-pointers in a 93-53 win over Christ School. He finished with 29 points and four assists.

Trey Ramsey, South Caldwell: made 7-of-8 shots in a 47-31 win over Alexander Central and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and a block.

Maddie Shannon, Charlotte Latin girls: game-high 20 points in a 42-41 win over Charlotte Christian plus the game-winning bucket with 4.1 seconds left.

Mary Holland Waters, Charlotte Country Day girls: game-high 15 points in a 50-41 win over Providence Day. Earlier this week, Country Day beat the Chargers for the first time in at least 30 years. Saturday, they did it again.

Mikey Williams, Lake Norman Christian: team-high 21 points to lift the Ospreys to a come-from-behind 68-64 win over Ypsi Prep and Michigan State recruit Emoni Bates, arguably the nation’s best high school basketball player.

Saturday’s Boxscores

CENTRAL CABARRUS 61, CONCORD 46

Central Cabarrus 61 -- Tre Bost 13, Jaiden Thompson 11, Chase Daniels 10

Concord 46 -- Johnakin Franklin 8, Magnus Swinger 8, Brayden Blue 8

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 93, CHRIST SCHOOL 53

Charlotte Christian 22 26 28 17 -- 93

Christ School 13 15 10 15 -- 53

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 93 -- Bryce Cash 12, Cade Nicholson 29, David Lash 17, TJ Hardy 12, Ben King 6, Patterson 14, Detenber 3

CHRIST SCHOOL 53 -- Redmond 12, Handy 18, Fitzgerald 14, Compton 3, Myers 6

Records: Charlotte Christian 9-7; Christ School 3-10

Notable: Cade Nicholson exploded for 29 points on 7 made 3 pointers and dished out 4 assists as the Knights rolled to victory over Christ School. The Knights dominated by getting out in transition and turning up the tempo of the game. TJ Hardy was the catalyst of the fastbreak for the Knights, as he finished with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists. David Lash (17 points, 9 rebounds), Peyton Patterson (career-high 14 points), and Bryce Cash (12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) all finished in double figures for the Knights.

CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY GIRLS 50, PROVIDENCE DAY 41

Country Day 12 9 16 13 –50

Providence Day 9 19 6 7 –41

Country Day (50) Mary Holland Waters 15, Hudson Rixham 13, Ingram 8, Batten 6, Rucker 6, O’Neil 2

Providence Day (41) Jordyn latter 10, El Ferguson 10, Sanchez 8, Jensen 6, Levine 3, Booker 2, Greer 2

Records: PD 16-6 (3-5) CD 8-3 (6-1)

CHARLOTTE LATIN 62, ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN 48

AS 11 10 13 14--48

CL 12 22 15 13--62

AS--Michael Mora 12, Leon Hahar 11, Aquino-Gumbs 9, Watkins 8, Kreile 4, Holdbrook 3, Saran 1

CL--Graham Calton 19, Daniel Haughton 17, Montgomery 9, Hull 6, Hirsch 5, Hendley 4, Jones 2

Game Notes: Graham Calton (19 pts./6 reb.) and Daniel Haughton (17 pts.) led the Hawks in a non conference game at home Saturday afternoon.Asheville School was led by Michael Mora (12 pts.) and Leon Nahar (11 pts.) The Hawks return to action Tuesday when they host Cannon at 7:00pm.

Records: Charlotte Latin 13-3, Asheville School 9-8

CHARLOTTE LATIN GIRLS 42, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 41

Charlotte Latin 9 7 18 8 -- 42

Charlotte Christian 6 11 7 17 -- 41

Christian: Suarez 14, Olmed 10, Coles 9, Noonan 6, Busby 2

Latin: Maddie Shannon 20 (game winning basket with 4.1 seconds left), Neely Grace Tye 12, Mary Schleusner 7, Neely Hume 2, Catherine Felkner 1

Charlotte Latin 7-9 (3-4)

MCDOWELL 71, FREEDOM 68

McDowell: 13 17 16 25 = 71

Freedom: 19 18 8 23 = 68

McDowell: Queen 6, Moore 1, Josh Smith 10, Jandon Robbins 11, Mason McPeters 14, Trent Lewis 29

Freedom: Ledford 9, Daylin Pritchard 25, Harris 7, Costello 2, Z. Pritchard 9, Saiveon Pitman 10, Rice 5, Hall 1

Freedom 2-4 (2-3) plays next Monday, Feb 8th @ Hickory

SOUTH CALDWELL 47, ALEXANDER CENTRAL 31

Alexander Central 4 4 7 16 -- 31

South Caldwell 8 17. 6 16 -- 47

ALEXANDER CENTRAL 31 -- Herman 4, Grove Lowrane 11, Hubbard 2, Cook 3, Presnell 9, Sigmon 2

SOUTH CALDWELL 47 -- Kaleb Reese 14, Trey Ramsey 17, Smith 4, Kirby 3, Carr 1, Icenhour 6, Conner 2

SUN VALLEY 68, PIEDMONT 39

Sun Valley 23 14 14 17= 68

Piedmont 13 7 10 9= 39

Sun Valley: Brown 5, Tyree White 21, Valentine 9, Harvey 9, Cabble 4, Kaelan Marsh 11, Westbrooks 9

Piedmont: Cunningham 9, O’Neal 1, Collins 11, Price 7, Sawyer 2, Mackey 2, Hinson 7

SUN VALLEY GIRLS 41, PIEDMONT 34

Piedmont 6 15 8 6 – 34

Sun Valley 15 7 11 8 -- 41

Piedmont 34 – Shyann 5, Brooke 8, Riley 2, Kristin 112, Adison 7

Sun Valley 41 – J. Davis 3, K. Turriff 13, L. Avant 14, J. Carter 6, T. Robinson 3, M. Valenti 2

Notes: Lindsey Avant 14 points, 6 reb, 3 stl; Kingsley Turriff 13 points, 8 reb, 2 stl; Jalynn Carter 6 points, 9 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl; Tyra Robinson 3 points, 4 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl (Sun Valley moves to 2-7)

LATE FRIDAY

UNITED FAITH 59, MT ZION 48

United Faith: 8 18 20 13 = 59

Mt. Zion Christian: 11 15 9 13 = 48

United Faith 59: Charlie Hester 20, Lance Gill 13, Quinton Scheuermann 10, LJ Johnson 6, Jaden Quick 5, Xzavier Ivey 4, Zavien Dillingham 1

Mt. Zion Christian 48: S. Sims 11, S. Nieto 11, S. Jimpnez 9, S. Butler 8, J. Brandon 6, A. Killoli 3

United Faith: Overall: 15-3 | SPAA Conference 3-1

Friday’s Rewind: MJ Collins, Westminster Catawba on hot streak

Friday night, Westminster Catawba School, No. 3 in the Sweet 16, did something it has never done:

It won its first conference championship.

Westminster finished the regular-season with a 68-56 win over Metrolina Christian. And it ended Metrolina’s seven-game win streak, an impressive run that had included four wins against Sweet 16 teams.

It also left Westminster at 12-1 overall, 5-1 in the Metrolina Athletic Conference, tied with Concord Academy. Westminster and Concord Academy didn’t play this season -- both games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols -- but Westminster beat third place Metrolina twice, and Metrolina beat Concord Academy 61-47 last week.

The league coaches will have a conference call Saturday to determine the No. 1 seed for next week’s conference tournament, and it probably should be Westminster, but whether it’s No. 1 or No. 2, these are some history-making times at the Rock Hill school.

In coach Ed Addie’s first year at the school, Westminster Catawba had its first 20-win season and its first winning season going back as far as anyone could remember.

This year, 6-4 junior MJ Collins has started to become a star. Friday night, Collins had 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

He’s still probably the best player you haven’t heard of. Bouncy and athletic, Collins averages 21 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. Better, he’s doing something rarely seen at the high school, college or professional levels:

He’s shooting better than 50 percent from the field, better than 40 percent from 3-point range and better than 90 percent from the free throw line.

Officially, it’s 61 percent from two-point range, 46 percent from 3 and 91 percent at the line.

“He’s very under-the-radar,” Addie said. “A lot of (coaches) are calling about him and everybody that calls wants to see him in person. But he’s been so big for us. We lost one game all year, to Northside Christian. We beat (Sweet 16 No. 2 Cannon School). I think we’re trending in the right direction, and if there’s a player of the year in this conference, I truly believe it should be MJ Collins.”

Addie said Presbyterian has offered Collins, and schools like Virginia Tech, Charlotte and Appalachian State are showing heavy interest.

Addie said a deep playoff run would only enhance his burgeoning reputation.

“Like I said, on any given night, MJ Collins is the best player in our conference,” Addie said. “Is my opinion biased? Probably. I see him every day. But no one has had an answer for him. He’s without a doubt our most valuable player, and without him we would not be tied for first place in this conference.”

Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers

Maggie Andrews, Maiden girls: 33 points in a 59-44 win over Lake Norman Charter.

Zaria Clark, Gaston Day girls: career-high 35 points in a 46-45 win over Comenius. In the game, she scored her 2,000th career point.

Callahan Reed, Lake Norman Charter: 6-1 senior point guard had 18 points, 10 assists, five steals and three rebounds in a 76-60 win over Maiden. In his past five games, Reed is averaging 18.2 points, 7.8 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Teammate Oliver O’Brien had a career-high 25 points, the second time in the past few days he’s set a new career high.

Reigan Richardson, Cannon School girls: 31 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists in a 66-23 win over Covenant Day.

Saniya Wilson, Kings Mountain girls: Scored her 1,000th career point in a 66-47 win over Hunter Huss. She had 26 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals Friday.

Friday’s Boys Boxscores

NO. 2 CANNON SCHOOL 74, COVENANT DAY 67

Cannon-15-14-20-25 -- 74

Covenant 9-24-16-18 -- 67

CANNON SCHOOL 74 -- Jarvis Moss- 19, DJ Nix- 18, Deuce Rolle-14, Christian Reeves- 14, Elijah Ormiston-4, Austin Swartz-3, Karon Boyd-2

COVENANT DAY 67 -- Aden Holloway-23, Marcus Brown-20, Daniel Nelson- 8, Michael Marcus- 8, John Ward- 4, Britt Anderson- 2, Ifeanyi Ufochukwu- 2

NO. 3 WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 68, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 56

Westminster: 17 - 21 - 10 - 20 - 68

Northside: 7 - 13- 16 - 20 - 56

Westminster: M.J. Collins, 17, Richard Black III 21, A.Hoyle 5, L. Heckaman 6, A.J. Hamrick 15, R.Petiote 4

Metrolina: Harold 18, Johnson 11, Deluca 10, Harrist 8, Clark 4, Maul 4, Wilson Jr. 3

Westminster Notable: Westminster 5-1 in the MAC Conference and 12-1 overall. Currently #3 in the Charlotte Observer Sweet 16. Next game will be TBD in the MAC Conference Tournament Tuesday, FEB 9.

Metrolina Notable: Senior Night: Sr. Blake Harold 18pts (6 threes), 3stls; Sr. Camden Johnson 11pts, 10rbs, 3asts, 2stls; Fr. Dylan Deluca 10pts, 4rbs, 3blks

SOUTHLAKE CHRISTIAN 69, NO. 12 CONCORD ACADEMY 65

SouthLake 16 13 18 22 69

Concord 11 8 20 26 65

SOUTHLAKE 69 -- JR Proctor 16, Mu Moore 12, Micah Handlogten 14, Christian Monroe 19, Duguid 6, Watson 2

CONCORD ACADEMY 65 -- Cannady 9, Johnson 2, Benham 27, Feane 10, Threatt 13, Miric 4

Notable: SouthLake had 5 players in double figures and shot 53% for the game.

NO. 16 LINCOLN CHARTER 89, HIGHLAND TECH 36

Lincoln Charter 89 Highland Tech 36

Lincoln Charter 24 26 27 15 -- 89

Highland Tech 15 10 8 4 -- 36

LINCOLN CHARTER 89 -- Sam Cogan 17, Troy Fulton 14, Marcus Farley 10, Carter Seitz 10, Andrew Baich 10. Avery Bordon 10, Flowers 5, Patel 3, Bruce 3, Crichton 1, Cooke.

HIGHLAND TECH 36 -- Foster 10, Moore 8, Whittled 7, Jenkins 2, Patten 4, Hairsten 2

Records/Notable: Lincoln Charter 10-0 Overall 9-0 Conference. Lincoln Charter had 6 players in double figures

ALEXANDER CENTRAL 65, ST. STEPHENS 34

St. Stephens 9 10 5 10 -- 34

Alexander 18 15 21 11 -- 65

ST STEPHENS 34 - Reid 4, Barkley 6, JI Ikward 12, Anderson 5, McPherson 2, Woy 3, Wall 2

ALEXANDER CENTRAL 65 -- Herman 4, Lowrance 6, Hubbard 3, Avery Cook 13, Evan Presnell 18, Abernathy 5, G. Presnell 3, Payne 2, Sigmon 7, Stubbs 2, Beck 2

CHRIST THE KING 64, THOMAS JEFFERSON 57

TJC 16 10 14 17 57

CTK 19 15 12 18 64

CTK-Lebeau 13, Hendershott 16, Steed 15, Stanley 12, Filiault 8

TJCA- Camper 15, Hicks 21, Prescott 5, King 8, Watkins Jr 8

Notable: Andrew Hendershott led Christ the King with 16 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Dylan Steed added 15 points and 5 rebounds. Steven LeBeau added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Andre Stanley added 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and 5 blocks

FREEDOM 66, WATAUGA 64

Watauga: 10 14 08 32 = 64

Freedom: 18 19 10 19 = 66

Freedom: Daylin Pritchard 17, Philly Harris 11, Ledford 3, Drew Costello 10, Zaydin Pritchard 15, Pitman 6, Rice 4

Watauga: Ben Hale 11, Bennett Ricker 17, Everatte 4, Leon 6, Jonah Martin 14, Collins 2, Morrison 2, Ward 6, Shirley 2.

Freedom 2-3 (2-2) play next v. McDowell on Saturday (2/6) 1pm

NORTH LINCOLN 57, EAST LINCOLN 48

North Lincoln 7 21 17 12 57

East Lincoln 14 5 14 15 48

North Lincoln- Cole Seagle 24, Jack Carter 13, Samari Collins 4, Dan Carter 4, Jack Waggoner 4, Connor Carson 3, Seth Whitley 2, Jake Dedmon 2, Jake Terrill 1

East Lincoln- L. Craig 12, J. Jones 12, D. Bean 12, M. Clark 4, A. Gust 3, T. Mizzell 3

Notable: Jack Carter scored his 1,000th career point

PINE LAKE PREP 66, QUEENS GRANT 43

Pine Lake 17 19 7 23 66

Queens Grant 1 19 6 17 43

PLP - Cole Callaway 13 Trace Forest 12 Jack Baldwin 11 Patrick Schwaba 11 Harper 7 Foley 6 Timmerman 3 Tekampe 2 McLeod 1

QG - Jeremiah Wooten 10 Joel Taylor 10 Watkins 9 L. Covington 7 Smith 6 J. Covington 1

Pine Lake 8-1. 1st in the PAC-7

PORTER RIDGE 63, MOORESVILLE 51

Porter Ridge 17- 15 -9- 16 -- 63

Mooresville 15-6-16-11 -- 51

PORTER RIDGE 63 -- Greg Wenger-22 Kyler Harris- 12 Sean Rose -11 CJ Anthony-8 Aaron Hough-8

MOORESVILE 51 -- K Shaw- 21 A.Ezhilan-4 C.Herring -9 P.Broadway-6 L.Kennedy 1J.wise-smith -3 K.Howell- 4 J.Howell-1

FORT MILL 68, NATION FORD 39

Nation Ford: 5, 9, 15, 10 -- 39

Fort Mill: 18, 17, 18, 15 -- 68

Nation Ford 43 -- Chris Roberts 6, Vinny Orlandi 9, Ben Mills 1, Jackson Burnham 11, Q Hand 10, Albert Nguyen 2

Fort Mill 68 -- Jackson Fewster 5, Kyle Neibch 3, Zach Jennings 7, Reed Fanta 19, Daniel Penosky 12, Wade Blythe 2, Gabe Topper 2, Carson Timberlake 4, Vincent Carnevale 3, Miller Shouse 4, Brandon Wingo 7

Overall Record: Nation Ford 1--11. 5A Region III: 0--4

Friday’s Girls Boxscores

NO. 2 NEWTON-CONOVER 64, WEST LINCOLN 46

Newton-Conover 6 23 16 19 = 64

West Lincoln 15 5 13 11 = 46

NEWTON-CONOVER 64 -- Emma Fox 18, Cassidy Geddes 15, Grace Loftin 15, Mia Powell 6, Jayla Woods 6, Hannah Watkins 4,

WEST LINCOLN 46 -- Chloe Norman 16, Farrah Richardson 14, Caroline Robinson 8, Morgan Chapman 6, Brook Beddingfield 2, Zoey Owensby, Anna Biebenich

Records: Newton-Conover 10 - 0; West Lincoln 4 - 6

NO. 12 CANNON SCHOOL 66, COVENANT DAY SCHOOL 23

Cannon School 14 18 14 19- 66

Covenant Day School 10 2 6 6 - 23

Cannon School 60- Reigan Richardson 31, York 6, Wood 6, Hicks 6, Galloway 6, Cherry 6, Dickerson 3, Thompson 2

Covenant Day School 23- Houseton 8, Hailey 6, Giftos 3, Easter 2, Holloway 2, Koulovatos 2

Records: Cannon School 13-5 (7-0 CISAA); Covenant Day School 5-9 (1-6)

Notes: Reigan Richardson 31 points, 10 Rebounds, 10ast

ALEXANDER CENTRAL 67, ST. STEPHENS 32

St. Stephens 5 9 7 11 -- 32

Alexander 26 14 20 7 -- 67

ALEXANDER CENTRAL 67 -- Gracie Harrington 22, Nikki Hagy 13, Reid Pennell 3, Stikeleather 7, Hayes 3, McDaniel 4, Taraban 3, Reid 2, Jarrett 5, Herman 5

ST STEPHENS 32 -- Reid 4, Moulton 2, Pilkenton 8, Turner 4, McGlamery 9, Spatz 5

ARBORBROOK CHRISTIAN 75, UNITED FAITH 56

United Faith 21, 13, 11, 9 -- 56

Aborbrook 16,18, 20, 21 -- 75

UNITED FAITH - - Josie Hester 47, Madelyn Bronson 5, Sophie Sharp 4,

ARBORBROOK -- A. Thrash 18, P Collins 15, R. Sutte 14, T. Thrash 11, E. Rimiller 8, A Phibbs 7, M Owen 2

Notables: Game tied at half. Josie Hester scores 47 points and pulling down rebounds and played at point majority of the game

BANDYS 61, LINCOLNTON 30

BHS - 21 12 19 9 = 61

LHS - 12 5 9 4 = 30

BHS: Logan Dutka 25, Cailyn Huggins 11, Macy Rummage 7, Caroline McIntosh 7, Hope Clements 6, Kate Dutka 2, Liz Carpenter 2, Olivia Little 1

LHS: A. Hough 10, M. Sand-Odom 9, E. Rhyne 7, M. Ross 4

Records: BHS Lady Trojans: Conf. 6 - 4.

CENTRAL ACADEMY 48, ANSON SR. 31

ANSON 7 5 11 8 -- 31

CATA 11 10 15 12 -- 48

Anson Jyanna 13, Dyimond 6, Malyasia 4, Zykeriah 3, Mallory 3,

CATA Zoie Jordan 29, Gamble 5, Studer 5, Smith 5, Kempf 4, Butler 1

Records: Anson 1-7 1-7; CATA 4-5 2-5

DAVIDSON DAY 70, STATESVILLE CHRISTIAN 26

Davidson Day 17 21 20 12 -- 70

Statesville Christian 4 8 9 5 -- 26

Davidson Day -- Mallorie Haines 28, Ashley Fowler 14, Jessie Wiles 14, Juliana Park 9, Callie Pestana 3, Hannah Higbea 2

Statesville Christian -- G. Cole 7, B. Bentley 7, A. Sherrill 6, J. Statts 4, J. Vaughn 2

Davidson Day notable: Mallorie Haines led with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Ashley Fowler and Jessie Wiles both chipped in 14 points. Ashley grabbed 4 rebounds and 3 steals, while Jessie added 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Juliana Park scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

EAST LINCOLN 51, NORTH LINCOLN 27

NLHS: 4 6 10 7- 27

ELHS: 12 14 13 11- 51

NLHS: Ashlyn White 18, H. Klein 4, A. Read 2, A. Cada 2, L. Stump 1

ELHS; Ginny Overbay 15, Taliyah Thomas 13, R. Ross 8, M. Self 6, M. Delgado 4, B. Eatmon 3, A. Hege 2

Noteables: Ginny Overbay 15 points 11 rebs, 6 steals, 2 asst. Taliyah Thomas 13 points, 2 rebs, 2 steals, 2 assists

GASTON DAY 46, COMENIUS 45

Gaston Day 8-9- 13-16-46

Comenuis 6- 17-11- 11-45

Gaston Day - Zaria Clark 35, Janiah Shular 7, McKynzie Mauney 4

Comenuis - J. McClure 13, B Swann 10, B. Sanders 9, L. Toscano 5, Z. Pimentel 4, S. Lucas 2, K. Pettus 2

Notable: Zaria Clark career high 35 points and reach 2000 points. Riley Chambers and Laura Mullins both drew charges. While McKynzie Mauney had 9 rebounds. Gaston Day Record 9-6. Starts MAC Tournament on Tuesday, February 9, 2020

KINGS MOUNTAIN 66, HUNTER HUSS 47

KM 21. 12. 24. 9. --66

HH 7. 11. 9. 20. -- 47

KINGS MOUNTAIN 66 -- Saniya Wilson 26 pts, 6 reb, 8 assists, 4 steals; Khalia King, 17 pts, (4 3s); Aaliyah Byers, 11 pts, 7 reb, 4 blocks; Kennedy Barnes, 7 pts, 4 reb; Andrea Melton, 3 pts, 2 steals; Brooke Ferree, 2 pts 2 reb, 2 steals

HUNTER HUSS 47 -- Jamya Daniels 16 pts, Caitlyn Pettis 8 pts, Trinity Swann 5 pts, Lanadia Adams 3 pts, James Love 2 pts, Kenedi Armstrong 2 pts

Notable: Saniya Wilson reached her 1000 career point at KMHS as a junior. (Photo attached). She had reached 1000 career points last year, 283 were scored as an 8th grader playing varsity at Gaston Day. KM improves to 8-1 (7-1 Big South 3A). Will play at Forestview on Monday and at Ashbrook on Tuesday.

LINCOLN CHARTER 49, HIGHLAND TECH 29

LCHS 06 20 13 10 -- 49

CVHS 06 07 09 07 -- 29

LCHS 49 -- Lauren Horton 18, Maddie Wootton 12, Tyler Beller 8, Haleigh Henson 6, Vanessa Cespedes 2, Makayla Futrell 2, Olexa King 1

HTHS 29 -- A. McCraw 17, W. Whitesides 5, A. Seltun 3, C. Michaels 2, R. Thomas 2

Notable: Lauren Horton continues her streak, this season, of 9 straight games with double digit scoring. Freshman Olexa King got her first HS basket. LCHS goes 6-0 in the past two weeks placing them in 1st place of the Southern Piedmont 1A Conference.

MAIDEN 59, LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 44

LNC 6 19 10 9 -- 44

MHS 17 13 18 11 -- 59

LNC 44 – Kailyn Kilpatrick 12, Alese Kerr 11, Brooklin Leak 9, Julia Zelando 6, Jade Taylor 4, Caroline Donaldson 2

MHS 59 – Maggie Andrews 33, Lanie Hentshel 9, Marley Mingus 7, Kennedy Noble 6, Morgan Bohemier 4

ROCK HILL 44, NORTHWESTERN 31

RHHS 09; 13; 12; 10 = 44

NWHS 08; 08; 06; 09 = 31

ROCK HILL 44 -- Laila Hankerson 18, Makayla Street 6, Katie Reed 5, Alyssa Hankerson 3, Gracie Wilson 3, Ashlee Creque 3, Madison Burgess 3, Airez Fobbs 2, De’Ashaj Crawford 1

NORTHWESTERN 31 -- McKenzie Evans 7, Alayah Ervin 7, Darby Grigg 6, Jada Murphy 4, Elena Mahony 2, Lainey Chitwood 2, Megan Hamilton 2, Dekayla Star 1

LATE THURSDAY

DAVIDSON DAY 82, DURHAM MOUNT ZION 43

Davidson Day 21 17 23 21 -- 82

Mount Zion 6 11 10 16 -- 43

Davidson Day -- Mallorie Haines 36, Ashley Fowler 16, Juliana Park 15, Jessie Wiles 13, Hannah Higbea 2

Mount Zion -- L. Monsalve 21, S. Barnhart 8, S. Brown 7, R. Hazell 5, J. Riggibee 2

Davidson Day notable: Mallorie Haines led with 36 points and 6 rebounds while Jessie Wiles logged a double-double with 13 points, 11 assists, and also 7 rebounds. Ashley Fowler added 16 points and 9 rebounds. Juliana Park contributed 15 points and 7 rebounds.

South Mecklenburg announces Hall of Fame

South Mecklenburg officially announced the opening of a Hall of Fame on campus. Nominations are now being accepted for the inaugural class.

Nominees must have graduated from the school at least 10 years prior to nomination or be a non-graduate who made “distinguished contributions” to the school or its community. Nominations can come from current or former staff and students, community members and the board of selectors.

And if you ask us, the first class should include at least some of these former stars:

Basketball players Walter Davis, Bobby Jones, Lew Massey and former coach Dave Price, who helped the school to several state titles in the ‘70s. Girls basketball star Joy Cheek, who led the Sabres to a state title and was a McDonald’s All-American.

U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ricky Berens.

Former Major League baseball players Stu Cole and Carlos Crawford.

Football star Roman Phifer, a three-time Super Bowl champion along with 1981 state championship coach Jim Seacord and stars of that Sabres team: Steve Griffin and Kelvin Crooms.

Cannon School’s Jarvis Moss commits to PAC-12 School

Cannon School senior guard Jarvis Moss committed to Stanford Friday.

Moss, a 6-5 senior, is ranked No. 12 in North Carolina by 247 Sports. He had offers from schools like Buffalo, Furman, Penn and UNC-Greensboro.

This season, Moss is averaging 26 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. He is shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.

Cannon, No. 2 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, is 21-4 overall and 6-0 in the CISAA, after Friday’s win over Covenant Day.

NCHSAA moves state finals to high school campuses

For the first time in 40 years, the N.C. HIgh School Athletic Association state basketball championships will be held on high school campuses.

The NCHSAA announced Friday that this year’s state finals, scheduled for March 6, will be played at Providence Grove and Wheatmore High Schools.

The schools are in Randolph County, about an hours drive from uptown Charlotte.

The decision was made to pursue high school venues due to the lack of availability at college facilities because of COVID-19. In 1981, the NCHSAA moved the boys finals to the Greensboro Coliseum and the girls to Elon. In recent years, they’ve been held at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State.

Spectator attendance will be limited, due to the pandemic.

“We are very excited to host the NCHSAA State Championships at Randolph County School System facilities,” said Stephen Gainey, Superintendent of the Randolph County School System and NCHSAA Board of Directors member. “These events will be great opportunities to highlight our outstanding facilities and personnel while providing a championship level experience for the student-athletes and teams that advance to these State Championships.”

LAKE NORMAN CHRISTIAN TO FACE NATIONAL POWER SATURDAY

Two of the highest-ranked college basketball recruits in America will meet Saturday when Lake Norman Christian takes on national power Ypsi Prep Academy.

The game is set for 2 p.m. at the Davis Field House, on the campus of Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C.

The game’s top names will be Lake Norman Christian guard Mikey Williams, the No. 2-ranked player in this year’s sophomore class; and Ypsi Prep’s Emoni Bates, who is ranked No. 1 in the junior class and is a Michigan State commit.

But each team is loaded with other Division 1 recruits.

“We have a couple connections that helped set this up,” Lake Norman Christian coach Pat McCarthy said. “That enabled us to set up some big games.

“We actually had this game scheduled twice previously, but it got rescheduled.”

McCarthy’s Ospreys (15-5) lost 59-57 Tuesday night to United Faith Christian and will play Friday against winless (0-11) North Hills Christian.

Ypsi Prep (5-1), based in Ypsilanti, Mich., won its most recent game, last Sunday in Pennsylvania, and is ranked 12th this week nationally by Maxpreps.

“The organizers have done a great job of handling all the details,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, we’re really looking forward to this.”

Bates, a 6-8 forward, is averaging a team-high 26.2 points a game. Javaughn Hannah, a 6-4 junior guard, is second in scoring with 10.8 points a contest.

Williams is averaging 21.2 points a game. But the Ospreys are more than a one-player team. Trey Green, a 5-9 sophomore guard, has scored more than 20 points twice this season and is a distance-shooting threat. And the Ospreys will try to counter Ypsi Prep’s inside strength with 7-0 center Jonathan Kurtas and 6-9 forward Adam Allenspach.

Attendance at the game will be limited to 1,200, which is 40 percent of the listed 3,000-seat capacity.

The contest will be televised live online.

-- Steve Lyttle

Saturday’s schedule

CISAA

Charlotte Christian at Charlotte Latin (girls), noon

Charlotte Country Day at Providence Day (girls), noon

Northwestern 3A-4A

Alexander Central at South Caldwell (boys, 1)

McDowell at Freedom (boys, 1)

South Piedmont 3A boys

Concord at Central Cabarrus, 3

Cox Mill at A.L. Brown, 11:30 a.m.

Foothills 2A

Draughn at Hibriten (girls, noon; boys, 1:30)

Western Highlands 1A-2A

Mountain Heritage at Avery County (girls), 2

Nonconference

Asheville School at Charlotte Latin (boys), 2

Carmel Christian at Greensboro Day (girls), 1:30

Carolina Prep at Greater Cabarrus Stallions (boys), 5:30

Charlotte Elite Academy at HA Prep (boys), 2

Christ School at Charlotte Christian (boys), 1:30

Lake Norman Christian vs. Ypsi Prep (MICH), at Greenville, S.C. (boys)

National Christian at Liberty Heights (boys)

University Prep at Combine Academy (boys)

Victory Christian at Trinity Collegiate (girls, 2; boys, 3:30)

Woodlawn School at Sanford Grace Christian (boys), 2

This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 10:22 PM.

Langston Wertz Jr.
The Charlotte Observer
Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.” Support my work with a digital subscription
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