Friday’s Boys HS Rewind: No. 3 North Meck, No. 9 Ardrey Kell survive; Butler gets big win

How the Sweet 16 Fared

N.C. Statewide Scores

PHOTOS: Butler at East Meck

Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers

CJ Anthony, Porter Ridge: Scored a team-high 18 points in a 67-59 win over Union County rival Cuthbertson. It was his first career game scoring in double digits

Ty Black, Butler: 24 points in a win over East Meck in a battle for teams battling for the Southwestern 4A title. Black made seven 3-point shots Friday and has 19 in his past three games.

Will Kelly, Stuart Cramer: 50 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 85-67 win over Hunter Huss.

JJ Moore, Lincoln Charter: 16 points, six assists in a 61-54 win over Christ The King.

Evan Smith, Ardrey Kell: scored 22 points, all in the second of the Knights’ 78-76 win over No. 11 Myers Park.

Butler, led by Ty Black, picks up huge win at East Mecklenburg

Friday night’s Southwestern 4A high school basketball game couldn’t have started worse for the East Mecklenburg Eagles against the Butler Bulldogs. Butler opened the game with a 17-0 run which proved to be too much for East Meck to overcome in an 86-65 Bulldogs’ win.

East Meck came into the game leading the Southwestern 4A standings with a 6-1 mark, but now the Eagles, Butler and Catholic are tied at the near of the conference standings with the regular season winding down. Rocky River is in first at 6-1.

Butler led 4-0 on the game’s first possession as senior guard Ty Black sunk an early 3-pointer and a free throw as he was fouled on the play. The Bulldogs never looked back. Black scorched East Meck with 14 first-quarter points which included three 3-pointers.

“As soon as I made my first shot I knew I was going to be up from there,” said Black. “I was going crazy the rest of the game.”

Credit also goes to junior forward Peyton Scott who had ten of the Bulldogs 26 first-quarter points, and along with Black propelled Butler to a 26-7 first-quarter advantage. Black had a game-high 24 points, including seven 3-pointers. Zion McDuffie had 18 for Butler while Ty Showalter and Scott each chipped in with 14 points.

The Eagles, who came out cold in the first quarter with only seven points, were led by Jordan Nevill with 19 points. Other East Meck players who finished in double figures were Jonah Lawrence with 17, the Eagles’ leading scorer Kanye Johnson with 14, and Bayless Williams with 11.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Ty Black, Butler: Black’s 14 first-quarter points including seven 3-pointers propelled the Bulldogs to the fast start which was too much for East Meck to overcome.

Jordan Nevill, East Meck: Nevill’s ten third-quarter points helped cut the Eagles deficit to only eight entering the fourth quarter.

Peyton Scott, Butler: Coupled with Black’s 14 first-quarter, Scott’s 10 first-quarter points helped put East Meck in a 19-point first-quarter deficit.

WORTH MENTIONING

▪ Butler swept the two-game regular-season series with the Eagles. The Bulldogs won earlier in the season at home in a 62-61 squeaker on December 17

▪ Butler also won the varsity girls’ game 41-30 over East Meck. Brooklyn Saunders had 27 points in leading the Bulldogs to victorys.

WHAT’S NEXT

Butler will be in action next Tuesday at Rocky River at 7:30 p.m., while East Meck will host Rocky River Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

THEY SAID IT

“We talked to our guys about this environment tonight, and there’s no better place to be than a small road gym with a big crowd that’s going to be pretty hostile. Our guys embraced it. We talked in the locker room beforehand and I told them that if you don’t like this environment you are in the wrong spot.” --Butler coach Patrick King

RECORDS: Butler (9-8, 6-2); East Meck (13-7), 6-2

Ardrey Kell holds off wild Myers Park comeback Friday

It looked so good for Ardrey Kell with 80 seconds left in its SoMeck 4A boys’ basketball showdown Friday night at Myers Park.

Evan Smith had hit two free throws, putting the Knights comfortably ahead 74-62.

“He managed to quiet that crowd, and that was a noisy crowd,” Ardrey Kell coach Mike Craft said later. “But they got loud again.”

That’s because Myers Park apparently didn’t get the memo that the game was over. The Mustangs went on a 10-0 run and made Ardrey Kell sweat out a 78-76 victory.

“You’ve got to give them credit for the way they came back,” Craft said of the Mustangs. “They really clawed their way back in.”

In the end, though, the Knights (13-3, 5-1) had built a big enough lead to survive the comeback by the Mustangs (10-6, 5-2).

That lead was built in the third quarter, when Ardrey Kell exploded for 30 points and turned a 30-29 halftime deficit into a 59-51 lead.

Senior point guard Evan Smith, held scoreless in the first half, connected on three 3-pointers during that surge.

“Evan came out and said, ‘We’re not going to lose,’ ” Craft said. “After not scoring in the first half, he finished with 22 points. What a game!”

Craft said the Knights talk about coming out strong to start the second half.

They outscored the Mustangs 11-1 in the opening two minutes of the third quarter, fought off a surge by Myers Park midway in the period, and then opened a double-digit lead later in the quarter.

The game remained solidly in Ardrey Kell’s control until the final 80 seconds.

The Knights turned the ball over twice and committed a pair of costly fouls. In addition, forward Toni Akinyelu, who had effectively defended Myers Park standout Elijah Strong, fouled out.

Strong and teammate Sir Mohammed took over. Mohammed hit a 3-pointer and made three freed throws, and Strong had a 3-pointer and two free throws.

Strong’s long-distance shot with seven seconds left cut Ardrey Kell’s lead to 78-76.

Then the Knights’ Delani Hammonds missed a pair of free throws with four seconds left. Myers Park called a time out and set up a final play, but Strong was only able to get fire up an off-balance 3-point attempt, which fell short.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Brock Rose, Ardrey Kell: A 6-5 junior wing, Rose scored a game-high 28 points, including six 3-point field goals. He was 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

Elijah Strong, Myers Park: Strong turned in his usual double-double, with 27 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 9-of-11 from the foul line.

Evan Smith, Ardrey Kell: Smith scored nine of his team’s 19 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 22. All his points came in the second half. He made 8-of-11 from the floor.

WORTH MENTIONING

▪ While Strong’s 27 points and 10 rebounds provided Myers Park with the bulk of its attack, Sir Mohammed also was key, scoring 26 points. He hit 6-of-9 from 3-point range. “When Sir Mohammed is hitting that 3, Myers Park is a tough team to beat,” Craft said.

▪ Ardrey Kell shot the ball well, hitting 26-of-46 from the floor for 56.5 percent. Myers Park made 23 of 55 for 42 percent. Myers Park outrebounded the Knights 30-23.

▪ Myers Park fans observed what they called a “silent night,” refraining from cheering until their team reached eight points. After that, it was bedlam in the packed gym.

▪ Craft said whoever wins the South Meck 4A will have earned it. “In the most recent RPI rankings, five of the top 24 teams in 4A were from our conference,” he said.

WHAT’S NEXT

Ardrey Kell has a pair of South Meck 4A conference games next week, hosting South Mecklenburg on Tuesday and visiting Harding on Friday. Myers Park is home three times next week, facing Mallard Creek (Tuesday) and Lake Norman (Wednesday) in nonconference games and Berry Academy (Friday) in a South Meck 4A contest.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

Friday’s Recaps

Queen City 3A-4A

North Mecklenburg 70, Mallard Creek 63 ... The host Vikings (17-2, 7-1) stayed a half-game behind idle conference leader Chambers, rallying in the fourth quarter. Mallard Creek led 47-46 after three. Jordan Crawford and Davion Cunningham each scored 17 for the Vikings. Bryson Davis led the Mavericks with 19.

Hough 55, West Mecklenburg 48 ... Rashad McCormick’s 17 points led the Huskies. Kobe Broome scored a game-high 22 for West Mecklenburg.

Southwestern 4A

Butler 86, East Mecklenburg 65 ... The Bulldogs knocked the Eagles out of first place. Each team is 6-2.

Rocky River 67, Charlotte Catholic 58 ... The Ravens improved to 6-1 and took over the conference lead. Javares Green and Henry Price each scored 17 points for the victors.

CISAA

Providence Day 67, Cannon School 60 ... The Chargers won a big road game, improving to 5-1 in the conference and dropping Cannon School to 3-2. D.J. Nix had a big game for the Cougars, with 22 points and five assists. Karon Boyd added 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Charlotte Latin 57, Charlotte Country Day 55 ... The Hawks survived a Charlotte Country Day rally and held on, improving to 4-1 in the CISAA. The Buccaneers trailed for the whole game until battling back for a 55-55 tie. Sean Rose led the Hawks with 19 points, while Dallas Gardner scored a game-high 20 for Charlotte Country Day.

Southern Carolina 4A

Weddington 86, Piedmont 40 ... The No. 1-ranked Warriors (19-0, 6-0) remained alone in first place, behind 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals from Chase Lowe. Hunter Hinson scored 16 for Piedmont.

Porter Ridge 67, Cuthbertson 59 ... The Pirates (15-5, 6-1) remained in second place. Earlier this week, Porter Ridge clinched its first winning season in 14 years.

Big South 3A

Crest 75, South Point 62 ... The first-place Chargers ran their conference record to 7-0 (17-2 overall).

Kings Mountain 84, Forestview 60 ... The Mountaineers (10-6, 7-1) remained second in the conference, behind 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists from Zeke Cannedy. Maddox James added 24 points and nine rebounds.

Stuart Cramer 85, Hunter Huss 69 ... Storm standout Will Kelly scored a career-high 50 points, hitting 16-of-27 from the floor and 7-of-14 from 3-point range. He also had 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Western Foothills 3A

East Lincoln 86, West Iredell 41 ... The Mustangs (17-2, 9-0) remained atop the conference, behind 17 points from Drew Bean, 14 from Jackson Fannon, and 12 from Keandre Walker. East Lincoln led 42-18 at the half.

Metrolina Athletic

Northside Christian 68, Hickory Grove Christian 55 ... The Knights broke a 44-all tie after three quarters and improved their second-place conference record to 6-3.

Concord Academy 71, Metrolina Christian 56 ... Michael Wilson Jr. had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) for Metrolina Christian.

Mountain Foothills 2A

R-S Central 80, Polk County 36 ... The Hilltoppers (17-2, 7-0) blazed to a 48-18 halftime lead and coasted.

Metro 8 1A

Carolina International 63, Corvian Community 62 ... The host Comets rallied from a 49-42 deficit after three quarters and improved to 7-0, dropping Corvian Community to 5-2.

Boys Basketball Boxscores

NO. 1 WEDDINGTON 86, PIEDMONT 40

Piedmont 13 8 13 6 -- 40

Weddington 23 16 23 24 -- 86

PIEDMONT 40 -- Hunter Hinson 16, Chase Fesmire 10 Colton Prince 7, Braden Collins 5, Kyle Collins 2

WEDDINGTON 86 -- Chase Lowe 16, AJ Cook 15, Jack Ellyson 12, Evan Morton 9, Kyle Frazier 8, Nolan Dunphy 7, Berni Tah 6, Grady Brosterhous 4, Jack Werdann 4, Peter Bombardier 3, Bill Abrams 2

Notable: Chase Lowe led the Warriors (19-0, 6-0) with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. The Warriors will continue conference play at Cuthbertson on Tuesday night.

Records: Weddington 19-0 (6-0), Piedmont 6-12 (1-6)

NO. 3 NORTH MECKLENBURG 70, MALLARD CREEK 63

Mallard Creek 12 19 16 16 – 63

North Meck 14 20 12 24 – 70

MC: Bryson Davis 19, Titus Cunningham 12, Jalyn Connor 12, Ross 9, Hawkins 9, Moore 2

NM: Jordan Crawford 17, Davion Cunningham 17, Isaiah Evans 11, Tyree Bracey 10, Maxwell Coles 8, Jenkins 5, Foy 2

NO. 7 PROVIDENCE DAY 67, CANNON SCHOOL 60

Providence Day 7 18 24 18 -- 67

Cannon School 15 8 16 21 -- 60

PROVIDENCE DAY 67 -- Riley Allenspach 20, Donovan Atwell 18, Quave Propst-Allison 19, Scott 5, Horton 4,

CANNON SCHOOL 60 -- Austin Swartz 14, Clagget 3, Henry 2, Hagerdorn 5, DJ Nix 22, Karon Boyd 14

PD Notable: Riley Allenspach led Providence Day with 20 points and 10 rebounds.. Quave Propst-Allison had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists for the Chargers. Donovan Atwell added 18 points and 4 rebounds.

Records: Providence Day 18-5, 5-1; Cannon School 10-12, 3-2

Cannon notable: DJ Nix 22 points 4 rebounds 5 assists; Karon Boyd 14 points 15 rebounds

NO. 8 CHARLOTTE LATIN 57, CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 55

Charlotte Country Day 8 12 19 16 -- 55

Latin 17 11 19 10 -- 57

CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 55 -- Dallas Gardner 20, Amare Bethel 14, Alessi 8, Turner 6, Bigham 5

CHARLOTTE LATIN 57 -- Sean Rose 19, Ned Hull 13, Jones 11, Lavitt 11

Notable: Latin moved to 18-2 while Country Day fell to 13-11. The Bucs trailed the whole game before tying it in the final moments. Dallas Gardner lead all scorers with 20 points. The Bucs host Covenant Day Tuesday at 7:00.

NO. 9 ARDREY KELL 78, NO. 11 MYERS PARK 76

Ardrey Kell - 16 13 30 19 -- 78

Myers Park - 15 15 21 25-- 76

ARDREY KELL 78 - Evan Smith 22, Brandon Nelson 7, Brock Rose 28, Toni Akinyelu 11, Delani Hammonds 8, Trenten Gerald 2

MYERS PARK 76 - Sir Mohammed 26, Elijah Strong 25, Walters 7, Lynch 9, Turner 6, Parasion 3

Notable: Evan Smith all 22 points in 2nd half, Brock Rose 6 3pt made

Records: AK - (13-3, 5-1); MP - (10-6, 5-2)

NO. 12 WEST CHARLOTTE 55, HOPEWELL 52

West Charlotte 11 18 14 12 -- 55

Hopewell 17 5 18 12 -- 52

West Charlotte: Morrow 9 Raymond 8 Day 8 Traylor 8. Alford 7 Mahatta 6 Browser 5 King 3

Hopewell: Derrick Elay 23 Quay Watson 12 Tyler Gettings 10 Mack 4 Horne 4

BUTLER 86, EAST MECK 65

Butler 26 18 18 24 -- 86

East Meck 7 19 28 11 -- 65

BUTLER 86 -- Ty Black 24, Zion McDuffy 18, Peyton Scott 13, Heath 8, Ty Showalter 14, Youngblood 3,

EAST MECKLENBURG 65 -- Jordon Nevill 17, Kanye Johnson 15, Jonah Lawrence 17, Bayliss Williams 12, Truitt 2, Hicks 1, Poku-kankam 1

Notes: Butler moves to 9-8 (6-2). East Meck moves to 13-7 (6-2). Butler’s Ty Black continued his torrid shooting with seven more 3 pointers, making it 19 in the last three games. Butler plays Rocky River for a share of 1^st place in the conference on Tuesday.

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 63, COVENANT DAY 56

Charlotte Christian 9 18 12 24 -- 63

Covenant Day 4 15 16 21 -- 56

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN-- Bryce Cash 18, Cade Nicholson 13, John Lash 12, Cade Preston 8, Micah Gilbert 8, Danny Stevens 3, Ben King 1,

COVENANT DAY-- J.Brown 15, I.Ufochukwu 15, D.Nelson 9, C.Rivens 7, D.Anderson 6, M.Brown 4

Noteable: Bryce Cash 18 points 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Records: Charlotte Christian 13-10(4-2),Covenant Day 13-10(0-5)

CONCORD ACADEMY 71, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 56

Metrolina Christian 15 11 15 15 = 56

Concord Academy 22 18 13 18 = 71

METROLINA CHRISTIAN 56 -- Deluca 13, Wilson Jr. 12, Houston 9, Fisher-Davis 6, Harrist 4, McIntyre 4

CONCORD ACADEMY 71 -- Jayden Munson 16 , Tucker Johnson 9, Serj Cvetkovic 5, Noah Van Bibber 5, DJ Cuttino 17, Kany Tchanda 16, Magnus Swinger 3

MCA: Clark 5, Harrist 4, Fisher-Davis 6, McIntyre 4, Houston 11, Deluca 13, Wilson 12, Maul 3

CA Notable: 3 wins in a row for CA. MAC Conference Game

Metrolina: So. Dylan Deluca 13pts, 4rbs; Jr. Michael Wilson Jr. 12pts, 11rbs, 2asts; Sr. CJ Harrist 8asts....Metrolina Christian 12-13 (4-6) plays Hickory Grove on Saturday, January 29th at 530PM.

EAST LINCOLN 86, WEST IREDELL 41

East Lincoln 26 16 18 26 -- 86

West Iredell 13 5 18 5 -- 41

East Lincoln (17-2, 9-0): Landon Glezen 7, Logan Craig 5, Markell Clark 4, Palmer Crichton 8, Jeremiah Jones 6, Drew Bean 17, Keandre Walker 12, Jackson Fannon 14, Mason Simmons 4, Eric Runyan 3, Nathan Kuthan 2, Houston Hartsell 4

West Iredell (0-17, 0-9): Jermaine Cornelius 11, Bryson Moore 0, Antaveon Steele 3, Eric Dalton 6, David Bunton 2, Jermiah Glaspey 5, Isaac Bunton 2, Alijah Williams 2, Seth Huss 8, Willie Walker 0, Corbin Tomlin 2

Of Note: East Lincoln has won 8 games in a row and are currently 17-2 overall and in 1st place in the Western Foothills 3A Conference with a 9-0 record....The Mustangs will be on the road Tuesday night against the Fred T. Foard Tigers, while the Warriors will host the Statesville Greyhounds.

GASTON CHRISTIAN 63, WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 53

Westminster Catawba: 15-13-19-6: 53

Gaston Christian: 15-13-9-26: 63

Westminster Catawba: Addie 3, Bradley 6, Black III 8, Clarke 5, Jalen Booker 16, Tripple Rogers 9, Harding 6

Gaston Christian: Jahseem Felton 12, Tate 2, Cam Newman 10, Corey Gaines 17, Shuford 3, Hank 3, Joe Rhyne 16

HOUGH 55, WEST MECKLENBURG 48

Hough 8 20 13 12 -- 55

West Meck 7 11 9 23 -- 48

Hough -- Rashad McCormick 17, Melvin Sifford 12, Wagner 7, Smith 3, Galombeck 6, Wagner 7, Hirsch 4, Stiff 6

North Meck -- Broome 22, West 15, Henry 2

Records: H - 5-12, WM - 5-14

INDEPENDENCE 54, GARINGER 51

Garinger: 10 16 13 12 -- 51

Independence: 13 16 12 13 -- 54

GARINGER 51 -- David Anderson 13, Camden Jernigan 11, Moore 7, Dodson 7, Brice 7, Moboti 6

INDEPENDENCE 54 -- Ralph Johnson 12, Tosh Alberga 12, Dyshawn Taylor 10, Appling 8, Jasper 6, S. Taylor 4, Brown 2

Records: Garinger Overall: 2-16 Conference: 0-8; Independence Overall: 8-10 Conference: 2-5

LINCOLN CHARTER 61, CHRIST THE KING 54

CTK 14 12 15 13 -- 54

LCS 10 20 12 19 -- 61

CHRIST THE KING 54 -- Zuhosky 13 Francis 3 Tampoya 8 Baich 8 Filiault 14 Clapp 2 Kuhn 6

LINCOLN CHARTER 61 -- Moore 16 Farley Jr 19 Flowers 5 Bruce 3 Crawford 15 Chambers 2 Johnson 1

Notable: Marcus Farley, Jr. game high 19, JJ Moore with 16 points and 6 assists. McCall Johnson with 8 rebounds and 6 blocks

NORTH LINCOLN 65, NORTH IREDELL 62

North Lincoln 12 15 25 13 -- 65

North Iredell 20 8 15 19 -- 62

North Lincoln 65--Jack Waggoner 18, Connor Carson 18, Reed King 11, Kellan Karr 10, Luke Custer 4, Nate Lykins 2, Matt Heavner 2

North Iredell 62--J. Jackson 23, B. Thorpe 17, J. Hawkins 8, B. Haines 6, L. Daney 4, C. sanders 2, X. Grimaball2

North Lincoln 10-8 overall (4-4 conference)

PORTER RIDGE 67, CUTHBERTSON 59

Porter Ridge 15 15 21 16 67

Cuthbertson 14 13 15 17 59

PORTER RIDGE 67 -- Jacob Anderson 13, C.J Anthony 18, Greg Wenger 6, Kyler Harris 11, Isaiah Williams 15, Nathaniel Stout 4

CUTHBERTSON 59 — Max Sanfilippo 4, Jared Haymore 3, Chrstian Alston 11, Christian Haggarty 7, Caleb Beals 6, Parker Burke 2, Keenan Jackson 2, Kaleb Parker 24

Notable: C.J Anthony had his first career double digit game in a big win of a conference rival. He scored a team high 18.

ROCKY RIVER 67, CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 58

Rocky 15 19 10 23 -- 67

Catholic 15 14 9 20 -- 58

ROCKY RIVER 67 -- Ham 8, Baccus 3, Franchi 4, Green 17, Price 17, Brantley 3, Lyles 15

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

Queen City 3A-4A

North Mecklenburg at Hopewell (girls), 1

CISAA

Cannon School at Charlotte Latin (girls, 1; boys, 2:30)

Northwestern 3A-4A

Freedom at Ashe County (girls, noon; boys, 1:30)

Watauga at Hibriten (girls), 1

South Piedmont 3A

Jesse Carson at West Rowan (girls), ppd.

Western Foothills 3A

North Iredell at Hickory (girls), noon

St. Stephens at East Lincoln (girls), noon

Metrolina Athletic Conference

Gaston Day at SouthLake Christian (girls), 3

Metrolina Christian at Hickory Grove Christian (girls, 3; boys, 4:30)

Catawba Valley 2A

Bunker Hill at Maiden (boys), 3

East Burke at West Lincoln (girls), 2

Central Carolina 1A-2A

West Davidson at South Davidson (girls), 4

Southern Piedmont 1A-2A

Shelby at Burns (girls, 4:30; boys, 6)

Metro 8 1A

Queens Grant Charter at Corvian Community (boys), 5:30

Nonconference

Concord Academy at 1 of 1 Academy (girls), 3

Elevation Prep at Oak Hill (VA) Academy Red (boys), 3

Mount Zion Christian at United Faith Christian (girls, 1; boys, 2:30)

North Mecklenburg vs. North Gwinnett (boys), in Longhorn Steakhouse Classic at Milton, Ga., 3

Porter Ridge vs. Forest Hills, at Wingate University

This story was originally published January 28, 2022 at 11:33 PM.

Langston Wertz Jr.

The Charlotte Observer

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