Ladies Night: Charlotte Catholic, Chambers, South Meck win CMS tournament titles
.jpg "Charlotte Catholic beat Independence in the Southwestern 4A girls championship game Friday")
Friday was one of the biggest days for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools all season, as all three CMS conferences held girls tournament championship games.
▪ At Independence High, top-seeded Charlotte Catholic got a monster game from national top-10 recruit Blanca Thomas and beat Independence 53-40 in the Southwestern 4A championship game. Thomas had 29 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Catholic was the regular-season champion.
▪ At Harding High, South Mecklenburg started hot, making a barrage of 3-point shots, and got a big lead on Sweet 16 No. 1 Myers Park, eventually winning 40-34, holding off a late rally. South Meck, which had lost to Myers Park twice this season, became the first N.C. team to beat Myers Park in 2021-22.
▪ And at Mallard Creek, the two-time state champs from Chambers High made a statement, winning their fifth straight game and beating North Meck 66-63. North Meck was the last team to beat Chambers, 54-46 on Feb. 4.
More coverage below.
Photos: CMS conference championships
Holloway’s 33 points lift Chambers past North Meck
Mia Holloway only scored from the foul line in the fourth quarter, but that was more than enough for Chambers to get past North Mecklenburg 66-63 for the girls’ championship of the Queen City 3A-4A tournament.
Holloway hit 10 of 12 free throws in the final period, as the Cougars (18-6) held off a wild comeback attempt from the Vikings, in the title game at Mallard Creek High.
Chambers took a 54-38 lead into the final period, but the Cougars began turning the ball over, and North Mecklenburg got hot from the floor. Chambers had only 11 turnovers over the first three quarters, but turned the ball over nine times in the fourth quarter.
The Cougars led 60-50 with 2:30 to play, but North Mecklenburg went on a 6-0 run and closed the gap to four points in just 22 seconds.
Down the stretch, the Vikings were forced to foul, and it was frequently Holloway who went to the line. She hit 10-of-12 in the final period1 18-of-20 for the game.
She finished with 33 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Teammate Aaliyah El added 18 points.
Dearia Page scored a team-high 28 points for North Mecklenburg, and teammate Nevaeh Farmer added 20.
Both teams will be hearing whistles for the next week. There were 41 fouls called, and the teams took a total of 68 free throws. Chambers made 26-of-39 from the foul line.
— Steve Lyttle
Charlotte Catholic rolls in SW4A final, beating Independence
The top-seeded Charlotte Catholic Cougars scored the first nine points of the game and never looked back as they knocked off third-seeded Independence 53-40 in the Southwest 4A title game at Independence on Friday.
Catholic led by as many as 19, but Independence closed to seven after Kaylee Carson scored seven straight points.
But Catholic answered with an 8-0 run and went on to the win.
Carson led Independence with 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half. Sophomore center Blanca Thomas was dominant for Catholic as she had 29 points for the regular-season champions.
— Matt Kline
South Meck upsets No. 1 Myers Park in SoMECK final
South Mecklenburg struggled to play with Myers Park in two regular-season meetings this season, losing by a combined 48 points.
On Friday, the Sabres were determined to not be blown out again. The Sabres came out hot and ran off with a 40-34 win.
The first quarter was a defensive struggle. Neither team shot well, but South Meck grabbed a 12-7 lead.
South Meck stretched its lead to 14 in the second quarter and got a buzzer-beating layup from star Senali Moss, the daughter of NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss, to take a commanding 16-point lead at halftime.
Down 13 to start the fourth quarter and 11 with two minutes left, Myers Park kept fighting, but South Meck’s determination — chasing loose balls, getting multiple steals and outrebounding the Mustangs — was the difference.
Moss won tournament MVP.
— Cameron Williams
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 8:48 PM.
