Major shakeup in The Sweet 16. A new No. 1 and some major movement among ranked teams
On Friday night, three of the top four teams in The Sweet 16 fell, and that’s forced one of the biggest week-to-week changes in the poll in recent years.
Some ranked teams that won fell and others made big jumps.
Starting off, Kings Mountain, a 3A power, moves up to No. 1. The Mountaineers were No. 5 last week. Kings Mountain (8-0) beat Belmont’s Stuart Cramer 63-24 Friday and is outscoring opponents 321-91 for the season.
Butler jumped five spots to No. 2 after it rallied from 19 points down to beat Charlotte Catholic. Mallard Creek jumped seven spots to No. 6 after beating then No. 2 Hough.
Charlotte Christian jumped three spots to No. 8 after knocking off then No. 1 Providence Day.
As changes were made, strength of schedule was considered, strength of class as well as how a team performed against its opponents. After a topsy-turvy week, it almost felt like ranking in the preseason, almost like starting from scratch.
Quick Links
Charlotte Christian takes down No. 1 Providence Day, ending memorable game with memorable play
Butler rallies for a magical comeback win over No. 4 Catholic
Back to the future? Mallard Creek stops Hough
North Meck’s Rykin Maxwell is offensive player of the week
Northwest Cabarrus’ Donovan Thompson is defensive player of the week
The Observer’s Sweet 16
| Rk. | School | Class | Rec. | Prvs. |
| 1. | Kings Mountain | 3A | 8-0 | 5 |
| 2. | Butler | 4A | 8-1 | 7 |
| 3. | Providence Day | IND | 7-1 | 1 |
| 4. | Hough | 4A | 6-2 | 2 |
| 5. | Chambers | 4A | 6-2 | 3 |
| 6. | Mallard Creek | 4A | 6-2 | 13 |
| 7. | Weddington | 4A | 7-1 | 6 |
| 8. | Charlotte Christian | IND | 6-2 | 11 |
| 9. | Charlotte Catholic | 4A | 6-2 | 4 |
| 10. | Ardrey Kell | 4A | 7-1 | 8 |
| 11. | Olympic | 4A | 8-0 | 9 |
| 12. | Independence | 4A | 7-1 | 10 |
| 13. | South Point | 3A | 7-1 | 12 |
| 14. | Maiden | 2A | 7-1 | 14 |
| 15. | Mooresville | 4A | 6-1 | 15 |
| 16. | East Lincoln | 3A | 7-0 | 16 |
