Saturday’s HS Hoops Rewind: West Charlotte puts scare into Oak Hill at George Lynch
The West Charlotte boys’ basketball team looked a lot Saturday night like a defending state champion playing for the first time this season, against a national powerhouse playing its fifth game.
The Lions started slow, found their footing, gave Oak Hill Academy a scare, and then tired down the stretch, losing 74-56 in the feature game of the Phenom Hoops George Lynch Invitational at Charlotte Country Day.
It was the first game for coach Jacob Davis’ Lions since they beat Seventy First for the 3A state championship last March.
At times, the Lions looked sharp.
They fell behind 29-18 after one quarter and were down 40-25 at the half. But they emerged from the locker room and made Oak Hill work for the victory.
Despite cold shooting much of the night, the Lions forced turnovers and made enough shots to close to within 43-34 with 5:30 left in the third quarter. They surged again later in the quarter, and a 3-pointer by Damani Day cut the Oak Hill lead to 50-45 with 2:20 remaining in the period.
That’s as close as they got.
Texas native Micah Robinson, a 6-7 junior forward who moved to Oak Hill in the offseason and has offers from Texas Tech, Kansas, Seton Hall, SMU and a half-dozen other schools, scored on a three-point play for a 59-49 lead with 6:35 left in the game.
A.J. Swinson’s dunk a minute later made it 61-49, and the Warriors extended their lead to 15 points with 2:54 remaining on a jump shot by Joshua Holloway.
West Charlotte fans could be heartened by several things in the game.
The Lions battled Oak Hill to a nearly-even battle on the boards, with 6-3 sophomore guard Chad Traylor grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Mari and Damani Day each hit several 3-pointers in the second half, helping pull their team back into the game.
West Charlotte also played without 6-10 forward Donovan Raymond, who had surgery to repair his ACL, MCL and Meniscus two days after playing in the state finals eight months ago. Raymond’s father, Damon, told The Observer his son will return on Dec. 8 and miss only a handful of games.
Robinson led Oak Hill, which was making its only visit to the Charlotte area this season, with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Holloway had 19 points and seven assists.
Traylor 18 points and seven boards led West Charlotte, while Mari Day added 13 points.
In other games Saturday:
Carmel Christian 75, High Point Christian 49: The defending 4A private school state champions ran their record to 4-0 with an easy victory. The Cougars led 39-22 at halftime, behind 15 points by Bryce Cash. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and Jaeden Mustaf had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals.
Cannon School 64, Cox Mill 58: Cox Mill, playing for the first time this season, held a 34-31 halftime lead, but Cannon School (3-1) took the lead for good late in the third quarter and held on. Austin Swartz led the way, with 28 points and five assists. Isaiah Henry had a double-double for the Cougars, with 21 points and 10 rebounds. D.J. Boyce totaled 20 points and nine rebounds for Cox Mill.
United Faith Christian 90, Lake Norman 65: Alex Bates scored 19 points, and Evan Morton had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists for United Faith (5-0). Lance Gill had a big all-around effort, with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Lake Norman, playing for the first time this season, got 16 points from Tre McKinnon and 11 from Henderson Williams Each had eight rebounds.
Concord Academy 67, Asheville School 55: Avion Pinner’s 14 points, five rebounds and three steals led the unbeaten Eagles to their sixth victory. Noah Van Bibber added 13 points for the victors. Devin Saran led Asheville School with 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Charlotte Country Day 71, West Cabarrus 62: UNC Pembroke commit Dallas Gardner scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and added four assists, four steals and two blocked shots in the host Buccaneers’ victory. The Bucs (3-1) also got a 10-point, 10-rebound performance from 6-7 senior Fletcher Bingham, and Amare Bethel added 16 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Trey Minard had the game’s top performance, however, scoring 29 points for West Cabarrus (0-1). He added five rebounds.
Christ School 61, Charlotte Latin 41: The Hawks (1-1) were blitzed in the first half, falling behind 35-15 at intermission. Sean Rose led Latin with 18 points and seven rebounds. Jamari Bridges scored 15 points for Christ School.
Scholarship winners: Five players from participating schools were named winners of $1,000 HBCU Heroes Scholarships. They were: Lance Gill (United Faith Christian); Kendal Clement (Charlotte Country Day); Taft Johnson (High Point Christian); Josh Pacetti (Cox Mill); and Ty Dixon (Christ School).
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
PHOTOS: West Charlotte vs. Oak Hill at George Lynch Invitational
Saturday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Bryce Cash, Carmel Christian: 6-6 senior wing had 20 points, five rebounds and two steals in a 75-49 win over High Point Christian.
Dallas Gardner, Charlotte Country Day: 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in a 71-62 win over West Cabarrus at the George Lynch Invitational.
Isaiah Henry, Cannon School: 21 points, 10 rebounds in a 64-58 win over Cox Mill at the Phenom Hoops’ George Lynch Invitational.
Evan Morton, United Faith: 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal in a 90-65 win over Sweet 16 No. 11 Lake Norman.
Chadlyn Traylor, West Charlotte: sophomore point guard had 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 74-56 loss to nationally ranked Oak Hill.
PHOTOS: High Point Christian vs. Carmel Christian
Saturday’s Boys Boxscores
NO. 2 CARMEL CHRISTIAN 75, HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN 49
Carmel Christian 21 18 24 12 -- 75
High Point Christian 12 10 9 18 -- 49
HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN 49 -- McCleod 4, Sanders 6, Clay 8, Cathey 2, Limbacher 9, Harris 2, Baker 2, Cathcart 9, Grier 6
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 75 --- Wertz 7, Jaeden Mustaf 15, Boston Smith 11, Bryce Cash 20, Montgomery 2, Howard 2, Burnham 9, Marcus 4, Siler 4
Notable: Carmel’s Khamani Wertz had seven points, seven assists, five rebounds; Bryce Cash had 20 points, five rebounds; Jaeden Mustaf had 15 points, five steals, four rebounds, four assists.
NO. 4 CONCORD ACADEMY 67, ASHEVILLE SCHOOL 55
Concord Academy 21 13 11 22 -- 67
Asheville School 17 13 10 15 -- 55
CONCORD ACADEMY 67 -- JJ Moore 11, Carson Cooke 3, Avion Pinner 14, Isaiah Tate 10, Mag Swinger 3 Serg Cvetkovic 3, Noah Van Bibber 13, Jake Benham 3, Petar Asceric 7
ASHEVILLE SCHOOL 55 -- Mova 10, Soulis 10 Holdbook 12, Kenan 2, Saran 16, Kocaman 5
Notable: CA moves to 6-0 on the season. JJ Moore 11p 10a 4r, Petar Asceric 7p 8r 3b, Avion Pinner 14p 7r
NO. 7 UNITED FAITH 90, NO. 11 LAKE NORMAN 45
LAKE NORMAN 45 -- Will Googins 12, Callaway 6, Yates 7, Tre McKinnon 16, Hendeson Williams 11, Dryden 3, Arnold 4, Taurean McKinnon 6
UNITED FAITH 90 -- Bowden 6, Lance Gil 16, Evan Morton 18, Johnson 6, Deluca 6, Witherspoon 5, Charley 5, Alex Bates 19, Brown 3, Sutherland 4
NO. 14 CANNON SCHOOL 64, COX MILL 58
CANNON SCHOOL 64 -- Austin Swartz 28, Lee 5, Isaiah Henry 21, Sean Birmingham 10
COX MILL 58 -- DJ Boyce 20, Sean Dunn 10, Milton 2, Harris 4, Langston Boyd 20, Ramirez 2
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 70, SOUTH MECKLENBURG 60
South Mecklenburg 14 16 14 16 -- 60
Charlotte Catholic 16 15 16 23 -- 70
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 70 -- Vaughn Thomas 23, Pat Tivnan 17, Ryan Lewis 13, Alexander 7, Gates 5, Kernodle 5
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 60 -- Moye 19, Chudgar 17, Skelton 9, Ormond 5, Nesbit 5, Gatehouse 3, Lynch 2
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 71, WEST CABARRUS 62
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 71 --Dallas Gardner 24, Amare Bethel 16, Schott 3, O’Neil 3, Alessi 5, Hewett 6, Fletcher Bigham 10
WEST CABARRUS 62 -- Johnson 4, Hall 2, Trey Minard 29, Green 1, Gianni Vines 14, White 2, Williams 2, Nance 3, Black 5
CHRIST SCHOOL 61, CHARLOTTE LATIN 41
CHARLOTTE LATIN 41 -- Ned Hull 13, Houpt 3, Pence 2, Latta 1, Sean Rose 18, Hendley 2, Swimmer 2
CHRIST SCHOOL 61 -- Thomas-Johnson 2, Cokley 9, Emmanuel Richards 10, Jamari Briggs 15, Keenan Watkins 13, Anthony Robinson 10, White 2
ROCKY RIVER 66, WEDDINGTON 58
Rocky River 14 15 12 25 -- 66
Weddington 13 18 11 16 -- 58
ROCKY RIVER 66 -- Torres 14, Baccus 5, Anderson 2, Ross 5, Price 8, Johnson 9, Lyles 20
WEDDINGTON 58 -- Fellyson 11, Hamilton 5, Bombaroier 14, Cook 3, Tah 6, Dunphy 7, Powers 2, Younger 10
Late Friday Boys Boxscores
NEWTON-CONOVER 74, FRED T. FOARD 55
NCHS 16 20 22 16 -- 74
FTF 7 11 12 25 -- 55
NCHS: Javier Lineberger 15, Owen Cannon 13, Zyon Chambers 12, Lyerly 8, Smith 8, White 6, Moore 4, Stinson 3, Wilkinson 3, Cannon 2
FTF: Preston Neel 12, Holden Caldwell 11, Carson Bess 11, Hartsoe 8, Henry 7, Orndoff 6
Records: Newton-Conover 1-0 Fred T. Foard 0-1
Next week’s schedule
(all matchups are girls-boys doubleheaders, unless otherwise noted)
Monday
Mecklenburg nonconference
Berry Academy at Central Cabarrus
Carolina International at Independence
Charlotte Christian at Calvary Christian (boys)
Charlotte Elite at Winston-Salem Christian/National (boys)
Hickory Grove Christian at High Point Christian
Langtree Charter at SouthLake Christian (girls)
Mooresville at Hough
North Charlotte Homeschool at Hickory Christian
Area nonconference
Anson County at Ashe County
Cherryville at Stuart Cramer
East Gaston at Ashbrook
East Rowan at Mount Pleasant
East Rutherford at C.D. Owen
Lake Norman Christian at Liberty Prep
Metrolina Christian at Piedmont (girls)
Piedmont Community Charter at Highland Tech
South Rowan at North Rowan
Union Academy at Central Academy
Milltown Classic
(at Fort Mill)
(boys’ first round)
Westminster Catawba vs. Nation Ford (SC), 5
Strom Thurmond (SC) vs. Catawba Ridge (SC), 6:15
Collins Hill (GA) vs. Cardinal Newman (SC), 7:30
Piedmont vs. Fort Mill (SC), 8:45
(at Catawba Ridge)
(girls’ first round)
Andrew Jackson (SC) vs. Nation Ford (SC), 5
Olympic vs. North Myrtle Beach (SC), 6:15
Fort Mill (SC) vs. Strom Thurmond (SC), 7:30
Chesterfield (SC) vs. Catawba Ridge (SC), 8:45
Tuesday
Mecklenburg nonconference
1 of 1 Academy at Elevation Prep (boys)
Ardrey Kell at Weddington
Butler at Olympic
Charlotte Catholic at Metrolina Christian (girls)
Christ the King at SouthLake Christian
Concord Academy at Carmel Christian
East Mecklenburg at Hopewell
Garinger at North Mecklenburg
Harding at West Charlotte
Hough at North Gaston
Lake Norman Charter at Community School of Davidson
Marvin Ridge at Providence Day
Myers Park at Richmond Senior
North Charlotte Homeschool at Greater Cabarrus Stallions
Palisades at Forestview
Providence at South Mecklenburg
South Charlotte Thunder at Charlotte Country Day
United Faith Christian at Covenant Day
West Mecklenburg at Berry Academy
Area nonconference
Albemarle at Bishop McGuinness
A.L. Brown at Jesse Carson
Asheville Christian at Metrolina Christian
Avery County at Hibriten
Bandys at Fred T. Foard
Carolina International at Cannon School
Cox Mill at T.C. Roberson
Draughn at East Burke
East Lincoln at West Lincoln
East Rowan at Mount Pleasant
Elkin at West Iredell
Freedom at Patton
Gray Stone Day at North Moore
Hunter Huss at Highland Tech
Jay M. Robinson at Concord
Lincoln Charter at Gaston Christian (boys)
Newton-Conover at Hickory
North Iredell at West Rowan
North Stanly at Southwestern Randolph
Parkwood at Union Academy
Piedmont at West Stanly (girls)
Porter Ridge at West Cabarrus
R-S Central at Kings Mountain
South Caldwell at St. Stephens
South Point at Lincolnton
South Stanly at West Stanly (boys)
Stuart Cramer at North Henderson
Sun Valley at Hickory Ridge
Thomas Jefferson Academy at Piedmont Community Charter
Wilkes Central at Bunker Hill
Milltown Classic
(at Fort Mill / boys)
(consolation semifinals)
Westminster Catawba-Nation Ford loser vs. Strom Thurmond-Catawba Ridge loser, 5
Collins Hill-Cardinal Newman loser vs. Piedmont-Fort Mill loser, 6:15
(championship semifinals)
Westminster Catawba-Nation Ford winner vs. Strom Thurmond-Catawba Ridge winner, 7:30
Collins Hill-Cardinal Newman winner vs. Piedmont-Fort Mill winner, 8:45
(at Catawba Ridge/girls)
(consolation semifinals)
Andrew Jackson-Nation Ford loser vs. Olympic-North Myrtle Beach loser, 5
Strom Thurmond-Fort Mill loser vs. Chesterfield-Catawba Ridge loser, 6:15
(championship semifinals)
Andrew Jackson-Nation Ford winner vs. Olympic-North Myrtle Beach winner, 7:30
Strom Thurmond-Fort Mill winner vs. Chesterfield-Catawba Ridge winner, 8:45
Wednesday
Nonconference
Avery County at Ashe County
Chambers at Winston-Salem Christian/National (boys)
Cox Mill at A.L. Brown
Jack Britt at Richmond Senior
Mallard Creek at Greensboro Day (boys)
South Iredell at Davie County
Watauga at Shelby
Milltown Classic
(at Fort Mill / boys)
Seventh-place game, 11 a.m.
Fifth-place game, 12:30
Third-place game, 2
Championship, 3:30
(at Catawba Ridge / girls)
Seventh-place game, 11 a.m.
Fifth-place game, 12:30
Third-place game, 2
Championship, 3:30
Thursday
No games (Thanksgiving)
Friday
Charlotte Hoops Challenge
(at Harding High)
(Gym 1)
South Mecklenburg vs. Cannon School (girls), noon
Cannon School vs. Jay M. Robinson, 1:30
Victory Christian vs. Gaston Day, 3
Providence Day vs. Westminster Catawba, 4:30
Providence Day vs. Independence (girls), 6
Chambers vs. Northside Christian, 7:30
(Gym 2)
Harding vs. East Mecklenburg, 11:30 a.m.
Mallard Creek vs. Charlotte Latin, 1
Butler vs. Charlotte Country Day, 2:30
Gaston Christian vs. Indian Land (SC), 4
United Faith Christian vs. Christ Episcopal (SC), 5:30
Leroy Holden Classic
(at North Mecklenburg)
(boys’ first round)
Porter Ridge vs. Mooresville, 2:30
Providence vs. North Mecklenburg, 5:30
(girls’ first round)
Porter Ridge vs. Mooresville, 1
Providence vs. North Mecklenburg, 4
Lakesgiving Classic
(at Lake Norman High)
West Cabarrus vs. Alexander Central (girls), noon
Hickory Ridge vs. Covenant Day, 1:30
Metrolina Christian vs. Lincoln Charter, 3
Lake Norman vs. Ardrey Kell (girls), 4:30
Winston-Salem Christian/National vs. Combine Academy/Regional, 6
Lake Norman vs. Rocky River, 7:30
Atlanta Hoopsgiving
(boys)
Langston Hughes (GA) vs. Meadowood (GA), 10 a.m.
Shiloh (GA) vs. Buckhorn (AL), 11:30 a.m.
Combine Academy vs. SoCal Academy, 1
Carmel Christian vs. Gonzaga (DC), 2:30
Kell (GA) vs. Greenforest Christian (GA), 4:15
Prolific Prep (CA) vs. TSF (GA), 5:45
Calvary Christian (FL) vs. Pebblebrook (GA), 7:15
McEachern (GA) vs. Wasatch Academy (UT), 8:45
Hoops and Dreams Classic
(at Fayetteville State)
New Life Christian (SC) vs. N.C. GBB, noon
Terry Sanford vs. St. Pauls (girls), 1:30
Northwood Temple vs. Quality Education, 3
Seventy First vs. The Burlington School, 4:30
Westover vs. Trinity Christian, 6
Terry Sanford vs. Fayetteville Academy, 7:30
Pine Forest vs. Wayne County Day, 9
Nonconference
Metrolina Christian at Central Carolina Prep (girls)
Piedmont Community Charter, Salisbury in Headliners Classic at High Point Christian
Saturday
Charlotte Hoops Challenge
(at Harding High)
(Gym 1)
Myers Park vs. Watauga (girls), noon
1 of 1 Academy vs. GRACE Christian, 1:30
Gaston Christian-Indian Land winner vs. United Faith Christian-Christ Episcopal winner, 3
Combine Academy vs. Northside Christian, 4:30
1 of 1 Academy vs. Charlotte Catholic (girls), 6
Jay M. Robinson vs. West Charlotte, 7:30
(Gym 2)
Charlotte Christian vs. Olympic, 11:30 a.m.
Ardrey Kell vs. Cannon School, 1
Concord Academy vs. Augusta (GA) Christian, 2:30
Gaston Christian-Indian Land loser vs. United Faith Christian-Christ Episcopal loser, 4
Sun Valley vs. Westminster Catawba, 5:30
Leroy Holden Classic
(at North Mecklenburg)
Boys’ third-place game, 2:30
Boys’ championship, 5:30
Girls’ third-place game, 1
Girls’ championship, 4
Lakesgiving Classic
(at Lake Norman High)
Hickory Ridge vs. Ardrey Kell (girls), noon
Lake Norman vs. Olympic (girls), 1:30
Covenant Day vs. Winston-Salem Christian/Regional, 3
Hough vs. Metrolina Christian, 4:30
Harding vs. West Cabarrus, 6
Providence Day vs. Winston-Salem Christian/National, 7:30
Lake Norman vs. Central Cabarrus, 9
Atlanta Hoopsgiving
(boys)
Shiloh (GA) vs. Woodland (GA), 10 a.m.
Buckhorn (AL) vs. Lovett School (GA), 11:30 a.m.
Etowah (GA) vs. Gonzaga (DC), 1
Carmel Christian vs. Greenforest Christian (GA), 2:30
SoCal Academy vs. Prolific Prep (CA), 4:15
Kell (GA) vs. Pebblebrook (GA), 5:45
Wasatch Academy (UT) vs. Calvary Christian (FL), 7:15
Grovetown (GA) vs. Wheeler (GA), 8:45
Hoops and Dreams Classic
(at Fayetteville State / boys)
Richmond Senior vs. Trinity Christian, noon
New Life Christian (SC) vs. Lumberton, 1:30
Seventy First vs. Seaforth, 3
Hopewell vs. Wayne County Day, 4:30
The Burlington School vs. Fayetteville Academy, 6
Word of God/National vs. Quality Education, 7:30
Westover vs. Northwood Temple, 9
Nonconference
Salisbury, SouthLake Christian in Headliners Classic at High Point Christian
South Mecklenburg at East Forsyth
This story was originally published November 19, 2022 at 11:46 PM.
