HS Rewind: Central Cabarrus moving on at The Throne High School national tournament
Make that 33-0.
Central Cabarrus, the N.C. 3A state champion, won its opening round game at “The Throne,” a new 16-team national elimination tournament in Atlanta.
Central Cabarrus improved to 33-0 on the season with a 62-51 win over S.C. state champion Dorman. The game was nationally televised on NBA TV.
Due to N.C. rules, Central Cabarrus is called the N.C. Vikings and are wearing powder blue uniforms and not their usual green and gold. Also, head coach Jim Baker is not allowed to coach. A team parent, Bronwyn Glover, is coaching their team.
Her son, Desmond Kent, was MVP of the N.C. 3A state championship game and was named Charlotte Observer sixth man of the year. Bronwyn Glover was recently inducted into the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (GA) Hall of Fame.
And she’ll coach Central Cabarrus in Thursday’s national quarterfinal against the winner of Wednesday’s opening round game between overall No. 1 seed Judges (VA) and No. 16 seed, the Golden Eagles (GA). That game will tip at 4 p.m. Thursday on NBA TV.
Wednesday, Central Cabarrus -- which has lost one game in two seasons -- started slow and trailed against Dorman, the largest high school in South Carolina, but seemed to wear down the S.C. power with constant pressure defense and a fast-breaking offense. Star guard and first team All-Observer selection Jaiden Thompson led a late second quarter rally to get Central Cabarrus the lead.
In the second half, the Vikings extended the lead to nearly 20 points and Dorman never was able to make a run to get close.
TUESDAY’S #BIG5 TOP PERFORMERS
Bryson Honeycutt, Concord Robinson baseball: 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs in a 13-1 win over Gray Stone Day.
Aashna Shah, Ardrey Kell softball: freshman had a no-hitter, struck out seven and walked one in a 10-0 win over Berry.
Ella Smith, Charlotte Latin girls soccer: three goals, two assists in a 6-0 win over Parkwood.
Issac Snapp, Covenant Day baseball: shutout win, nine strikeouts against Charlotte Latin.
Savannah Stinson, Concord Academy: four goals in a 9-0 win over Westminster Catawba. For the season, Stinson has 13 goals in eight matches.
BASEBALL
Anson County 5-15, Monroe 4-11: Anson swept this Rocky River 2A-3A doubleheader. Monroe’s Prince Boyer had a hit and an RBI in the opener, and Mariyon Buford scored three times for Monroe in the nightcap.
Ardrey Kell 7, South Mecklenburg 3: Cade Sabin pitched the Knights to a SoMeck 4A victory.
Butler 13, Rocky River 0
Charlotte Catholic 17-16, Garinger 0-0: The Cougars swept a Southwestern 4A doubleheader. In the opener, Cameron Daigle had two hits and four RBI, and Payton Wildman drove in three runs. In the second game, Evan MacIntyre singled, doubled and tripled and knocked in four runs.
Charlotte Country Day 3, Providence Day 0: senior Casey Scott was 3-of-3 and James Lowe was 2-for-4 in the CISAA win over a league rival.
Cherryville 3, Burns 2: The Ironmen knocked off the state’s No. 1-ranked 2A team, behind the hitting of Kanon Willis, who had a single and triple.
Christ the King 6, Community School of Davidson 0: Parker Shipman worked six shutout innings in getting the victory for the Crusaders. Jake Dulski drove in three runs with a double and triple.
Covenant Day 4, Charlotte Latin 0: Isaac Snapp fired a complete-game two-hitter, striking out nine as the Lions posted a CISAA shutout.
East Gaston 13, Highland Tech 2: Ben Sumney doubled and tripled, driving in three runs for East Gaston in this South Piedmont 1A-2A game.
Forest Hills 2, Parkwood 1: Evan Greene homered for the Yellow Jackets in this Rocky River 2A-3A game.
Forestview 14, Ashbrook 4
Fred T. Foard 8, North Lincoln 2
Hickory 6, West Iredell 0
Hickory Grove Christian 3, Gaston Day 1: Hickory Grove’s Cole Nelson homered and drove in two runs in this Metrolina Athletic Conference game.
Hopewell 10, Chambers 0
Jay M. Robinson 13, Gray Stone Day 1: The Bulldogs rolled to a Yadkin Valley 1A-2A triumph, as Bryson Honeycutt went 3-for-3, including two doubles, and drove in four runs.
Lake Norman 5, Hickory Ridge 4: The Wildcats won this battle for first place in the Greater Metro 4 4A, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh. Tyler Sumner homered and drove in two runs. Lake Norman is now 4-1 in the league, followed by Hickory Ridge (5-2) and Cox Mill (4-2).
Lincoln Charter 12, Pine Lake Prep 0: Matt Cifriano smacked a grand slam and drove in six runs, as the Eagles routed their Catawba Shores 1A-2A opponents.
Metrolina Christian 21, Concord Academy 1
Mooresville 7, A.L. Brown 0: Connor Robertson had two hits and two runs as the Blue Devils posted a Greater Metro 4 4A shutout.
Mountain Island Charter 5, Langtree Charter 4
Myers Park 8, Palisades 1
North Mecklenburg 13, West Mecklenburg 3: The Vikings won this Queen City 3A-4A game with only two hits. North scored eight runs in the third and fourth inning en route to the easy win. Pitchers Andrew Rhoden and Ryan Clark combined to throw five innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven.
North Point Christian 7, Queens Grant Charter 5
Northwest Cabarrus 10, Concord 1
Piedmont Community Charter 10, Jackson Day 0
Porter Ridge 4, Cuthbertson 1
Providence Day 4, Charlotte Country Day 3: The Chargers rallied for a CISAA victory, scoring three runs in their last at-bat. Hudson Adams had two hits, two runs and two RBI for Providence Day. The Buccaneers’ Owen Miller slammed a two-run homer.
South Iredell 1, West Cabarrus 0: Layne Paxton fired a four-hitter, walking none and striking out eight for the Vikings in this Greater Metro 4 4A game. Freshman Eli Beekley smacked two doubles, one of which drove in the game’s only run.
SouthLake Christian 5, Gaston Day 2: Jason Johnson homered for Gaston Day in this Metrolina Athletic Conference game.
Union Academy 3, South Stanly 1: Garrett Brucke fired a one-hitter and struck out seven, as the Cardinals won this Yadkin Valley 1A-2A contest.
West Lincoln 11, Lincolnton 0
West Rowan 4, Central Cabarrus 2: Noah Cottone and Aiden Kwon each had two hits for the Vikings in their South Piedmont 3A loss.
SOFTBALL
Wednesday’s big game: Mooresville (8-2, 4-0) travels to Hickory Ridge (9-1, 5-0) in a battle for first place in the Greater Metro 4 4A. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Anson County 19, Forest Hills 0: Laney Hill and Brooklyn Miles each drove in four runs for Anson in this Rocky River 2A-3A game.
Ardrey Kell 10, Berry Academy 0: Freshman Aashna Shah tossed a no-hitter, walking just one and fanning seven. Grace McKee had three hits for the Knights in their SoMeck 4A triumph.
Butler 9, Independence 5: The host Bulldogs won this Southwestern 4A showdown, improving to 5-0 in the league. Independence dropped to 3-1.
Central Academy 16, Monroe 0: Kaitlyn Zuendel went 3-for-4, including a home run, as the Cougars blanked their Rocky River 2A-3A opponents.
Central Cabarrus 9, West Rowan 0: Abby Ragan tossed a three-hitter in the Vikings’ South Piedmont 3A victory.
Charlotte Catholic 11, Charlotte Country Day 1: Madden Glossner doubled, homered and drove in four runs for the Cougars.
Cox Mill 6, South Iredell 5: Ashlynn Bunn had three hits in leading the Chargers past their Greater Metro 4 4A opponents.
Crest 11, North Gaston 2
Cuthbertson 4, Weddington 2: Carolina Petroff led the Cavaliers to a Southern Carolina 4A victory, with her three-run double.
Gray Stone Day 12, Jay M. Robinson 11
Hickory Ridge 5, West Cabarrus 1
High Point Christian 8, Hickory Grove Christian 0
Highland Tech 6, East Gaston 0
Hough 18, Hopewell 3: The Huskies scored 15 runs in the top of the first and rolled to a Queen City 3A-4A victory. Madden McMahan-Waters had three hits, including a home run.
Kings Mountain 13, South Point 2
Legion Collegiate 6, Covenant Day 2: Avery Houseton singled and doubled, driving in both Covenant Day runs.
Lincoln Charter 10, Pine Lake Prep 0: Mia Hammond doubled and homered, as the Eagles rolled to a Catawba Shores 1A-2A victory.
Mallard Creek 14, Chambers 2: Ten players had at least one RBI for the Mavericks. Lindsay Refsnider doubled and drove in two runs.
Marvin Ridge 7, Porter Ridge 2: Power hitting led the Mavericks to this Southern Carolina 4A victory, as Lexi Kirby, Riya Patel and Anna McGowan each homered.
Metrolina Christian 14, Concord Academy 0
Mooresville 7, Lake Norman 4: Emily Dudley’s grand slam lifted Mooresville to a Greater Metro 4 4A victory.
Mountain Island Charter 17, Langtree charter 0: Freshman Camden Addington homered and drove in three runs for the Raptors in their Catawba Shores 1A-2A win.
Myers Park 15, Olympic 0: Shyann Powell tossed a three-inning no-hitter, striking out seven of the nine Olympic batter she faced in this SoMeck 4A game.
North Lincoln 7, Fred T. Foard 5: This game left the two teams tied atop the Western Foothills 3A, with 4-1 records.
Providence 10, East Mecklenburg 0
South Mecklenburg 28, Harding 0: Winning pitcher Taylor Barlow helped herself at the plate in this SoMeck 4A game, slamming two doubles and a triple. She drove in five runs.
South Rowan 13, Lake Norman Charter 0: The Knights were held to two hits in this South Piedmont 3A loss by South Rowan ace Lexie Ritchie.
South Stanly 4, Union Academy 2: Defending 1A state champ South Stanly won this battle of Yadkin Valley 1A-2A powers. Both pitchers – South Stanly’s Mattie Poulos and Union Academy’s Gracie Hollingsworth – had six-hitters.
Stuart Cramer 10, Ashbrook 0: Emma Donaldson’s two-hitter, with 13 strikeouts, lifted the Storm to a Big South 3A win.
West Iredell 12, Hickory 7: Kaylee Chapman doubled, tripled and homered for West Iredell in this Western Foothills 3A game.
West Lincoln 11, Lincolnton 0
West Stanly 7, Parkwood 0
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Bandys 2, Lincolnton 0
Central Cabarrus 2, West Rowan 0
Charlotte Catholic 1, Marvin Ridge 0: The visiting Cougars got a goal from Jordyn Miller, off a May Spinner assist, and Summer Sescila got the shutout in goal.
Charlotte Latin 6, Calvary Day 0: Ella Smith’s three goals and two assists powered the Hawks.
Concord Academy 9, Westminster Catawba 0: Savannah Stinson scored four goals, as her team cruised to a Metrolina Athletic Conference victory. Stinson has 13 goals and three assists in eight matches. Ava Ferriss added three goals for the victors.
Cox Mill 0, Mooresville 0
East Gaston 5, Highland Tech 1: Ava Stilwell (two goals, one assist) led East Gaston to a Southern Piedmont 1A-2A victory.
Forest Hills 4, Gray Stone Day 4
Fred T. Foard 3, North Lincoln 1
Independence 6, Butler 1: The Patriots rolled past their neighborhood rivals for a Southwestern 4A victory, as Samantha Swinson scored three times. Abbey Stengel had a goal and three assists.
Hickory 9, West Iredell 0
Hickory Ridge 9, A.L. Brown 0: The Ragin’ Bulls rolled to a Greater Metro 4 4A victory, as Ava Trzebiatowski scored three goals and added two assists.
Hopewell 9, Chambers 0: Caia Sutton and Emily Buck each scored three times, and the Titans rolled to a Queen City 3A-4A triumph.
Hough 9, West Charlotte 0: Hough improved to 10-0-1 (4-0 in Queen City 3A-4A), as Kylee Thompson scored three goals.
Lake Norman Charter 9, South Rowan 0: Riley Cook scored six goals and added an assist, and the Knights’ defense held its South Piedmont 3A foe to one shot on goal.
Myers Park 14, Olympic 1
North Mecklenburg 9, West Mecklenburg 0: Freshman Samantha Nevills had a big day in the Vikings’ Queen City 3A-4A shutout, scoring five goals and adding an assist.
Northwest Cabarrus 7, Concord 0
Piedmont Community Charter 7, Bessemer City 3
Providence 9, East Mecklenburg 0
Rocky River 1, Garinger 0
South Iredell 7, West Cabarrus 1
South Mecklenburg 9, Harding 0: Lillian Jobe (three goals, one assist) led the Sabres to a SoMeck 4A victory.
South Point 9, Kings Mountain 0: Kareyn Lowman scored twice for South Point in its Big South 4A victory.
SouthLake Christian 2, Gaston Christian 0: Olivia Miller and Aubrey Tracy scored, as the Eagles blanked their Metrolina Athletic Conference opponents.
Union Academy 9, Hickory Grove Christian 0: Nina Fraticelli’s two goals and two assists powered the Cardinals.
BOYS’ LACROSSE
Ardrey Kell 12, Charlotte Christian 7
Charlotte Catholic 10, Cannon School 7: This was a meeting of teams ranked No. 1 in the state – Catholic in the N.C. High School Athletic Association, and Cannon in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association.
Charlotte Latin 17, South Mecklenburg 8
Hough 21, Charlotte Country Day 9: The Huskies improved to 9-0.
Providence 12, Mooresville 2: Malcolm Meadows (five goals, two assists) and Ethan Miles (four goals, four assists) led the Panthers.
Weddington 18, Cuthbertson 8
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Cannon School 13, Community School of Davidson 7: Julia Schattner scored three goals and won seven faceoffs, and Wylie Neal had a 69 percent save ratio in goal for Cannon.
Lake Norman 22, Mooresville 4
Parkwood 12, Sun Valley 9
BOYS’ TENNIS
Carmel Christian 6, Charlotte Country Day 3: Owen Akers (No. 1 singles) and Noah Daniels (No. 2) won their matches, then teamed to win No. 1 doubles for Carmel. Graeme Cox won in singles and doubles for Charlotte Country Day.
Lincolnton 6, Newton-Conover 3: Lincolnton’s Piero Rovalino (No. 1 singles) and Gavin Hendricks (No. 2) won in singles, then teamed for a No. 1 doubles victory.
BOYS’ GOLF
Charlotte Latin set what is thought to be a school record with a team total of 11-under-par, in a 133-152 victory over Covenant Day. The match was played at Pine Lake Country Club in Mint Hill. Davis Sayman, Aston Lee and Henry Holland each shot 3-under 33’s, and Til Wagner fired a 34.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
Monday’s Rewind: Central Cabarrus hoops readies for national TV debut, Hough soccer wins
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for Central Cabarrus High’s boys basketball team, and it’s about to become even crazier.
Two weeks ago, the Vikings finished their season unbeaten, beating Northwood to win their first state championship in 23 years. The city of Concord is planning a special celebration for the 3A team on April 6. And on April 17, the Cabarrus County School board will also honor the team, coach Jim Baker said.
But before all of that, Central Cabarrus will make its national TV debut.
Tuesday afternoon, the team was scheduled to take a chartered bus to Atlanta to play in “The Throne,” a made-for-TV national high school tournament. The four-day, single-elimination event features 16 of the nation’s top high school teams. Central Cabarrus will play S.C. state champion Dorman Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. on NBA TV.
“The kids are pumped up,” Baker said Tuesday morning, “and we all know there are some really good teams there. I told some people that once word got out about this tournament, there are going to be so many more teams lobbying to go next year. It’s just a big honor.”
The tournament was created by Gold Level Sports & Entertainment along with the National Basketball Players Association. Co-founders of the event are Darren Duncan and 3-time NBA champ and former UNC star Danny Green.
Due to N.C. rules, Central Cabarrus can’t use its school name, uniforms or coaching staff, so the team will be called the N.C. Vikings. Baker can’t coach, either, so the mother of Desmond Kent -- The Observer’s Sixth Man of the year -- will coach the team.
Baker said that tournament founders Duncan and Green heard about Central Cabarrus during the season and began talking with Denver Nuggets guard Ish Smith, who averaged 25 points and 10 assists per game at Central Cabarrus as a senior in 2006.
“After they talked to Ish,” Baker said, “things exploded.”
This week’s tournament wlll be the final “school” games for five Vikings who won’t return next season, including three starters -- Lees McRae signee Gavin Bullock, Mars Hill football signee Adriel Miller and first-team All-Observer guard Jaiden Thompson.
Baker said his seniors -- and everyone on his team -- are making memories that they’ll never forget.
“We laugh about it,” Baker said, “but I don’t think they come back down to earth yet. It may take awhile.”
Monday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Morgan Banks, Charlotte Christian softball: threw an eight strikeout, no-hitter against Freedom Christian
Jack Dalton, Lake Norman Charter boys lacrosse: four goals and four assists in a 13-2 win over Community School of Davidson.
Grace Maddox, Community School of Davidson girls lacrosse: four goals, two assists in a 13-9 win over Lake Norman Charter.
Matthew Makowski, Lake Norman Charter baseball: 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs in a 17-5 win over Cox Mill. Makowski hits .485 with 18 RBIs in 10 games
Madison Waldron, Hough girls soccer: two goals in a 2-1 win over Lake Norman.
Monday’s Rewind
BASEBALL
Bessemer City 7, Pinnacle Classical 3
Charlotte Christian 11, Corvian Community 1: Three Knights pitchers had a role in the victory, limiting Corvian to two hits and striking out 11. Tanner McCammon drove in three runs.
Gaston Day 3, Hickory Grove Christian 2: Hollis Morphy had two hits and two RBI for Hickory Grove in its Metrolina Athletic Conference setback.
Highland Tech 15, Ashbrook 4: The Rams jumped on Ashbrook with 11 runs in the top of the first. Gavin Blackwood homered and drove in four runs.
Hopewell 10, East Mecklenburg 0
Lake Norman Charter 17, Cox Mill 5: Matthew Makowski continued his torrid start to the season, going 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI. Makowski is batting .485 with 18 RBIs in 10 games this spring.
Metrolina Christian 14, Gaston Christian 4: Metrolina scored eight runs in the top of the second, improving to 4-0 in Metrolina Athletic Conference play.
Olentangy (OH) Orange 7, Charlotte Catholic 5: The visitors, from the Columbus area, opened their season by handing the Cougars their third loss in 11 games. Jake Kernodle drove in four runs for Charlotte Catholic.
West Cabarrus 17, Pine Lake Prep 2
SOFTBALL
Ardrey Kell 10, Cuthbertson 5: Grace McKee went 4-for-4, scoring four runs, and Sydney Powell had two RBI for the Knights. Cuthbertson’s Kristine DiPiazza singled and tripled.
Central Academy 7, Charlotte Country Day 4: Anna Crown had two hits and an RBI for CATA.
Charlotte Christian 5, Freedom Christian 0: Freshman Morgan Banks tossed a no-hitter, and Anna Hinde led the Knights’ offense with a home run and a double.
Lincolnton 7, Bessemer City 4
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Ashbrook 6, Cherryville 1
Carmel Christian 1, Charlotte Country Day 0
Community School of Davidson 0, Christ the King 0: Christ the King had 11 shots on goal, to four for the Spartans, but the Spartan defense preserved a shutout.
East Lincoln 6, Statesville 0: Berklie Greene scored three times, and Emma Strauss added two goals and an assist for East Lincoln.
East Mecklenburg 2, Palisades 0: The Eagles’ Alice Tyson made five saves in the first half, and Ester Pineda had two saves in the second half of the shutout. Brandy Sanchez and Carolina Cannella scored goals for the victors.
Hough 2, Lake Norman 1: Hough broke a 1-1 halftime tie and remained unbeaten (9-0-1).
Independence 1, Porter Ridge 1: Mia Telerig scored on an assist from Samantha Swinson for Independence.
Jay M. Robinson 9, South Stanly 1
Mount Pleasant 7, North Stanly 0
Myers Park 2, Weddington 1:
North Gaston 2, Bessemer City 2
Providence Day 3, Fort Mill 0: Chandler Brooks made six saves in goal, and Cameryn Sicard had a goal and an assist for the Chargers.
Queens Grant Charter 2, Corvian Community 0
West Iredell 6, Langtree Charter 1: Kelsey Brown scored twice and had two assists, and Litzy Flores-Cruz and Allie Lackey each added two goals for the Falcons.
BOYS’ LACROSSE
Catawba Ridge 16, Parkwood 6
Christ the King 15, Bishop McGuinness 12: Ryan Jones (four goals, two assists) and Ben Habel (five goals, one assist) lifted the host Crusaders to victory.
Lake Norman Charter 13, Community School of Davidson 2: Jack Dalton’s four goals and four assists led the Knights.
Marvin Ridge 27, Porter Ridge 3: The Mavericks cruised to victory, behind Jack Nicolette (four goals, one assist) and Ryan Ormond (three goals, three assists).
Pine Lake Prep 12, Mountain Island Charter 4
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Butler 14, SouthLake Christian 6: Ashelynn Jacobson stopped nine of 13 SouthLake shots, and Kendall Middleton led the Butler attack with six goals, one assists, and 13 ground balls.
Catawba Ridge 16, Parkwood 2
Community School of Davidson 13, Lake Norman Charter 10: Lake Norman Charter senior co-captains Meredith Bordeaux and Gaby Bernardo had milestones in the loss. Bordeaux got her 100th career draw and Bernado got her 100th career goal, including two in the game.
Weddington 21, Cuthbertson 4: Elektra Kolouris had seven goals and three assists, and she won 10 of 12 draws for Weddington.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published March 28, 2023 at 12:55 PM.
