Saturday’s high school basketball rewind: Weddington stops Gaston Christian in Concord
Weddington High School got a monster performance from Grant Hamilton and beat Gaston Christian in a close game Saturday at Phenom Hoops’ Ish Smith Showcase.
Hamilton scored 37 points, making seven 3-point shots in an 81-78 win at Central Cabarrus High School.
Hamilton also had seven rebounds, three steals and three assists as Weddington, No. 14 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 regional poll, improved to 9-0.
KJ Younger also had a big game for Weddington. He finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds.
Gaston Christian got a combined 45 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists from Cameron Newman and Gabriel Mabor.
Saturday’s #BIG5 top performers
Amare Bethel, Charlotte Country Day: In an 87-56 win over Durham Trinity Saturday, Bethel had a career-high 39 points.
Ma-kaela Gidney, Hickory Ridge girls: Gidney finished with 15 points, five steals, three assists in a 70-28 win over Central Cabarrus.
Grant Hamilton, Weddington: In an 81-78 win over Gaston Christian, Hamilton made seven 3-point shots and finished with 37 points and seven rebounds.
Kam Taylor, Carmel Christian: In an 78-75 win over Concord Academy, Taylor had 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Tyree White, Covenant Day: White finished with nine points, nine rebounds, eight assists and a steal in a 63-49 upset of Sweet 16 No. 7 Davidson Day.
Saturday’s boys’ box scores
▪ Observer Sweet 16 rankings included.
NO. 3 CENTRAL CABARRUS 81, HICKORY RIDGE 37
CENTRAL CABARRUS 81 — Chase Daniel 8, Carson Daniel 23, DJ Kent 16, Mari Russell 20, Edmisten 2, Smith 3, Burse-Jones 2, Lowery 7
HICKORY RIDGE 37 — Wood 3, Tyzher Dyer 13, Haywood 9, Daniel 2
COVENANT DAY 63, NO. 7 DAVIDSON DAY 49
DAVIDSON DAY 49 — Jacobs 3, Isaiah Denis 19, Sprull 5, Rodgers 6, Mason Smith 14, Kester 2
COVENANT DAY 63 — Elijah Green 16, Shipp 3, Rivens 7, White 9, Weaver 9, Patrik Penosky 13, Haggarty 2, Olshefski 2, Anderson 2
NO. 11 UNITED FAITH 78, RABUN GAP 48
Rabun Gap 15 14 7 12 — 48
United Faith 19 26 25 18 — 78
RABUN GAP 48 — F. Pasek 6, Peleson 2, Vernon 2, J. Pasek 2, Rares Trandafir 21, Cornwell 2, Andra Szamashvilli 13
UNITED FAITH 78 — JD Bowen 10, DJ Boyce 15, Will Brown 13, Logan Johnson 12, Isaiah Sutherland 11, Dylan Deluca 11, Bass 6
NO. 14 WEDDINGTON 81, GASTON CHRISTIAN 78
Gaston Christian 22 15 20 21 — 78
Weddington 10 23 25 23 — 81
GASTON CHRISTIAN 78 — Mabor 24, Newman 21, Rhyne 18, Carpenter 6, Duhon 6
WEDDINGTON 81 — Grant Hamilton 37, KJ Younger 21, Vaughn 9, Powers 7, Zepp 4, Ellyson 3
Notable: For Weddington, Grant Hamilton, Roanoke Commit, scored a game high 37 points on 12-17 shooting including 7-of-12 from 3-point range. Hamilton also had seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals...Weddington (9-0) will play Thursday vs Northside Christian in the Phenom Hoops Holiday Classic hosted at Cox Mill High School at 1:30pm.
Record: Weddington 9-0; Gaston Christian 8-6.
NO. 16 CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 87, DURHAM TRINITY 56
Country Day 19 17 24 28 — 87
Durham Trinity 16 18 17 5 — 56
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 87 — Amare Bethel 39, Nick Diaz 14, Schulze 9, Scott 9, Smith 5, Horton 2, Jones 7, Batten 2
DURHAM TRINITY 56 — Smith 20, powdery 17, Berbeits 11, Kim 4, Guiteriz 2, Matthews 2
Notable: Country Day bounced back from an overtime loss to Cary Christian Friday behind a career-high 39 points from Amare Bethel. The Bucs (11-2) and host Charlotte Catholic Tuesday night.
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 78, CONCORD ACADEMY 75 OT
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 78 — Chandler Kennedy 19, Bryce Slay 13, Kam Taylor 28, Montgomery 2, Colin Peck 10, Cody Peck 6
CONCORD ACADEMY 75 — Howard 3, Sherod McCormick 14, Madiera 4, Jake Benham 14, Sean Birmingham 22, Rudy 4, Alex Kornocki 14
MOORESVILLE 58, CONCORD 46
Mooresville 14 13 14 17 — 58
Concord 13 5 13 15 — 46
MOORESVILLE 58 — AJ Parsley 10, Christian Wilson 10, Eian Bailey 9, Kyri Wilson 6, Carson Schaen 6, Jalen Chambers 5, Dylan Leuthardt 5, Dylan Clark 2, Kaleb Oloyede 2, Nolan Ericson 2, Bryson Demby 1.
CONCORD 46 — Judah Freeman 12, Keyon Phillips 13, Reid 7, Starnes 2, Jeremiah Howard 12
Notable: For Mooresville, AJ Parsley had five assists and three steals.; Kyri Wilson had five assists and five rebounds; and Dylan Leuthardt had 12 rebounds and five blocks.
Record: Mooresville 6-2
Upcoming schedules
Monday
Catawba Shores 1A-2A
Bradford Prep at Pine Lake Prep
Nonconference
Central Pageland (SC) at Monroe
Elevation Prep at Charlotte Elite Academy (boys)
Liberty Prep at Community School of Davidson (boys)
North Stanly at Forest Hills
Piedmont at Harding
S.C. nonconference
Buford at Great Falls
City of Palms Classic (boys)
(at Fort Myers, FL)
Paul VI (VA) vs. Millennium (AZ), 3:30
North Mecklenburg vs. Link Academy (MO), 5:15
Mariner (FL) vs. Westminster Academy (FL), 7
Cannon School vs. Montverde Academy (FL), 8:45
Tuesday
Big South 3A
Ashbrook at Kings Mountain
Hunter Huss at Crest
South Point at Forestview
Stuart Cramer at North Gaston
South Piedmont 3A
Jesse Carson at Lake Norman Charter
Northwest Cabarrus at Jay M. Robinson
South Rowan at East Rowan
West Rowan at Concord
Metro 8 1A
Carolina International at Bradford Prep
Sugar Creek Charter at Piedmont Community Charter
Queen’s Grant Charter at Valor Prep
Nonconference
Bessemer City at East Rutherford
Buford (SC) at Parkwood
Charlotte Catholic at Charlotte Country Day
Charlotte Christian at Westminster Catawba (boys)
Charlotte Elite Academy at Greater Cabarrus Stallions (boys)
Corvian Community at Greater Cabarrus Stallions (girls)
Gaston Day at Trinity Academy (boys), 11:30 a.m.
Hopewell at West Cabarrus (girls)
Marvin Ridge at East Mecklenburg (boys)
Metrolina Christian at High Point Wesleyan
Myers Park vs. Mountainbrook (AL), in Jasper (AL) Classic (boys)
South Charlotte Thunder at Comenius School (SC) (boys)
South Mecklenburg at Mooresville
Union Academy at Covenant Day
S.C. nonconference
Andrew Jackson at Lakewood
Buford at Parkwood
Charlotte Christian at Westminster Catawba (boys)
Nation Ford at Lancaster
Northwestern at Fort Mill
South Charlotte Thunder at Comenius School (boys)
Cayce Roundball Classic (boys)
(at Brookland-Cayce High, SC)
(American Bracket)
(first round)
Cross Creek (GA) vs. Sumter (SC), 7
North Augusta (GA) vs. Marion (SC), 8:30
City of Palms Classic (boys)
(at Fort Myers, FL)
Paul VI-Millennium loser vs. Mariner-Westminster loser, noon
Mariner-Westminster winner vs. Long Island (NY) Lutheran, 5:15
Don Bosco Prep (GA) vs. McEachern (GA), 7
Columbus (FL) vs. Archbishop Ryan (PA), 8:45
Saturday’s girls’ box scores
NO. 10 HICKORY RIDGE 70, CENTRAL CABARRUS 28
Hickory Ridge 18 16 22 14 — 70
Central Cabarrus 9 9 6 4 — 28
HICKORY RIDGE 70 — M Gidney 15, K. Woodward 12, S. Gidney 11, Leathers 8, Watkins 7, C. Woodward 5, Duley 4, Shampine 3, Johnson 2, Hamilton 2, Ridder 1
CENTRAL CABARRUS 28 — Cruz 9, Burton 8, Lewis 5, Duncan 2, Arevalo 2, Picket 2
Records: Hickory Ridge 7-1; Central Cabarrus 5-2
NO. 14 CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 61, DURHAM TRINITY 19
Charlotte Country Day 27 18 13 3 — 61
Durham Trinity 4 9 2 4 — 19
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 61 — Margaret Blythe 19, Olive Bigham 13, Sam Vanderhave 11, Casey Smith 10, Starnes 4, Britton 3, Turner Lange 8, Bagley 6, McClure 3, Tonga 2
Records: CCDS 9-3; Durham Trinity 1-7
NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN 61, GREENVILLE (SC) 18
NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN 61 — Jakaila Gaskin 18, Brianna Carelock 16, Amani Womack 10, Toscano 9, Fields 5, Goblin 1
Notable: For Northside Christian, Jakaila Gaskin finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
PROVIDENCE DAY 53, HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 48 OT
Providence Day 7 17 13 12 4 — 53
Wesleyan 12 4 18 15 0 — 48
PROVIDENCE DAY 53 — Jaida McClure 17, Layla Clark 13, Ellie Fyans 13. Stuart 6. Levine 3, Ramsden 1
HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 48 — Kennedy Jackson 15, Blythe Cunningham 13, Sara Kate Carr 13, Browne 9
Record: Providence Day 7-5
Friday’s girls’ rewind: No. 5 Mallard Creek routs No. 9 North Meck
Mallard Creek’s girls’ basketball team looks a whole lot different when junior Elle Stone is playing.
Stone played her third complete game of the season in Friday’s 67-51 win over North Mecklenburg, No. 9 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16.
No. 5 Mallard Creek (8-2) looked like the team that was ranked No. 1 in the preseason rankings and not like the one that went 4-2 when Stone missed time with an ankle injury.
“We’re just so much different when she’s out there,” Mallard Creek coach Karlyn Dixon said. “On defense, she contests so much in the paint, and then she gets out running the lanes (on offense). She makes it so much easier on everybody else.”
Stone — a preseason All-Observer regional pick — had 12 points, 12 steals, five rebounds and four blocks Friday. Mallard Creek (8-2, 3-0 Queen City 3A/4A) led North Mecklenburg 36-28 at halftime, but blew the game open with a 23-10 push in the third quarter.
Mavericks point guard Lili Booker, a Cannon School transfer, and Olivia Robertson also played big roles in the win. Booker had 32 points, six steals and four assists. Robertson had 11 points, 10 blocks and five rebounds.
Mallard Creek has long been an N.C. girls’ basketball state power, but the Mavericks have never reached the championship round. With Stone, the team’s best player, getting back to full strength, Dixon thinks her 2023-24 Mallard Creek team has a real chance.
“We had to take a couple lumps, to learn some things and figure out some things with Elle out,” Dixon said. “But with all the pieces we have, I think we’re working towards something special.”
NC/SC scoreboard
Friday’s #BIG5 top performers
Kyliah Brown, South Mecklenburg: In a 61-35 win over Palisades, Brown recorded her first career triple-double. She finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals.
Kate Lesniak, Lincoln Charter: Lesniak made four straight 3-point shots in a 78-19 win over Langtree Charter. She finished with a career-high 14 points.
Chloe Moss, Independence: Moss had 18 points, on 8-for-12 shooting, and eight rebounds in a 73-25 win over Garinger.
Olivia Robertson, Mallard Creek: Robertson had 11 points, 10 blocks, five rebounds in a 67-51 over No. 9 North Mecklenburg.
Charlotte Tune, Charlotte Latin: Tune turned in a game-high 25 points in a 68-35 win over Metrolina Christian.
Friday’s box scores
NO. 1 INDEPENDENCE 73, GARINGER 25
Independence 27 18 19 9 — 73
Garinger 6 13 0 6 — 25
INDEPENDENCE 73 — Chloe Moss 18, Kaylee Carson 18, Kamryn Kitchen 11, Sellars 7, Brimmer 7, Worthey 6, H. Moss 2, Brown 2, Muhammad 2
GARINGER 25 — Williams 10, Kelly 6, Patterson 4, Garris 2, Garvin 2, Gargin 1
Notable: Independence’s Chloe Moss scored 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.
Records: Independence 8-1; Garinger 8-2
NO. 2 CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 62, ROCKY RIVER 20
Rocky River 6 4 2 8 — 20
Catholic 11 13 22 16 — 62
ROCKY RIVER 20 — Jarrett 8, Montgomery 7, Overton 5
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 62 — Blanca Thomas 21, Gracynn Gough 10, Kernodle 9, Hoefling 8, McKain 5, Shea 3, Byron 2, Tucker 2, Fey 2
Records: Catholic 7-0; Rocky River 3-5
Notable: For Charlotte Catholic, Blanca Thomas, a UNC recruit, had 21 points, five rebounds and three blocks. In Tuesday’s win over No. 1 Independence, Thomas had 26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
NO. 5 MALLARD CREEK 67, NORTH MECKLENBURG 51
Mallard Creek 14 23 17 — 67
North Meck 17 11 10 13 — 51
MALLARD CREEK 67 — Elle Stone 12, Lili Booker 32, Olivia Robertson 11, Alana Biosse 11, J. Stone 4, Young 3
NORTH MECK 51 — Lenise Joseph 18, Bates 9, Knox 8, Rivera 5, Pimentel 4, Fullenwider 3, Reid 2, Hoover 1, Davis 1,
Notable: Mallard Creek junior Elle Stone (12 points, 12 steals, five rebounds, four blocks), senior Lili Booker (32 points, six steals, four assists), junior Olivia Robertson (11 points, 10 blocks) and senior Alana Blosse (11 points, four rebounds) led the Mavericks.
Records: Mallard Creek 8-2, 3-0
HIBRITEN 59, NO. 8 EAST LINCOLN 48
Hibriten 9 12 22 16 — 59
East Lincoln 20 4 10 14 — 48
HIBRITEN 59 —Emma Poarch 13, Aamori Patterson 12, Jada Brown 12, Karlee Starnes 11, Parker Boggs 6, Mckenzie Collins 5
EAST LINCOLN 48 — Emma Montanari 11, Abbie Hege 11, Kiara Anderson 10, Nevaeh Atkins 10, T. Thomas 6
Notable: East Lincoln’s Abbie Hege had a double-double (11 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, block)
Records: Hibriten 7-0; East Lincoln 6-1
NO. 10 HICKORY RIDGE 51, SUN VALLEY 43
Hickory Ridge 14 20 7 10 — 51
Sun Valley 13 14 7 9 — 43
HICKORY RIDGE 51 — M Gidney 18, Leathers 16, S. Gidney 11, C. Woodward 4, Johnson 2
SUN VALLEY 43 — Robinson 18, Vaughn 10, Henry 7. Meaders 4, Grant 2, Bradley 2
Records: Hickory Ridge 6-1; Sun Valley 5-5
NO. 11 ARDREY KELL 69, BERRY 9
Ardrey Kell 26 15 15 — 69
Berry 3 2 3 1 — 9
ARDREY KELL 58 — Molly Burns 22, McCoy 8, Glahn 8, Stone 6, Fleck 6, Kennan 4, Collin 4,Washington 4, Riley 4, Adarkwah 2
BERRY 9 — Parker 3, Brynlee 3, Bella 1, Janavia 2
WEST CABARRUS 59, NO. 13 MARVIN RIDGE 40
West Cabarrus 18 10 13 16 — 59
Marvin Ridge 10 15 9 6 — 40
WEST CABARRUS 59 — Kaiya Bond 18, Rayana Minard 15, Tyler Collins13, Simmons 7, White 6
MARVIN RIDGE 40 — Cadence Douglas10, Lenahan 3, Edwards 3, Robitaclle 7, Chepul 7, Shindler 8, Allessandro 2
Notable: For West Cabarrus, sophomore Kaiya Bond (18 points, 12 rebounds, two steals), Rayana Minard (15 points, seven assists, five steals) and senior Tyler Collins (13 points, four steals, five rebounds, two assists) had big games.
Records: West Cabarrus 3-4, 0-0; Marvin Ridge 6-1; 0-0
No. 14 CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 58, CARY ACADEMY 12
Country Day 25 12 16 5 — 58
Cary Academy 3 2 2 5 — 12
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 58 — Margaret Blythe 13, Olive Bigham 13, Vanderhave 9, C Smith 8, Turner 7, Britton 3, Crane 2, Starnes 2, Brown 1
CARY ACADEMY 12 — Surafeal 6, McMahon 4, Leachman 2
Records: Country Day 8-3; Cary Academy 4-4
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 63, SOUTH IREDELL 47
South Iredell 9 9 10 19 — 47
Alexander Central 14 22 17 10 — 63
SOUTH IREDELL 47 — Kayden Johnson 28, Fink 1, Schramm 7, Jones 2, Winterhalter 3, Bradford 4, Johnson 2
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 63 — Jarrett 8, Herman 1, Jordan 3, Meredith Wike 10, Adams 4, Taylor Roseman 11, Haas 4, Brashear 1, Jack 9, Hammer 6, Burch 6
Records: Alexander Central 10-0; South Iredell 2-7
Notable: South Iredell’s Kayden Johnson had 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting and was 8-for-9 on free throws. She also had seven rebounds, three blocks and an assist.
CHARLOTTE LATIN 68, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 35
Charlotte Latin 20 11 24 13 — 68
Metrolina Christian 10 5 14 6 — 35
CHARLOTTE LATIN 68 — Charlotte Tune 25, Neely Hume 18, Alison Archibald 11, Hyder 7, Bean 3, Hutchinson 2, Piotrowski 2
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 35 — Alaina Griffin 22, Carlson 8, Crowe 2, Lederer 2, Harter 1
LINCOLN CHARTER 78, LANGTREE ACADEMY 19
Lincoln Charter 21 22 24 11 — 78
Langtree 0 4 7 8 — 19
LINCOLN CHARTER 78 — Kate Lesniak 14, Symphani Stevens 14, Martha Guinle 11, Tyler Beller 10, Lillie Merrill 9, Taylor Riggenbach 6, Kaylyn Cherry 6, Kallie Lusk 6, Abigal Wrenn 2
LANGTREE ACADEMY — F. Chambers 19
Notable: Lincoln Charter sophomore Kate Lesniak had a career-high 14 points, including four made 3-pointers in a row. Freshman Abigal Wrenn scored her first varsity points.
Record: Lincoln Charter 5-4, 2-1
PIEDMONT CHARTER 45, CHERRYVILLE 42
PIEDMONT CHARTER 45 — Lyric Brown 14, Aubree Cammer 9, J. East 6, Houser 6, Faris 5, E. East 3, Berry 2
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 61 , PALISADES 35
SOUTH MECK 19 15 10 19 — 61
PALISADES 3 4 13 15 — 35
SOUTH MECK 61 — Makailah Davis 24, Brown 14, Hensley 9, Kluttz 9
PALISADES 35 — Tynilla Simpkins 16 Chavis 6
Notable: South Meck’s Kyliah Brown had her first career triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals). Teammate Makailah Davis shot 53 percent from the field and had a game-high 24 points.
WEDDINGTON 55, COX MILL 50
WEDDINGTON 55 — Ella Bergman 16, Caroline Clark 12, Bailey Page 12, Sitren 7, Motto 2, Poole 2, Townshend 2, Brosterous 2
Records: Weddington 6-3; Cox Mill 4-3
This weekend’s schedule
Saturday
Phenom Hoops Ish Smith Showcase
(at Central Cabarrus High)
Central Cabarrus vs. Hickory Ridge, 10 a.m. (girls)
Rabun Gap School (GA) at United Faith Christian, 11:30 a.m.
Covenant Day vs. Davidson Day, 1
Concord Academy at Mooresville, 2:30
Weddington vs. Gaston Christian, 4
Forsyth Country Day vs. The Burlington School, 5:30
Carmel Christian vs. Concord Academy, 7
Central Cabarrus vs. Hickory Ridge, 8:30
Battle for the Crown (girls)
(at United Faith Christian)
Greenville (SC) vs. Northside Christian, 3:30
Legion Collegiate (SC) vs. Salisbury, 5
South Mecklenburg vs. United Faith Christian, 6:45
Charlotte Catholic vs. Quality Education, 8:30
NC-SC Invitational (boys)
(at Indian Land High)
South Pointe vs. N.C. Good Better Best, noon
Victory Christian vs. Indian Land, 4:30
Nonconference
Asheville School at SouthLake Christian (boys, 1:30)
Cannon School vs. Montclair (NJ) Immaculate Conception, in Jimmy V Showcase in Raleigh, 4:30 (boys)
Charlotte Country Day at Trinity School of Durham/Chapel Hill (girls, 11:30 a.m.; boys, 1)
Fort Mill at Christ Church Episcopal (girls, 3:30; boys, 5)
Greater Cabarrus Stallions at Chatham Home School
High Point Wesleyan at Providence Day (girls, 1:30)
Independence at Millbrook (girls, 1)
PHOTOS: North Meck at Mallard Creek doubleheader
This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
