Boys’ basketball rewind: South Meck stops Providence in 2 OTs; scores, stars
A rivalry born when Providence High opened with many former South Mecklenburg students in 1989 added another chapter on Tuesday night at the Dave Price Gymnasium.
South Mecklenburg outlasted the visiting Panthers in an 81-77 double-overtime victory in the second regular season game for both teams.
“Providence was very resilient and coach (Nick) Boney had them ready,” South Mecklenburg coach Chris McDonald said. “They’ve got a really good team and we just outlasted them.”
Both overtime periods were filled with emotion and energy — and lasted 45 minutes after regulation ended tied at 65 after a Providence potential game-winner in the lane came up short at the buzzer.
South Mecklenburg (1-1) built a 35-24 halftime and was ahead by as many as 14 points in the third quarter at 52-38 before the Panthers surged to take a 61-56 lead with five minutes left in regulation.
But after South Meck forced four straight turnovers to take a 63-61 lead with 2:12 left in regulation, the teams were never separated by more than four points the rest of the final 10:12 of playing time.
“We want to hang our hat on defense and we talk about the Triple ‘S’ — that’s Stop Score Stop,” McDonald said. “We needed every bit of that defense to win this game.”
Providence forced the second overtime period with Caleb Gaither’s driving layup with 3.2 seconds left but the Panthers ran out of gas (and players) down the stretch. Four of Providence’s five starters fouled out and a fifth player (a reserve) also fouled out.
In the end, Jim Gatehouse scored 10 of his game-high 25 points in overtime to lead the Sabres to the victory. Myles Howard added 21 points, Ben Houpt 19 and Connor Yett 12 for South Mecklenburg.
Gatehouse’s last two points — free throws with 32.6 seconds left —- gave South Mecklenburg an 80-77 lead.
Providence would miss its last two field goal tries, one a potential tying 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, and the Sabres’ Houpt hit one free throw with 11 seconds left to account for the final score.
Three who made a difference
Jim Gatehouse, South Mecklenburg: The 6-foot-5 junior scored in every quarter and both overtime periods, hitting five of 15 field goals (two of eight 3-pointers) and 13 of 15 free throws for 25 points.
Caleb Gaither, Providence: The junior guard scored a team-high 23 points, including 12 in the third quarter to lead the Panthers’ comeback.
Myles Howard, South Mecklenburg: A defensive-minded swingman, his 10 second quarter points sparked the Sabres to their early advantage. And he finished with 21 points by scoring in all four quarters and in the second overtime period.
Notable
A former NBA standout and Charlotte Observer N.C. Mr. Basketball winner was the official scorer for Providence High’s girls basketball team on Tuesday.
Todd Fuller, whose daughter Emma Fuller is a freshman forward for the Panthers, attended Independence High and Charlotte Christian and was named 1992 Mr. Basketball.
After an All-ACC career at N.C. State, Fuller played five years in the NBA (including the 1999-2000 season with the Charlotte Hornets) and five seasons of international professional basketball.
▪ South Mecklenburg is looking to continue its improvement from last season behind seniors Howard and Muja Williams and juniors Gatehouse, Houpt and Yett. South Mecklenburg improved from eight wins in the 2022-23 season to 21 last year.
▪ Providence had 32 field goals to 25 for South Mecklenburg and outrebounded the Sabres 41-40 but South Mecklenburg forced 19 turnovers while committing 11.
They said it
“We’ve been challenging him to drive to the basket and hit the offensive glass.” — South Mecklenburg coach Chris McDonald on junior forward Jim Gatehouse
Tuesday’s #BIG5 boys’ top performers
Brett Freeman, Ardrey Kell: In an 82-77 loss to Charlotte Catholic, Freeman had a game- and career-high 43 points. That’s the second-most points in school history. Steven Santa Ana scored 44 in the 2015 N.C. 4A state championship.
Judan Freeman, Hough: In a 53-52 win over Myers Park, Freeman had a team-high 25 points. Myers Park’s Bram Early went for 32.
Dermot Lowery, Community School of Davidson: A 6-4 senior shooting guard, Lowery had 32 points, a game-high, in an 89-86 win over Lake Norman Charter.
Jaxson Neely, Independence: Neely had a game-high 21 points as the Patriots upset Hickory Ridge 67-64. Hickory Ridge (0-2) is No. 8 in The Observer’s preseason Sweet 16 poll.
LJ Smith, Lincolnton: One of the nation’s leading scorers among freshmen a year ago, Smith started his sophomore season with 46 points in an 84-44 win over Cherryville.
Wednesday’s boys’ boxscores
BESSEMER CITY 69, NORTH GASTON 66
North Gaston 17 18 16 15 — 66
Bessemer City 18 15 15 21 — 69
NORTH GASTON 66 — Markell Carothers 31, Howard 8, Guerrero 6, Hill 6, Cunningham 4, Kanupp 2, Rivera 3, Liriano 3, Dial 3
BESSEMER CITY 69 — T Gordan 11, R Mclure 16, J Suiton 12, J Black 11, Miller 7, Sellers 6, McCallister 6
QUEENS GRANT 68, LANGTREE CHARTER 60
QUEENS GRANT 68 — Bobby Montgomery 12, Mekhi Allen 14, Smith 2, Ian Howard 10, Cannon DeBerry 11, Scott 4, Geronimo Clark 11, White 4
LANGTREE CHARTER 60 — Brawley 8, Anthony Nesbitt 17, Gelepke 8, Johnson 4, Hoyle 2, Ashton Muriters 14, Petrause 7
Wednesday’s girls’ boxscores
ASHBROOK 56, BERRY 25
Ashbrook 13 14 20 9 — 56
Berry 5 9 3 8 — 25
ASHBROOK 56 — Jakyra Sadler 10, Duraejah Hardin 19, Arianna McDowell 12, Zakiyah Miller 8, Zuri Hayes 3, Chloe Morales 4
Record: Ashbrook 1- 1
MALLARD CREEK 63, MARVIN RIDGE 46
Mallard Creek 20 16 14 13 — 63
Marvin Ridge 7 11 17 11 — 46
MALLARD CREEK 63 — Elle Stone 17, My’Asia Young 18, Kiara Anderson 18, Robertson 9, J. Stone 2
MARVIN RIDGE 46 — K. Sheridan 10, Chadderton 6, Schindler 19, Briggs 7, Douglas 4
Notable: Elle Stone, Senior, finished with the 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block. Kiara Anderson, Junior, finished with 18 points, 13 steals, 4 assists and 1 rebound. My’Asia Young, Junior, finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Olivia Robertson finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block and 1 assist. Records: Mallard Creek 2-0 overall, League 0-0
WEDDINGTON 66, INDEPENDENCE 15
Weddington 26 16 11 13 — 66
Independence 3 2 4 5 — 15
WEDDINGTON 66 — Motto 10 Ramsier 5 Poole 9, Sitron 5, Clark 5, Sarcona 3, Page 8, Townsend 4, C Clark14, Walker 8
INDEPENDENCE 15 — Brown 5, Gilmore 5, Nepay 2, Bailey 2
Records: Weddington: 1-1 Conference: 0-0; Independence: 0 -2 Conference: 0-0
Tuesday’s boys’ boxscores
(Observer Sweet 16 rankings included)
NO. 3 LAKE NORMAN 69, NORTH LINCOLN 28
North Lincoln 6 8 2 12 — 28
Lake Norman 16 15 25 13 — 69
NORTH LINCOLN 28 — Cathy 2, Rhodes 3, Burnett 2, Whitener 2, Chandler 3, Karr 6, Sanders 10 — 28
LAKE NORMAN 69 — Josh Yates 8, Tre McKinnon 20, Noah Wilson 8, Gruber 2, Taurean McKinnon 3, Nick Arnold 4, Johnny Goldstein 2, Braden Miller 4, Trent Stienour 18 -- 69
Records: Lake Norman 1-0
Notable: Tre McKinnon double-double (20 and 10); Trent Steinour (18 and 12 and 4 blocks.)
INDEPENDENCE 67, NO. 8 HICKORY RIDGE 64
Hickory Ridge 7 20 22 15 — 64
Independence 15 19 16 17 — 67
HICKORY RIDGE 64 — Travien Williams 19, Ezekiel Kelly 11, Dyer 8, Darby 8, Durant 8, Hill 6, Daniel 4, Gidney 2
INDEPENDENCE 67 — Jaxson Neely 21, Daniel Waritay 13, Lusemo Macharia 11, Burgess 8, Jasper 7, McFarland 4, Barnes 3
Records: Hickory Ridge 0-2; Independence 1-0
NO. 9 CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 82, NO. 10 ARDREY KELL 77
Ardrey Kell 24 13 7 33 — 77
Catholic 16 24 19 23 — 82
ARDREY KELL 77 — Brett Freeman 43, Matthew Craft 21, Bryceton Thomas 11, Owen Wacker 2
CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 82 — Noch 6, Pringle 17, Siegel 19, Brady 6, Egan 14, Gregory 4, Bergren 3, Rhodes 6, Jordan 7
Records: Ardrey Kell 1-1, Catholic 1-0
NO. 11 CONCORD ACADEMY 72, CALVARY DAY 65
Concord Academy 10 25 18 19 — 72
Calvary Day 26 9 17 13 — 65
CONCORD ACADEMY 72 — James Minlend 20, Icare Bakadisula 15, Lincoln Raper 14, Gray Madeira 8, Jake Benham 6, Alek Kornacki 4, Brylee Austin 3, Romain Boyer 2
CALVARY DAY 65 — Owen Calvert 21, Dane Cassada 20, Caleb Autry 11, Carson Barnett 5, Cole McClain 4, Grayson Crouch 4
NO. 12 SOUTH MECKLENBURG 81, PROVIDENCE 77 2 OT
Providence 10 14 24 17 6 6 — 77
South Mecklenburg 7 28 17 13 6 10 — 81
PROVIDENCE 77 — Johnson 3, Latimer Taylor 13, Evan Wisotsky 15, Caleb Gaither 23, Quinton Posey 12, Liam Drayton 11
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 81 — Ben Houpt 19, Connor Yett 12, Myles Howard 21, Page 2, King 3, Jim Gatehouse 25.
Records: Providence 0-2; South Meck 1-1
NO. 16 EAST MECKLENBURG 59, PALISADES 54
East Mecklenburg 15 9 17 18 — 59
Palisades 4 12 17 21 — 54
EAST MECK 59 — Ahmari Hicks 22, Jordan Buzzard 19, Rupert 7, Wright 4, Johnson 4, Toro 3
PALISADES 54 — Jayen Reeves 10, Tomon Simpkins 15, Lester 10, Fenn 7, Vanfossen 4, Jackson 3, Dillard 3, Harris 2
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 48, WEST MECKLENBURG 43
Ballantyne Ridge 13 13 17 5 — 48
West Mecklenburg 14 12 11 6 — 43
WM: 14 12 11 6
Notes: Ballantyne Ridge earned its first win in school and program history. Sophomore Cam Sapon scored eight points and was stellar defensively, while his frontcourt mate Jimmy Neubauer scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds along with going 9 for 9 from the free throw line in the win. Sophomore Tanner Flory scored 11 points on three made 3-point shots.
CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 77, HICKORY GROVE 43
Charlotte Christian 13 24 22 18 - 77
Hickory Grove 8 11 13 11 - 43
CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 77 — Cooper Solomon 17, Marshall Nicholson 15, Eric Lyon 10, Saul Lieberman 9, Adam Miller 6, Darryiun Sturdevant 5, Matty Carroll 5, Carter Burns 3, Gavin Long 3, Liam Parker 2
HICKORY GROVE 43 — Powell 13, Nelson 8, Kiser 6, Milo 5, Bradley 5, Washington 2, Allen 2, Nelson 2
Records: Charlotte Christian 1-2; Hickory Grove 2-2
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 63, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 26
Metrolina 4 2 9 11 — 26
Country Day 20 13 3 23 — 63
COUNTRY DAY 63 — Nick Diaz 14, Moe Davis 12, Hudson Schulze 10, Youakim 9, Lowery 4, Horton 3, Lindsey 3, Roberts 2, Vanfield 2, Lowery 2, Batten 2
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 26 — Walker 9, Torrez 7, Gadd 4, Wilson 2, Reeder 2, Depp 2
Records: Country Day 2-2 ; Metrolina Christian 1-2
Notable: For Metrolina, senior guard D’Angelo Walker had nine points, four rebounds, one assist and three steals. Last week, Metrolina coach Michael Wilson picked up his 200th career win over Northpoint Christian. He has coached at the school for 14 years.
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF DAVIDSON 89, LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 86
LNC 17 26 19 24 — 86
CSD 33 12 17 26 — 89
LNC 86 — Collin McConneyhead 26, Jay Morgan 23, Isaiah Smith 13, Braden Wilkie 7, Major Leak 5, Langston Holder 5, Jeremiah Hull 4, Kaison Propst 3
CSD — D. Lowry 32, A. Moran 22, J. Sullivan 16, A. Luber 12, E. Tomko 4, J. Taylor 3, S. Mack 2
Notable: LNC is now 1-1 on the season will travel to Pine Lake Prep on Friday night.
COVENANT DAY 59, LEGION COLLEGIATE 38
COVENANT DAY 59 — White 7, Rivens 17, Huffman 9, Kruse 6, Haggarty 9, Wilder 3, Montgomery 1, Smith 3, McSweeney 2, Melville 2
LEGION COLLEGIATE 38 — Byrd 2, Walker 5, Cottman 9, Worley 9, Koludzu 2, Thompson 1, Sivta 10
COX MILL 83, CONCORD 61
Cox Mill 27 19 19 18 — 83
Concord 9 23 14 15 — 61
COX MILL 83 — Teeshon smith 22, James Carswell 19, Cruz miller 17
CONCORD 61 — Jaylen Brayan 20, Jayden Reid 11
CUTHBERTSON 66, PARKWOOD 45
Cuthbertson 9 18 22 17 — 66
Parkwood 7 10 19 9 — 45
CUTHBERTSON 66—Luke Nelson 11, Daylen Davis 11, Webb 9, Nkwah 7, Cheek 5, Malone 5, Heyward 4, Gunby 4, Shah 4, E. Nelson 3, Nali 2
PARKWOOD 45— Nehemiah Davis 10, Micha Davis 10, Hamrick 6, Hancock 6, Delva 4, Roberts 2, Bit 2, Jackson 2, Eaton 2,
Records: Cuthbertson 1-0; Parkwood 0-1
GASTON DAY 80, HICKORY CHRISTIAN 34
Gaston Day 38 24 16 2 — 80
Hickory Christian 7 18 7 2 — 34
GASTON DAY 80 — Dylan Bradley 15, Deshawn Coulter 15, Braylen Todd 12, Dyson Britt 10, Gavin Fields 8
Notable: Gaston Day improved to 3-2 on the season and will play at Westchester Country Day School at 6 p.m. Thursday.
HOPEWELL 67, GARINGER 23
HOPEWELL 67 — Kamari Cooke 15, Michael Brown 16, Tre Gatlin 7, Shaquan Rice 4, Arael Jones 6, Messiah Cage 6, Khalil Clark 10
Records: Hopewell 1-0; Garinger 0-2
HOUGH 53, MYERS PARK 52
Hough 9 11 13 20 - 53
Myers Park 11 11 11 19 - 52
HOUGH 53 — Judan Freeman 25, Evan Otto 9, Bellofatto 6, Slusher 6, Ratliffe 4, Jada Freeman 3
MYERS PARK 52 — Bram Early 32
LINCOLNTON 84, CHERRYVILLE 44
Lincolnton 29 24 22 9 — 84
Cherryville 9 24 8 3 — 44
LINCOLNTON 84— LJ Smith 46, Tyler McClain 16, Charlie Foster 8, RJ Lynch 6, Nehemiah Thompson 4, Cameron Smith 4
CHERRYVILLE 44 — Rayshawn Sewell 8, Paxton Pruett 7, Talon Dalton 6, Andron Patterson 5, Isaiah Champion 5, Jordan Lowrance 4, James Bell 3, Darius Pullen 3, Aaron Heavner 2, Cole Kelly 1
Records: Lincolnton (1-0); Cherryville (0-1)
Notable: Lincolnton will have a week and a half off before competing in the Phenom Hoops Lakesgiving Invitational at Lake Norman against Pine Lake Prep.
MOORESVILLE 62, NORTHWEST CABARRUS 54
Northwest Cabarrus 13 9 16 16 — 54
Mooresville Senior 25 12 12 13 — 62
MOORESVILLE 62 — Kyri Wilson 14, Nolan Ericson 12, Eian Bailey 10, Dylan Clark 7, Bryson Demby 6, Jaquavion Bailey 4, Christian Wilson 3, Kaleb Oloyede 3, Carson Schaen 3.
Notable: For Mooresville, Kyri Wilson eight assists, five rebounds, and five steals. Ericson had three steals. Bailey had five rebounds and two steals. Clark had two blocks. Demby had six rebounds. Schaen had two steals. Wilson had two blocks.
Record: 2-0
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 80, SOUTH CHARLOTTE 38
Westminster Catawba 18 6 26 30 — 80
South Charlotte 8 12 12 6 — 38
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 80 — MJ Littlejohn 14, Nikayle Hodge 14, Dorian Reeves 12, Kaleb Santos 12, Gannon Parker 8, Ryder Henderson 8, O. Andrews 6, D. Quinn 3, E. Daniels 3
SOUTH CHARLOTTE 38 — G. Hall 6, J. Porter 11, K.Lang 5, A. Miller 2, A. Yandel 2, L. Ball 3, M. Kern 9
Records: Westminster Catawba 2-3; South Charlotte 0-5
Notable: Westminster Catawba had its second consecutive game of scoring at least 80 points, playing without leading scorer Brycen Redmon (28 ppg). MJ Littlejohn led the way with his first double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds). Westminster will next play at home Nov. 22 against Parris Prep Academy.
WEST IREDELL 79, BUNKER HILL 66
West Iredell 19 31 11 18 — 79
Bunker HIll 16 17 11 22 — 66
WEST IREDELL 79 — Jordan Patterson 30, Austin Bailey 12, David Bunton 12
BUNKER HILL 66 — Haggins 17, Williams 16, Mack 13
Records: WIHS 1-0; BHHS 0-1
Upcoming schedule
Wednesday
Mecklenburg nonconference
Berry Academy at Ashbrook
Combine Academy at Charlotte Elite (boys), 6
Lab Univ. Prep at Oak Hill (VA) Regional, 7:30
Mallard Creek at Marvin Ridge
Queen’s Grant Charter at Langtree Charter
Weddington at Independence (girls), 6
Area nonconference
Bessemer City at North Gaston
Cabarrus Stallions at North Stanly
Central Academy at Union Academy
Gray Stone Day at Mountain Island Charter (boys), 6
Parkwood at Legion Collegiate
Thursday
Mecklenburg nonconference
Ambassador Christian at Gaston Christian (boys), 7
Arborbrook Christian at Statesville Christian (girls), 5
Ballantyne Ridge at Hough
Butler at Central Cabarrus
Corvian Community at Covenant Classical (girls), 5
Metrolina Christian at Covenant Day (girls), 6
Lake Norman Christian at Lake Pointe Academy (boys), 7:30
Palisades at West Charlotte
Porter Ridge at Independence (girls), 6
Queen’s Grant Charter at Sun Valley
Area nonconference
A.L. Brown at Jesse Carson
Gaston Day at Westchester Country Day (boys)
UR Academy at Gaston Day (girls), 6
Walnut Grove Christian at Statesville Christian (boys)
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 6:15 AM.
