Boys’ high school basketball rewind: No. 9 Independence rolls past rival Rocky River
In the 16 years Preston Davis has coached Independence High School’s boys basketball team, defense has been a top priority.
That was on full display Tuesday night as Independence’s defensive pressure against rival Rocky River paved the way for a 71-50 Southwestern 4A Conference victory.
“Defense is always the key with our program,” said Davis, whose team forced 24 turnovers in Tuesday’s win. “We’re a defense-first program.”
This year’s team also showed off some offensive firepower as the Patriots improved to 14-2 overall and 5-0 in league play.
Twelve players cracked the scoring column for Independence on Tuesday with eight of them scoring five or more points, led by Nick Barnes’ 14 and Jaxon Neely’s 12. Barnes, a senior guard made four 3-point shots. Neely had seven of his 12 points in a big third quarter.
“This year’s team has some offensive talent,” Davis said. “When we play good defense and good offense, we can be pretty good.”
Independence scored the first basket of the game, was tied at 2 and led the rest of the way.
The second quarter was the Patriots’ most dominant as they outscored the Ravens 20-8 to take a 33-18 halftime lead. Independence forced nine Rocky River turnovers in the second quarter.
Jacary Noble had a game-high 15 points to lead the Ravens (6-9, 1-4). He had nine in the first quarter.
▪ Rocky River actually outrebounded Independence 41-31 but the 24-12 turnover disadvantage was took much for the Ravens to overcome.
▪ The Patriots have won five straight games in the rivalry. They now lead the series 22-7. Rocky River, which opened in the 2010-11 school year with many students from the Independence district, hasn’t beaten Independence since their first matchup of the 2021-22 season at Rocky River.
▪ Both teams return to Southwestern 4A action on Friday with Rocky River hosting Garinger and Independence visiting Butler.
“We have the same goals every year,” Davis said. “We want to win the conference regular season, we want to win the conference tournament and we want to make a run in the state playoffs.”
Tuesday’s #BIG5 top performers
Tarris Bouie, Chambers: In a 93-61 win over West Charlotte, Bouie had 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.
Dermot Lowry, Community School of Davidson: Lowry had 30 points in a 79-49 win over Christ The King.
LJ Smith, Lincolnton: Smith had 37 points in a 95-57 win over East Burke.
Chadlyn Traylor, North Mecklenburg: Traylor, a College of Charleston recruit, had a game-high 31 points in a 91-44 win over Hopewell.
Christian Wilson, Mooresville: Wilson had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a 64-57 Greater Metro 4A win over West Cabarrus.
Tuesday’s recaps
No. 4 Concord Academy 83, Hickory Grove Christian 46: James Minlend scored 18 points, and Lincoln Raper added 17, as Concord Academy breezed to a Metrolina Athletic Conference road victory. Kevin Powell scored 16 for Hickory Grove.
Olympic 71, No. 5 Ardrey Kell 54: Led by 24 points from senior Maurice Sabb, Olympic (13-3, 4-1) upset the Knights, ending Ardrey Kell’s 11-game win streak. The Trojans jumped out to a 22-14 lead after the first quarter and built on it throughout the game. Ardrey Kell (12-2, 3-1) got 25 points from Brett Freeman.
No. 10 Charlotte Catholic 79, East Mecklenburg 54: The host Cougars ran their Southwestern 4A record to 5-1 and stayed a game behind Independence in the battle for first place. Chris Eagan (18 points) and King Rhodes (16) led the Cougars, while Vance Johnson scored 18 for East Mecklenburg.
Ambassador Christian 77, Uwharrie Charter 27: J.D. Bowden scored 17 points, and Judah King and Dylan DeLuca each added 14 in Ambassador’s nonconference home victory.
Ashbrook 85, Forestview 56: The Green Wave remained unbeaten in Big South 3A play, but they were pushed by the Jaguars. Forestview led 25-15 after one quarter, and Ashbrook didn’t take the lead until Issac Byers’ 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the first half gave the Green Wave a 39-37 edge. A 15-2 run in the second half iced the victory.
Community School of Davidson 79, Christ the King 49: Dermot Lowry scored 30 points, and the host Spartans took a lopsided decision in this Catawba Shores 1A-2A contest.
Gaston Day 59, Westminster Catawba 43: Dyland Bradley scored 15 points in leading Gaston Day to a Metrolina Athletic Conference victory. Brycen Redmon scored 21 for Westminster Catawba.
Lincolnton 95, East Burke 57: L.J. Smith poured in 37 points for the Wolves in this Catawba Valley 2A game.
South Mecklenburg 69, Ballantyne Ridge 46: The Sabres outscored Ballantyne Ridge 18-6 in the third quarter, opening a big lead in this SoMeck 4A game. Ben Houpt and Myles Howard each scored 15 for the Sabres, while Tanner Flory had 13 for Ballantyne Ridge.
Valor Prep 101, Charlotte Lab 54: Bishop Witherspoon’s 34 points led Valor Prep to a nonconference victory.
Tuesday’s boys’ box scores
NO. 2 PROVIDENCE DAY 103, CANNON SCHOOL 72
PDS 28 26 27 22 — 103
Cannon 16 20 15 19 — 72
PDS 103 — Trajan Thompson 25, Nick Hailey 23, Jonah Lawrence 18, Haynes 9, Johnson 9, Battier 6, Scruitsky 5, Lawson 3, Winston 3, Dunn 2
Cannon 72 — Ingram 19, Dixon 19, Nix 15, Steinour 9, Sancho 6, Baker 2, Underwood 2
Records: Providence Day 17-4; Cannon 8-8
Notable: PDS hosts Charlotte Christian Friday 1/17, Cannon travels to Charlotte Latin Wednesday 1/15
NO. 3 NORTH MECKLENBURG 91, HOPEWELL 44
Hopewell 10 18 7 3 9 — 44
North Mecklenburg 16 26 22 24 — 91
HOPEWELL 44 — Khaden Clark 11, Kamari Cooke 10, Brown 7, Cage 5, Jones 4, Broughton 3, Henderson 3
NORTH MECKLENBURG 91 — Chadlyn Traylor 31, Ashton Pierce 16, Greg Murray 10, Young 8, Lewandowski 7, Evans 6, Williams 3, Estwick 2, White 2, Davis 2
NO. 4 CONCORD ACADEMY 83, HICKORY GROVE 46
Concord Academy 24 21 31 7 — 83
Hickory Grove 7 18 11 10 — 46
CONCORD ACADEMY 83 — Lincoln Raper 18, James Minlend 18, Icare Bakadisula 10, Gray Madeira 9, Jake Benham 9, Romain Boyer 8, Brylee Austin 5, Alek Kornacki 4, MJ Lewis 2
HICKORY GROVE 46 — Kevin Powell 16, Tristan Nelson 11, Miles Allen 6, Gavin Kiser 5, Darrick Milo 4, Caleb Nelson 2, Anthony Hawkins 2
Notable: Concord Academy (21-3) next game 1/17 vs Gaston Christian; Hickory Grove (9-9) next game 1/17 vs Gaston Day
NO. 9 INDEPENDENCE 71, ROCKY RIVER 50
Rocky River 10 8 14 18 — 50
Independence 13 20 17 21 — 71
ROCKY RIVER 50 — Jacary Noble 14, Ross 7, Walton 7, Little 6, Carr 5, Warren 3, Reels 2, Edwards 2, Ryles 2, Griffin 2
INDEPENDENCE 71 — Nicholas Barnes 14, Jaxson Neely 12, Macharia 9, McFarland 7, Jasper 7, Waritay 6, Burgess 6, Davis 5, Lee 2, Fisher 2, Miller 1
Records: Rocky River 6-9, 1-4; Independence 14-2, 5-0
NO. 10 CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 79, EAST MECKLENBURG 54
CCHS 19 17 16 27- 79
EMHS 13 9 11 21- 54
CCHS- Chris Eagan 18, King Rhodes 16, Cade Pringle 10, Noch 8, Siegel 5, Jordan 5, Kapsiak 5, Bergren 3, Brady 3, Heucker 2, Short 2, Dinkin 2
EMHS- Vance Johnson 18, Ahmari Hicks 17, McIver 8, Wright 6, Ramirez Toro 3, Rupert 2
NO. 11 CHAMBERS 93, WEST CHARLOTTE 61
West Charlotte 20 10 15 16 — 61
Chambers 22 22 25 24 — 93
CHAMBERS 93 — Markus Kerr 25, Quentel Young 10, Malik McCotter 10, Tarris Bouie 28, Zyon White 3, Desmond Martin 9, Cameron Thompson 6, Q Felder 2
WEST CHARLOTTE 61 — Jalen Miller 2, Chase Bryson 4, AC Pressley 14, DJ Williams 17, RA Pressley 5, Christian Coleman 7, Chacho Womack 7, Bamara Kone 3, Tyler Jeter 2
Notable: For Chambers, Tarris Bouie (28 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks, three steals), Markus Kerr (25 points, seven rebounds, two assists), Malike McCotter (10 points, seven assists) and Dez Martin (nine points, four assists, two steals) had big games.
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 74, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 54
Country Day 14 25 24 11 — 74
Charlotte Christian 12 7 13 22 — 54
COUNTRY DAY 74 — DJ Lindsey 14, Braylon Clark 11, Diaz 9, Lowery 8, Youakim 7, Roberts 7, Schulze 6, Lowery 5, Parker 4, Batten 3
CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN — Jack Schonburg 17, Eric Lyon 13, Carroll 8, Jackson 6, Parker 5, Solomon 3, Nicholson 2
Records: Charlotte Country Day 12-9, Charlotte Christian 6-12
CORVIAN COMMUNITY 99, MOUNTAIN ISLAND CHARTER 62
Mt Island Charter 15 13 24 15 — 62
Corvian Community 29 20 25 25 — 99
MOUNTAIN ISLAND 62 — Thomas 4, Jordan 2, Hill 3, Furlough 3, Julius 4, Murry 2, Davis 3, Kyle Bridgewater 15, Christian Jones 32
CORVIAN COMMUNITY 99 — Milton 6, Kirkwood 3, Cook 3, Rucks 8, Garvin 4, Doug Quarles 11, Andre Jackson 13, Malachi McCutcheon 15, Ricky Moore 30, Olsen 6
Notable: Corvian forward Doug Quarles had an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. AJ Jackson added eight assists.
EAST LINCOLN 93, ST. STEPHENS 70
East Lincoln 27 24 29 13 — 93
St. Stephens 7 20 19 24 — 70
EAST LINCOLN 93 -- Davis Hill 11, Landon Aungst 4, Jaxon Dollar 9, Christian Atkins 15, Grant Lawless 13, Jackson Fannon 31, Jamison Frye 7, Brayden Miller 0, Brooks Reel 3, Gavin Heaberlin 0
ST. STEPHENS 70 -- Zablan 8, Domley 2, Javian White 23, Noah Van Beurden 23, Jachavis Sherrill 12, Priestly 2
Records: East Lincoln 12-3, 5-0, St. Stephens 5-10, 1-4
Notable: East Lincoln’s Jackson Fannon made nine 3-point shots and finished with 31 points, six rebounds and four assists. East Lincoln won its seventh straight game against St. Stephens and extended its current season win streak to eight.
GASTON DAY 59, WESTMINSTER CATAWBA (SC) 43
Westminster Catawba 4 10 13 16 — 43
Gaston Day 20 11 15 13 — 59
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 43 — Brycen Redmon 21, Hodge 8, Littlejohn 6, Santos 4, Parker 2, Reeves 2
GASTON DAY 59 — Coulter 9, Dylan Bradley 15, Simpson 10, Britt 5, Fields 7, Todd 9, Chotkowski 4
KINGS MOUNTAIN 102, NORTH GASTON 74
Kings Mountain 23 26 27 24 — 102
North Gaston 17 26 18 13 — 74
KINGS MOUNTAIN 102 — Kee’donn Linney 27, Ethan Daniel 24, J’Myun Huskey 17, Silas Tate 13, McClain 6, Hill 5, Clinton 4, Charles 4, Spicer 2
NORTH GASTON 74 — Markell Carothers 25, Jalen Howard 19, Elijah Cunningham 10, Mason 9, Hill 6, Rivera 5
LINCOLNTON 95, EAST BURKE 57
Lincolnton 21 25 20 29 — 95
East Burke 16 14 20 7 — 57
LINCOLNTON 95 — LJ Smith 37, Tyler McClain 21, Nehemiah Thompson 13, Cameron Smith 8,Tucker Robinette 8, Charlie Foster 4, Evan Jefferies 2, Antonio Wilson 2
Records: Lincolnton (11-3); East Burke (7-8)
MOORESVILLE 64, WEST CABARRUS 57
Mooresville 12 20 17 15 — 64
West Cabarrus 15 15 14 13 — 57
MOORESVILLE 64 — Christian Wilson 17, Nolan Ericson 13, Kyri Wilson 13, Carson Schaen 9, Dylan Clark 8, Eian Bailey 2, Jaquavion Bailey 1, Bryson Demby 1.
Notable: For Mooresville, Christian Wilson had 11 rebounds. Kyri Wilson had nine rebounds and three steals. Clark had six rebounds and four blocks.
Record: Mooresville 14-2
OLYMPIC 71, NO. 5 ARDREY KELL 54
Ardrey Kell 14 11 15 14 — 54
Olympic 22 14 19 16 — 71
ARDREY KELL 54 — Brett Freeman 25, Matthew Craft 10, Bruce Thomas 7, Braden Suggs 6, Dylan Morrison 3, Ben Burhans 3
OLYMPIC 71 — Hardnett 4, Sabb 24, Hall 7, Terrell 13, Johnson 17, Cota 2, Jenkins 4
Records: Ardrey Kell 12-2, 3-1; Olympic 13-3, 3-1
Notable: Olympic’s Maurice Sabb led the way with a double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds).
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 69, BALLANTYNE RIDGE 46
South Meck 13 15 18 23 — 69
Ballantyne Ridge 11 10 6 19 — 46
BALLANTYNE RIDGE 46 — Tanner Flory 13, Neubauer 11, Quick 10
SOUTH MECK 69 — Ben Houpt 15, Howard 15, Gatehouse 11
Records: South Meck 8-7, 3-1; Ballantyne 2-15, 0-5
Monday’s box scores
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 61, HIGH POINT WESLEYAN 58
CCS 18 16 13 14 — 61
WCA 15 13 16 14 — 58
CARMEL CHRISTIAN 61 — Bryce Slay 20, Dani Guandolo 15, Jayden Griffin 12
CONCORD ACADEMY 66, METROLINA CHRISTIAN 27
Concord Academy 21 19 20 6 — 66
Metrolina Christian 4 5 13 5 — 27
CONCORD ACADEMY 66 — Gray Madeira 14, James Minlend 14, Lincoln Raper 9, MJ Lewis 9, Alek Kornacki 6, Brylee Austin 4, Icare Bakadisula 4, Jake Benham 3, Romain Boyer 3
METROLINA CHRISTIAN 27 — Deangelo Walker 16, Malachi Wilson 5, Cole Torrez 2, Tyler Gadd 2, Cameron Reeder 2
NORTH MECKLENBURG 94, HARDING 26
Harding 2 11 8 3 — 26
North Mecklenburg 28 26 20 26 — 94
HARDING 26 — Nate Decker 9, Coleman 6, Brown 4, Ross 2, Young 2, Cornelius 2
NORTH MECKLENBURG 94 — Ashton Pierce 17, Chadlyn Traylor 16, Carson Evans 14, Alek Lewandowski 12, Estell 7, Jones 6, Young 6, Estwick 5, White 4, Hayes 3, Murray 2, Davis 2, Williams 2
Tuesday’s results, schedule
TUESDAY
Queen City 3A-4A
Hough 58, Harding 56
Mallard Creek 74, West Mecklenburg 28
North Mecklenburg 91, Hopewell 44
West Charlotte 93, Chambers 61
SoMeck 4A
Myers Park 71, Berry 42
Olympic 71, Ardrey Kell 54
South Mecklenburg 69, Ballantyne Ridge 46
Southwestern 4A
Charlotte Catholic 79, East Mecklenburg 54
Independence 71, Rocky River 50
Providence at Garinger
CISAA
Charlotte Country Day 74, Charlotte Christian 54
Covenant Day 47, Charlotte Latin 37
Providence Day 103, Cannon School 72
Greater Metro 4 4A
Mooresville 64, West Cabarrus 57
South Iredell at A.L. Brown, ppd. to Thursday
Big South 3A
Ashbrook 85, Forestview 56
Crest 72, Stuart Cramer 45
Hunter Huss 63, South Point 55
Kings Mountain 102, North Gaston 74
South Piedmont 3A
Central Cabarrus 71, Concord 58
East Rowan at Jay M. Robinson, ppd. to Wednesday
Northwest Cabarrus at Jesse Carson, ppd. to Thursday
South Rowan at Lake Norman Charter, ppd. to Wednesday
Western Foothills 3A
East Lincoln 93, St. Stephens 70
Hickory at West Iredell, ppd. to Wednesday
North Iredell at Statesville, ppd. to Wednesday
North Lincoln 88, Fred T. Foard 66
Rocky River 2A-3A
Anson County 78, West Stanly 68
Catawba Valley 2A
Bandys 70, Newton-Conover 54
Lincolnton 95, East Burke 57
Maiden 103, Bunker Hill 60
West Lincoln 62, West Caldwell 41
Catawba Shores 1A-2A
Community School of Davidson 79, Christ The King 49
Corvian 99, Mountain Island Charter 62
Lincoln Charter 42, Bradford Prep 40
Pine Lake Prep 72, Langtree Charter 34
Southern Piedmont 1A-2A
Burns 93, Bessemer City 84
Highland Tech 52, Cherryville 35
Shelby at East Gaston
Yadkin Valley 1A-2A
Gray Stone Day at Union Academy
Mount Pleasant 77, Albemarle 43
North Stanly 64, South Stanly 45
Metro 1A
Carolina International School 73, Sugar Creek Charter 62
Jackson Day 67, Piedmont Community Charter 63
Metrolina Athletic Conference
Concord Academy 83, Hickory Grove Christian 46
Gaston Day 59, Westminster Catawba 43
SouthLake Christian 51, Metrolina Christian 48
Nonconference
Ambassador Christian 77, Uwharrie Charter 27
Asheville School 68, Queen City Prep 65
Cabarrus Stallions 79, South Charlotte Thunder 49
Carter Woodson at Bonnie Cone Leadership
Davidson Day 52, Combine Academy 43
Grace Academy 90, Carolina Christian 36
Lake Norman Christian 81, North Hills Christian 31
Valor Prep 101, Charlotte Lab 54
Victory Christian 81, Legion Collegiate (SC) 48
WEDNESDAY
Queen City 3A-4A
West Mecklenburg at Hopewell
CISAA
Cannon School at Charlotte Latin, 5:30 p.m.
Greater Metro 4 4A
Lake Norman at A.L. Brown
South Piedmont 3A
East Rowan at Jay M. Robinson
South Rowan at Lake Norman Charter
Western Foothills 3A
Hickory at West Iredell
North Iredell at Statesville
Southern Piedmont 1A-2A
East Gaston at Thomas Jefferson Academy
Nonconference
Combine Regional at Lab Univ. Prep Regional (boys), 4 p.m.
Elevation Prep at Charlotte Elite (boys), 6:15 p.m.
Franklin Prep at Lab Univ. Prep National (boys), 7:30 p.m.
Queen’s Grant Charter at Rock Hill (girls), 6:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
Greater Metro 4A
Lake Norman at Cox Mill
South Iredell at A.L. Brown
South Piedmont 3A
Northwest Cabarrus at Jesse Carson
Rocky River 2A-3A
Piedmont at Central Academy
Catawba Shores 1A-2A
Mountain Island Charter at Langtree Charter
Nonconference
Cabarrus Stallions at Grace Academy
Lee Park Prep at Providence Classical (girls), 5:30 p.m.
North Hills Christian at Statesville Christian, 5:30 p.m.
UR Academy at Lee Park Prep (boys), 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 11:32 PM.
