Friday’s boys’ rewind: No. 3 North Meck basketball rolls Mallard Creek, wins 9th straight
North Mecklenburg High School’s boys’ basketball team had no problem with Queen City 3A/4A conference rival Mallard Creek on Friday night.
Playing on the road, the reigning N.C. 4A state champions extended their winning streak to nine games with a 77-32 win. North Meck (17-2, 10-0) remained unbeaten in conference play. Mallard Creek (10-10, 5-5) just didn’t have much of a chance Friday.
North Mecklenburg extended its winning streak to nine games and remains undefeated in the 3A/4A Queen City conference.
North Meck’s defense caused all sorts of problems for Mallard Creek and led to a 43-15 halftime lead.
After the game, North Meck guards Chadlyn Traylor and Ashton Pierce explained the focus coming into the matchup.
“I’ll say just being consistent on defense, you know, taking pride in defense.” Traylor said.
“Just staying locked in even though we’re up by 30 or 40. Just push that score up and keep being us.” Pierce added.
▪ North Meck will continue conference play at home against West Meck on Tuesday. Mallard Creek will look to stop its two-game losing streak when it travels to Harding University on Tuesday.
Friday’s #BIG5 boys’ top performers
Ben Bergren, Charlotte Catholic: Bergren had a team-high 22 points in a 102-65 win over Rocky River.
Michael Brown, Hopewell: Brown had a game-high 26 points in a 64-54 win over West Charlotte.
Moe Davis, Charlotte Country Day: On his Senior Night, Davis had 12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in a 71-44 CISAA conference win over Charlotte Christian.
Jake Howerton, Community School of Davidson: Howerton had a game-clinching steal and layup in a 61-57 win at Corvian Community, the reigning NCHSAA 1A Western Regional championships. It was the first home loss for the current Corvian coaching staff.
MJ Littlejohn, Westminster Catawba: Littlejohn had a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, in a 52-46 win over rival Gaston Day. Westminster won its third straight conference game and fourth straight game overall.
Saturday’s key games
(Boys) No. 3 North Mecklenburg (15-2) vs. North Tampa Christian (17-6), in Longhorn Five-Star Classic at Milton (GA) High, 3 p.m. — The Vikings travel to the Atlanta area for an appearance in this major showcase event. North Tampa Christian is led by 6-10 junior Toni Bryant, ranked by ESPN as the No. 14 prospect in the Class of 2026. He averages 20 points a game and is a dominating force on the inside.
Friday’s capsules
No. 1 Lake Norman 68, West Cabarrus 56: The Wildcats (19-1, 8-0) got a fight from West Cabarrus but pulled away for a Greater Metro 4 4A triumph.
No. 3 North Mecklenburg 77, Mallard Creek 32: The Vikings (17-2, 10-0) cruised to a Queen City 3A-4A victory, and saw their lead grow to two games with Chambers’ upset loss.
No. 4 Concord Academy 83, Hickory Grove Christian 24: Jake Benham and Lincoln Raper combined for 20 of the Eagles’ 39 first-half points in this Metrolina Athletic Conference game. Benham finished with 24 points, and Raper had 21. The victory clinched at least a tie for the conference championship, with Concord Academy at 10-0 and leading by two games with two to play.
Harding 76, No. 5 Chambers 75: The host Rams stunned Chambers, knocking the Cougars two games out of first place in the Queen City 3A-4A. Tarris Bouie scored 26 points for Chambers (12-7, 7-2). It was only the second victory in nine conference games for Harding.
No. 7 Davidson Day 60, Ambassador Christian 41: The visiting Patriots (20-12) snapped a 10-game winning streak for Ambassador Christian (16-5), outscoring the hosts in every quarter.
No. 10 Independence 75, Garinger 45: The Patriots trounced the Wildcats, improving to 16-4 overall and 7-1 in the Southwestern 4A.
No. 12 Ardrey Kell 53, Berry Academy 49: Berry had pulled a pair of upsets recently in the SoMeck 4A, but the Knights survived their test with the Cardinals. Brett Freeman led the way with 21 points, and Bryce Thomas added 11. Jkhai McManus-Wade scored 16 for Berry Academy. The victory left Ardrey Kell with a 6-2 conference record, a half-game behind league-leading South Mecklenburg (7-2).
No. 14 Charlotte Catholic 102, Rocky River 65: The Cougars celebrated Senior Night with a lopsided Southwestern 4A victory. Ben Bergren scored 22 points, and King Rhodes added 17 points and five rebounds. In all, 15 Cougars scored. Charlotte Catholic (16-5, 7-2) remained a half-game behind Independence in the conference race.
No. 15 Queen’s Grant Charter 76, Sugar Creek Charter 32: Cannon DeBerry and Chase Smith each scored 16 points as the Stallions cruised to a Metro 1A triumph.
No. 16 Weddington 53, Porter Ridge 35: The Warriors ran their Southern Carolina 4A mark to 4-0, as K.J. Younger scored 19 points, Jake Ford added 11, and Tyler Cain had nine rebounds.
Ashbrook 84, Kings Mountain 66: The Green Wave (18-2, 10-0 Big South 3A) had a battle with the Mountaineers but pulled away in the second half. Kings Mountain cut Ashbrook’s lead to 52-47 in the third quarter, but the Green Wave went on a 12-0 run. Jamari Smith led the way with 21 points, Issac Byers Jr. added 20, and Jayden Armstrong hit six key free throws in the fourth quarter. Kings Mountain fell to 12-8, 7-3.
Bessemer City 66, Cherryville 59: Isaiah McAllister’s 15 points led the Yellow Jackets to a Southern Piedmont 1A-2A victory in a neighborhood rivalry. Josiah Guyton scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Cherryville.
Butler 55, East Mecklenburg 51: Butler rallied in the fourth quarer after trailing 39-37 after three periods. The Bulldogs (13-8, 7-2 Southwestern 4A) got 19 points from Eli Grier and 15 from Terrance Badio. Ahmari Hicks scored 15 for East Meck.
Community School of Davidson 61, Corvian Community 57: Jake Harrison converted a steal into a clinching layup with 19 seconds left, and the visiting Spartans upset the Cardinals in a Catawba Shores 1A-2A game. The loss, which snapped Corvian’s eight-game conference winning streak, left the Cardinals tied atop the conference with Pine Lake Prep at 8-2. R.J. Moore Jr. led Corvian with 29 points. Austin Moran led Community School of Davidson with 19.
Concord 71, West Rowan 56: Concord won this South Piedmont 3A game despite 26 points from West Rowan’s Evan Kennedy.
Forest Hills 67, Parkwood 36: With Monroe’s loss to West Stanly, Forest Hills moved into a first-place tie in the Rocky River 2A-3A with the Redhawks. Each is 5-2.
Hough 57, West Mecklenburg 34: Judah Freeman’s 14 points and three steals helped the visiting Huskies to a Queen City 3A-4A victory. Josiah Pratt and Chase McDonald each scored 11 for West Meck.
Jesse Carson 72, Jay M. Robinson 59: The Chargers (15-6, 9-4) pulled off one of the night’s biggest upsets, handing the Bulldogs (17-3, 11-1) their first South Piedmont 3A loss. Carson outscored Robinson 17-6 in the second quarter and maintained the lead afterward. Jamell Reid (17 points) and David Frazier (15 points, seven rebounds) led Robinson.
Lincolnton 84, Bandys 71: L.V. Smith IV scored 34 points, very near his 34.7-point average that ranks No. 1 in the state, and Lincolnton earned a Catawba Valley 2A victory.
Marvin Ridge 56, Cuthbertson 41: The Mavericks took the battle for second place in the Southern Carolina 4A and improved to 3-1. Cuthbertson is 3-2.
North Lincoln 75, North Iredell 42: Ben Heavner’s 20 points led the Knights (14-5, 8-2) to a victory that left the team alone in first place in the Western Foothills 3A. Kellen Karr added 18 for North Lincoln.
Northwest Cabarrus 80, Lake Norman Charter 75: The Trojans (13-6, 10-2) moved a game behind first-place Jay M. Robinson in the South Piedmont 3A race by holding off hosts. Lake Norman Charter led 33-23 at the half and after Northwest Cabarrus rallied for the lead, the hosts closed to within three points with a minute remaining.
Pine Lake Prep 84, Mountain Island Charter 58: The victory moved the Pride (16-4, 8-2) into a first-place tie with Corvian Community atop the Catawba Shores 1A-2A race.
South Mecklenburg 63, Palisades 61: The host Sabres remained first in the SoMeck 4A with a 6-3 record, but they got a scare. South Meck led 54-36 after three quarters, but the Pumas outscored them 25-9 in the final quarter. Ben Houpt led the Sabres with 20 points.
South Point 69, Forestview 66: Jaishawn Woods hit two key free throws in the final minute, and Forestview missed a three-point shot in the closing seconds of this Big South 3A contest.
Statesville 70, Fred T. Foard 60: Kevin Bryant (18 points), Caleb Tillman (17 points, seven rebounds) and Manuel Gladden (17 points) paced the Greyhouds to a Western Foothills 3A win. With East Lincoln’s upset loss Friday night, Statesville is now tied with the Mustangs and Hickory for second place in the conference at 7-3.
West Iredell 69, East Lincoln 56: The Mustangs fell out of a first-place tie in the Western Foothills 3A,
Westminster Catawba 52, Gaston Day 46: Bryce Redmon scored 19 points, and M.J. Littlejohn added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Westminster in this Metrolina Athletic Conference game. Deshawn Coulter topped Gaston Day with 13.
Friday’s boys’ box scores
NO. 1 LAKE NORMAN 68, WEST CABARRUS 56
West Cabarrus 14 20 10 12 — 56
Lake Norman 20 25 14 9 — 68
LAKE NORMAN 68 — Josh Yates 8, Noah Wilson 1, Tre McKinnon 20, Taurean McKinnon 7, Nick Arnold 12, Trent Steinour 20
Records: Lake Norman 19-1
NO. 2 PROVIDENCE DAY 63, CANNON SCHOOL 57
Providence Day 12 14 21 16 - 63
Cannon 18 9 12 18 - 57
PROVIDENCE DAY 63 — Nick Hailey 20, Jonah Lawrence 10, Trajan Thompson 10, Dunn 7, Winston 7, Johnson 5, Battier 3, Haynes 1
CANNON 57 — Sean Nix 22, Evan Ingram 13, Matthew Sancho-Joesph 10, Steinhour 6, Baker 4, Underwood 2
Records: Providence Day 23-4; Cannon 12-11
Notable: Providence Day wins the outright CISAA conference championship, its third title in four years. Providence Day will host Victory Christian on Saturday
NO. 4 CONCORD ACADEMY 83, HICKORY GROVE 24
Concord Academy 33 20 17 13 — 83
Hickory Grove 12 3 2 7 — 24
CONCORD ACADEMY 83 — Jake Benham 24, Lincoln Raper 21, Gray Madeira 15, Brylee Austin 5, Romain Boyer 5, MJ Lewis 5, James Minlend 4, Icare Bakadisula 4
HICKORY GROVE 24 — Micah Bradley 7, Tristan Nelson 6, Darrick Milo 4, Caleb Nelson 3, Kevin Powell 2, Stephen Dickey 2
Notable: Concord Academy (27-3) next plays Feb. 4 at Metrolina Christian; Hickory Grove (11-12) next plays Feb. 3 vs. Southlake Christian
NO. 12 ARDREY KELL 53, BERRY 49
Ardrey Kell 9 8 21 15 — 53
Berry 9 9 15 16 — 49
ARDREY KELL 53 — Brett Freeman 21, Bryce Thomas 11, Matthew Craft 9, Dylan Morrison 6, Braden Suggs 6
BERRY 49 — Ellis 8, Meriweather 6, Goodman 8, McManus-Wade 16, Tyler 7, Santana 2, Davis 2
Records: Ardrey Kell 17-3, 6-2
NO. 14 CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 102, ROCKY RIVER 65
Catholic 24 25 26 28 — 102
Rocky River 16 15 22 12 — 65
CATHOLIC 102 — Ben Bergren 22, King Rhodes 17, Chris Eagan 13, Dinkin 8, Kapsiak 8, Siegel 7, Noch 6, Jordan 4, Pringle 4, Brady 3, Woeste 3, Short 2, Kennelly 2, Huecker 2, Gregory 1
ROCKY RIVER 65 — Jayden Ross 24, Brian Carr 10, Jordan Walton 10, Little 9, Reels 4, Griffin 3, Mullings 2, Noble 1
NO. 16 WEDDINGTON 53, PORTER RIDGE 35
Weddington 14 17 12 10 — 53
Porter Ridge 10 12 3 10 -- 35
WEDDINGTON 53 — KJ Younger 19, Jake Ford 11, Jefferson 7, B. Barbier 7, Nnaji 4, Muteb 3, Vicks 2
PORTER RIDGE 35 — Conroy 8, Harris 7, Payre 6, Johannes 6, McCain 4, Sullivan 2, Boudou 2
Records: Weddington 15-5, 4-0 Southern Carolinas 4A; Porter Ridge 4-16, 1-4
Notable: Weddington 6-5 Senior Guard KJ Younger, a UNC-Greensboro recruit, scored 15 of his game high 19 in the first half and 5-10 junior guard Jake Ford scored eight of his 11 in the second half. The Warriors will host Sun Valley Tuesday.
BUTLER 55, EAST MECKLENBURG 51
Butler 15 10 8 22 — 55
East Meck 12 12 13 14 — 51
BUTLER 55 — Eli Grier 19, Terrance Badio 15, Reece Starnes 12, Caleb Milligan 7, Isaiah White 2
EAST MECK 51 — Ahmari Hicks 15, McIver 11, Wright 11, Johnson 9, Rupert 3, Toro 2
Notable: Butler hosts Rocky River on Tuesday
Records: Butler 13-8, 7-2 Southwestern 4A; East Meck 13-8, 5-3. Butler moves to 13-8 (7-2). East Mecklenburg moves to 13-8 (5-3)
CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY 71, CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 44
Country Day 19 14 18 20 — 71
Charlotte Christian 10 11 12 11 — 44
Covenant Day 6 8 15 19 — 48
COUNTRY DAY 71 — Braylon Clark 14, Moe Davis 12, Joseph Youakim 11, Diaz 8, Parker 8, Vanfield 5, Schulze 5, Roberts 4, Lowery 2, Harker 2
CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN 44 — Marshall Nicholson 18, Jackson Schonberg 10, Jackson 8, Carroll 5, Liberman 3
Notable: All 10 Country Day players scored on Senior Night. Senior Moe Davis had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists). Freshman Braylon Clark added 14 points, eight rebounds
Records: Country Day 15-12, 4-4 CISAA
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF DAVIDSON 61, CORVIAN COMMUNITY 57
Community School Davidson 22 15 12 10 — 61
Corvian Community 12 20 12 13 — 57
COMMUNITY SCHOOL 61 — Jack Sullivan 14, Dermot Lowry 18, Austin Moran 19, Luber 2, Tomko 6, Howerton 2
CORVIAN 57 — Scott 2, Ricky Moore Jr 29, Doug Quarles III 13, Milton 3, Kirkwood 5, Rucks 3
Notable: Corvian suffered its first home loss under the current coaching staff after Community School guard Jake Howerton got a game-clinching steal and layup with 19 seconds left.
COVENANT DAY 54, CHARLOTTE LATIN 52
Covenant Day 15 8 15 16 — 54
Charlotte Latin 8 11 16 17 — 52
COVENANT DAY 54 — Tyree White 27, Luke Thompson 10, Thurman 8, Rivens 4, Huffman 3, Krouse 1, Montgomery 1
CHARLOTTE LATIN 52 — Titus Ivory 11, Alex Dauska 11, Diaz 9, Chaney 8, Warren 3, Miles 2, Jones 2, Smith 2, Casey 2, Wilson
Records: Covenant Day 14-12, 3-4 Charlotte Latin 12-11, 4-4
HARDING 76, CHAMBERS 75
Chambers 15 17 22 21 — 75
Harding 15 14 22 25 — 76
CHAMBERS 75 — Lavonte Jackson 4, Markus Kerr 15, Quentel Young 2, Malik McCotter 13, Tarris Bouie 26, Zyon White 6, Desmond Martin 3, Cameron Thompson 4, Anthony Morrison 2
HOPEWELL 64, WEST CHARLOTTE 54
HOPEWELL 64 — Kamari Cooke 6, Michael Brown 26, Tre Gatlin 16, Arael Jones 14, Messiah Cage 1, Khaden Clark 6
WEST CHARLOTTE 54 — Bryson 16, AC Pressly 1, Williams 10, Grier 1, Coleman 9, Faison 2, Womack 9, Kone 6
Records: Hopewell 15-4, 6-3 Queen City 3A/4A; West Charlotte 9-11, 5-5
HOUGH 57, WEST MECKLENBURG 34
Hough 16 15 18 8 — 57
West Mecklenburg 7 7 12 8 — 34
HOUGH 57 — Judah Freeman 14, Otto 8, Ratliff 6, Slusher 5, Burnett 6, Funderburk 5, Ja. Freeman 4, Sloan 4, Bellofatto 4, Spear 2
WEST MECK 34 — Josiah Pratt 11, Chase McDonald 11, Linton 6, McLeod 2, Williams 1
Notable: Hough was led by Judah Freeman’s 14 points, four rebounds and three steals. Evan Otto added eight points and nine rebounds.
Records: Hough 9-10, West Meck 0-18
LINCOLNTON 84, BANDYS 71
Lincolnton 27 20 22 15 — 84
Bandys 15 16 20 20 — 71
LINCOLNTON 84 — LJ Smith 34,Tyler McClain 19,Cameron Smith 16, Charlie Foster 6, Evan Jefferies 4, Nehemiah Thompson 3,Tucker Robinette 2
Records: Lincolnton (16-4); Bandys (13-6)
Next Game: West Caldwell at Lincolnton Tuesday
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 63, PALISADES 61
S. Meck 21 15 18 9 — 63
Palisades 9 14 13 25 — 61
SOUTH MECKLENBURG 63 — B. Houpt 22, M. Howard 11, J. Gatehouse 10, M. Williams 9
PALISADES 61 — Simpkins 21, Fenn 15, Reeves 9
Records: S. Meck 12-9, 6-3; Palisades 11-10, 4-5
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 52, GASTON DAY 46
Westminster Catawba 13 11 8 20 — 52
Gaston Day 10 13 5 18 — 46
WESTMINSTER CATAWBA 52 — Santos 6, Hodge 2, Parker 6, Reeves 5, MJ Littlejohn 14, Brycen Redmon 19
GASTON DAY 46 — Kimrey 7, DeShawn Coulter 13, Dyson Britt 10, Todd 6, Bradley 7, Chotkowski 3
Notable: Westminster Catawba won its third straight MAC conference game and fourth overall. MJ Littlejohn (14 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double. Westminster next plays Feb. 4 at Gaston Christian; Gaston Day next plays Feb. 4 vs. Southlake Christian.
Records: Westminster Catawba 12-14
Weekend scores, schedule
FRIDAY
Queen City 3A-4A
Harding 76, Chambers 75
Hopewell 64, West Charlotte 54
Hough 57, West Mecklenburg 34
North Mecklenburg 77, Mallard Creek 32
SoMeck 4A
Ardrey Kell 53, Berry 49
Olympic 70, Ballantyne Ridge 38
South Mecklenburg 63, Palisades 61
Southwestern 4A
Charlotte Catholic 102, Rocky River 65
Butler 55, East Mecklenburg 51
Independence 75, Garinger 45
CISAA
Charlotte Country Day 71, Charlotte Christian 44
Covenant Day 54, Charlotte Latin 52
Providence Day 63, Cannon 57
Greater Metro 4 4A
Cox Mill 87, A.L. Brown 64
Hickory Ridge at South Iredell
Lake Norman 68, West Cabarrus 56
Southern Carolina 4A
Marvin Ridge 56, Cuthbertson 41
Weddington 53, Porter Ridge 35
Big South 3A
Ashbrook 84, Kings Mountain 66
Crest 65, Hunter Huss 59
South Point 69, Forestview 66
Stuart Cramer 74, North Gaston 58
South Piedmont 3A
Central Cabarrus 71, South Rowan 43
Concord 71, West Rowan 56
Jesse Carson 72, Jay M. Robinson 59
Northwest Cabarrus 80, at Lake Norman Charter 75
Western Foothills 3A
Hickory 66, St. Stephens 55
North Lincoln 75, North Iredell 42
Statesville 70, Fred T. Foard 60
West Iredell 69, East Lincoln 56
Rocky River 2A-3A
Forest Hills 67, Piedmont 36
Parkwood at Anson County
West Stanly 57, Monroe 56
Catawba Valley 2A
Lincolnton 84, Bandys 71
Maiden at West Caldwell
Newton-Conover 66, East Burke 46
West Lincoln 74, Bunker Hill 70
Catawba Shores 1A-2A
Christ the King at Bradford Prep
Community School of Davidson 61, Corvian Community 57
Langtree Charter at Lincoln Charter
Pine Lake Prep 84, Mountain Island Charter 58
Southern Piedmont 1A-2A
Bessemer City 66, Cherryville 59
Shelby 59, Highland Tech 57
Thomas Jefferson Academy 61, East Gaston 58
Yadkin Valley 1A-2A
Mount Pleasant 58, South Stanly 40
North Stanly 89, Gray Stone Day 18
Union Academy 78, Albemarle 51
Metro 1A
Queen’s Grant Charter 76, Sugar Creek Charter 32
Valor Prep at Piedmont Community Charter
Metrolina Athletic
Concord Academy 83, Hickory Grove 24
SouthLake Christian 54, Metrolina Christian 43
Westminster Catawba 52, Gaston Day 46
Foothills Athletic
University Christian at Salem Baptist
Nonconference
Bonnie Cone Leadership def. Quality Education, forfeit
Cabarrus Stallions at Surry Homeschool
Carmel Christian at Gaston Christian
Davidson Day 60, Ambassador Christian 41
Jackson Day at Lab Univ. Prep
Lake Norman Christian 85, South Charlotte Thunder 46
North Hills Christian at Victory Christian
SATURDAY
Queen’s Court Showcase (girls)
(at South Pointe High, Rock Hill)
West Mecklenburg vs. Spartanburg, 2 p.m.
Military Magnet vs. Westside, 3:30 p.m.
Clover vs. Greenwood, 5 p.m.
South Pointe vs. River Bluff, 6:30 p.m.
Nonconference
Elevation Prep at New Life Christian (boys), 3 p.m.
North Mecklenburg vs. North Tampa Christian, in Longhorn Classic at Milton (GA) (boys), 3 p.m.
Victory Christian at Providence Day (boys), 2:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 5:30 AM.