Friday’s rewind: Independence heads to NCHSAA 3rd round. Which other area teams moved on?

Independence High’s boys basketball coach Preston Davis preaches a defense-first mentality to his teams.

Games like Friday’s N.C. 4A second-round state playoff contest are the reason why.

Because it was defense that carried the Patriots to a nail-biting 48-46 win over visiting Mooresville.

“We didn’t really have it on offense like we would’ve liked,” Davis said. “But good defense gives you a chance — and it did for us tonight.”

The Patriots were one of many Charlotte-area teams that picked up second-round wins Friday.

▪ In 4A girls, Hickory Grove, Lake Norman, Marvin Ridge, North Meck and South Mecklenburg all advanced (details below). In 3A, Jay M. Robinson, North Lincoln and Stuart Cramer advanced. In the lower classes, Forest Hills, Christ The King, Union Academy and Queen’s Grant Charter played late Friday.

▪ Lots of Charlotte-area boys’ teams advanced as well. In 4A, Chambers, Lake Norman, Myers Park, North Meck and Weddington advanced. Ashbrook and East Lincoln moved on in 3A. In 2A, Lincoln Charter, Lincolnton and Monroe advanced, along with Carolina International, Corvian Community and Queen’s Grant in 1A.

Independence (23-5) advanced to the third round and will host Chambers on Tuesday in one of the state’s biggest matchups. Both teams are past state champions.

Independence advanced by limiting Mooresville (22-6) to 32 percent shooting overall and 15 percent on 3-pointers while forcing 17 turnovers.

And Independence forced five field goal misses that could’ve either given the Blue Devils a tie or the lead in the last 3½ minutes to hold on for victory.

Mooresville led only twice in the first quarter — at 2-0 and 7-6 — and the Patriots survived as Nick Barnes’ driving layup with 1:01 to play gave them a 45-42 lead and Kaleb Jasper hit one of two free throws and Lusemo Macharia two straight free throws in the final 17.6 seconds.

THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

Lusemo Macharia, Independence: Sophomore center had a game-high 14 points and scored in all four quarters.

Dylan Clark, Mooresville: Senior center battled through early foul trouble and an injury while being fouled in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 11 points.

Carter Lee, Independence: Senior guard hit two of the Patriots’ four 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

NOTABLE

▪ Independence improved to 43-22 all time in state playoff games, highlighted by state championships in 1997 and 2018. The Patriots are in the third round of the state playoffs for the 13th time overall and second straight season.

▪ Four of Mooresville’s six losses this season have come against teams still left in the 4A playoffs — Lake Norman (twice), North Mecklenburg and Independence.

▪ Independence forced 10 turnovers in the opening half to build 12-point leads twice — the last at 27-15 with 1:01 left in the first half -— before Mooresville outscored the Patriots 31-21 the rest of the game.

THEY SAID IT

“It’s always good to win. We’re one step closer to our goal.” Independence head coach Preston Davis, who played on the Patriots’ 1997 state championship team and was head coach of the school’s 2018 state title-winner.

Quick links

Meet the Smiths, the first family of Queen’s Grant basketball

NCHSAA girls’ second-round playoff scores, third-round schedule

NCHSAA boys’ second-round playoff scores, third-round schedule

Friday’s #BIG5 top performers

Miranda Dudley, Hickory Ridge girls: In a 37-34 win over Queen City tournament champion Mallard Creek, Dudley had a team-high 14 rebounds.

Carson Evans, North Mecklenburg: Evans had a game-high 19 points in a 90-50 win over Davie County. North Meck, No. 3 in The Sweet 16, trailed 13-9 after the first quarter but blitzed Davie after that.

Shanon Hoover, North Mecklenburg girls: Hoover was one of three Vikings in double figures in a 69-54 win over Southwestern 4A champion Butler. North Meck, No. 3 in The Sweet 16, plays at No. 1 Lake Norman on Tuesday.

Malik McCotter, Chambers: In a 65-58 win at McDowell, McCotter had 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Chambers will play at Independence in a big third-round game Tuesday.

Tre McKinnon, Lake Norman: The App State recruit had a game-high 37 points in an 85-63 win over Hopewell in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs.

CISAA all-conference teams announced

Here are the Charlotte Independent Schools all-conference boys and girls basketball teams.

BOYS FIRST TEAM

Nick Hailey, Providence Day (player of the year)

Sean Nix, Cannon School

Trajan Thompson, Providence Day

Tyree White, Covenant Day

DJ Lindsey, Charlotte Country Day

BOYS SECOND TEAM

Evan Ingram, Cannon School

Jonah Lawrence, Providence Day

James Jones, Charlotte Latin

Chris Rivens, Covenant Day

Alex Dauska, Charlotte Latin

GIRLS FIRST TEAM

NCISAA all-state teams announced

Here are the NC Independent Schools Athletic Association’s all-state boys and girls basketball teams.

BOYS ALL-STATE

1A

2A

3A

4A

GIRLS ALL-STATE

1A

2A

3A

4A

NCISAA all-star games Saturday

The annual NCISAA all-star games are Saturday at Providence Day School. The girls’ game begins at noon, followed by the boys at 2 p.m.

Here are the rosters.

NORTH CAROLINA GIRLS WEST ALL-STARS

(Roster number, Player, School, Height, College)

#3 Jayla Frasz, Rabun Gap, 5’8” (Undecided)

#10 Sofia Ponce, Victory Christian, 6’0” (Undecided)

#11 Roselyn Sanchez, Victory Christian, 5’6” (Undecided)

#12 Brittany Nowlin, Providence Day, 6’2” (Undecided)

#14 Zoe Ulrich, Rabun Gap, 5’9” (Undecided)

#15 Marlo Stuart, Providence Day, 5’8” (Tufts, in lacrosse)

#21 Sara Larios, Asheville Christian, 5’6” (Lenoir-Rhyne)

#22 Emmie Moore, Rabun Gap, 5’7” (Emmanuel)

#23 Margaret Blythe, Charlotte Country Day, 5’7” (Undecided)

#31 Katie Dennison, Providence Day, 5’9” (Undecided)

#33 Audrey Glosson, Providence Day, 5’6” (Undecided)

#44 Ellie Fyans, Providence Day, 6’5” (Western Carolina)

NORTH CAROLINA EAST GIRLS ALL-STARS

#0 Candice Williams, Greensboro Day, 5’8” (Barton College)

#1 Keaton Ricard, North Raleigh Christian, 5’5” (Undecided)

#3 Isa Roman, Grace Christian, 5’7” (Appalachian State)

#5 Samantha Collins, Greensboro Day, 5’5” (Washington and Lee)

#10 Elyssa Phillips, Crossroads Christian, 5’8” (Undecided)

#11 Khloe Thompson, Cannon School, 5’7” (Winston-Salem State)

#12 Elle Cronin, Ravenscroft, 6’1” (Colgate)

#14 Liz Wyrick, Greensboro Day, 6’1” (Randolph-Macon)

#20 Anna Maass, Thales Academy, 5’11” (Undecided)

#23 Taylor Hawley, Wesleyan Christian, 5’11” (UVA-Wise)

#32 Shy Williams, Durham Academy, 5’9” (Undecided)

#33 Kyleighe Goode, Trinity Christian, 6’2” (Undecided)

NORTH CAROLINA WEST BOYS ALL-STARS

#0 Michael Phillips II, Raleigh Grace Chrisitian, 6’7” (Marquette)

#1 Isaiah Denis, Davidson Day, 6’5” (North Carolina)

#2 Levon Jacobs, Davidson Day, 6’8” (Undecided)

#3 Tyree White, Covenant Day, 6’1” (Hampden-Sydney)

#4 Chris Rivens, Covenant Day, 6’3” (Undecided)

#5 Kamran Prince, Trinity Academy, 6’2” (American Univ.)

#10 Bryce Slay, Carmel Christian, 6’6” (Marshall)

#11 Nick Diaz, Charlotte Country Day, 6’3” (Undecided)

#12 Jake Benham, Concord Academy, 6’3” (Milligan University)

#13 Jonah Lawrence, Providence Day, 6’4” (USC-Aiken)

#14 Nick Hailey, Providence Day, 6’6” (Undecided)

#15 Trajan Thompson, Providence Day, 6’6” (Denver)

#20 Julian Johnson, Providence Day, 6’8” (Howard)

#21 Evan Ingram, Cannon School, 6’3” (Undecided)

NORTH CAROLINA EAST BOYS ALL-STARS

#0 Zymicah Wilkins, Christ School, 6’10” (N.C. State)

#1 Madden Collins, Christ School, 6’6” (American Univ.)

#2 Addison Newkirk, Greensboro Day, 6’5” (Washington & Lee)

#3 Kaden Hammond, Burlington School, 6’6” (Undecided)

#4 Jaylen Cross, Caldwell Academy, 6’4” (Charlotte)

#5 Zach Wiggins, Wesleyan Christian, 6’5” (Old Dominion)

#10 Chance Gladden, Ravenscroft, 6’5” (Boston University)

#11 Jaelen Solomon, Wayne Country Day, 6’5” (Undecided)

#12 Brady Barnes, Fayetteville Academy, 6’5” (Undecided)

#13 Dorian Tatum, Fayetteville Academy, 6’0” (Undecided)

#14 Miki Gacic, Asheville School, 6’3” (Undecided)

#15 Brycen Redmon, Westminster Catawba, 6’1” (Undecided)

#20 Ace Flagg, Greensboro Day, 6’6” (Maine)

Friday’s capsules

BOYS

Class 4A

Chambers 65, McDowell 58: The Cougars (21-8), seeded 12th, upset the fourth-seeded Titans, behind 17 points and seven rebounds from Malik McCotter and 12 points and 14 rebounds from Tarris Bouie. Chambers visits Independence in the third round.

Lake Norman 85, Hopewell 63: The top-seeded Wildcats (27-1) cruised into the third round, and a meeting with Myers Park, as Tre McKinnon poured in 37 points.

North Mecklenburg 90, Davie County 50: The third-seeded Vikings (26-3) trailed 13-9 after one quarter but outscored Davie County 23-10 in the second quarter and raced to a victory. Carson Evans scored 19 points, and Ashton Pierce added 16. North Mecklenburg hosts Weddington in Round 3.

Weddington 75, East Forsyth 70: K.J. Younger scored 23 points, and Myles Vicks added 17 points and 12 rebounds, as the sixth-seeded Warriors (23-5) moved on. Weddington outscored East Forsyth 20-9 in the second quarter for a 37-27 halftime lead.

Class 3A

Ashbrook 79, Northeast Guilford 60: The top-seeded Green Wave (25-3) roared to a 20-7 first-quarter lead, thanks to six points by Jamarion Patton, and pulled away. Issac Byers Jr. scored 25 points, including five 3-pointers. Ashbrook hosts Central Davidson on Tuesday.

Crest 64, Northwest Cabarrus 58 (OT): After a 51-all tie in regulation, Northwest Cabarrus grabbed a 54-51 lead on Aiden Rochevot’s 3-pointer, but Crest went on a 5-0 run for a 56-54 lead. Ezekiel Brown’s basket tied it for Northwest Cabarrus (16-11), but Crest (21-3) hit six free throws in the final minute, four of them by Cal Pass Jr.

High Point Central 72, Jay M. Robinson 71: 20th seed High Point Central (17-9) stunned the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (25-4) with a come-from-behind victory. Robinson led 44-33 in the third quarter.

Hunter Huss 78, North Lincoln 72: The 12th-seeded Huskies (18-8) ousted the fifth-seeded Knights, despite 23 points by North Lincoln’s Kellen Karr. North Lincoln finished 22-6, tying the school’s single-season victory record. Huss advances to the third round and a home game against High Point Central.

Class 2A

Bandys 80, Forest Hills 62: The 31st-seeded Yellow Jackets (13-15), who stunned second seed Randleman in the first round, saw their season end at Bandys. Forest Hills narrowed an early gap to 58-55 early in the fourth quarter, before Bandys went on a 16-3 run.

Lincoln Charter 70, Mount Pleasant 65: The Eagles (19-9) advanced to a third-round game at No. 3 seed North Surry, as senior David Reed reached the 1,000-point mark for his career. Reed is averaging 19 points a game.

Lincolnton 72, Maiden 69 (OT): The fourth meeting this season between these teams was another tight battle. Tyler McLean hit two free throws with 27 seconds left in overtime giving Lincolnton (24-5) at 71-68 lead. Each team scored on a free throw, before Maiden missed a 3-point shot in the closing seconds. Lincolnton travels to Salisbury (25-3) in the third round.

Salisbury 81, Pine Lake Prep 46: The Pride finished with a 21-8 record, as Salisbury’s Myles Smith poured in 31 points.

Class 1A

Carolina International 61, Mountain Heritage 56: The 13th-seeded Comets (20-8) traveled to Yancey County and upset fourth seed Mountain Heritage. They snapped the hosts’ 15-game winning streak. The Cougars entered the game with an 11-0 home record this season. Carolina International travels to Corvian Community on Tuesday.

Queen’s Grant Charter 67, Winston-Salem Prep 53: The third-seeded Stallions (23-5) got 18 points from Bobby Montgomery and will host East Wilkes on Tuesday in the third round.

GIRLS

Class 4A

Hickory Ridge 37, Mallard Creek 34: The Ragin’ Bulls (21-8), seeded 13th, stunned the fourth-seeded Mavericks, as Ma-Kaela Gidney scored 22 points and Miranda Dudley totaled 14 rebounds. Mallard Creek standouts My’Asia Young and Kiara Anderson combined for 6-of-23 shooting from the floor against a rugged Hickory Ridge defense. The Bulls travel to fifth seed Marvin Ridge on Tuesday.

Marvin Ridge 59, Grimsley 50: The fifth-seeded Mavericks (23-5) built a big fourth-quarter lead (57-42) and survived a late run by Grimsley.

North Mecklenburg 69, Butler 54: The Vikings (25-3) downed the Southwestern 4A champion Bulldogs (24-3), as Lenise Joseph scored 25 points. Brooklyn Saunders led Butler with 16. North Mecklenburg travels to powerhouse Lake Norman on Tuesday.

Class 3A

Hunter Huss 54, A.C. Reynolds 46: Brooklyn Swann had 14 points, 14 rebounds and four steals, as the 13th-seeded Huskies traveled to Asheville and knocked off the fourth seed. Jaleila Littlejohn (14 points) and Ariele Camp (13) also scored in double figures for Huss, which visits Jay M. Robinson in the third round.

Jay M. Robinson 55, Hibriten 45: The fifth-seeded Ragin’ Bulls (25-4) advanced to a third-round home game against Hunter Huss, as Camri Hobbs scored 23 points and Makiyah Gray added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

North Lincoln 65, Clyde Erwin 44: The Knights (27-1) glided to their 27th straight victory and will host Greensboro’s Ben Smith on Tuesday in the third round.

Class 2A

Forbush 53, Lincoln Charter 30: Symphani Stevens had nine points and six rebounds for the fifth-seeded Eagles (20-7) in their loss to 12th-seeded Forbush.

Class 1A

Christ the King 46, South Stokes 44: The seventh-seeded Crusaders (22-6) built a 39-28 lead in the third quarter and hung on. The schedule gets tougher in the next round, as Christ the King visits defending 1A state champion Cherokee (24-2) on Tuesday.

Queen’s Grant Charter 72, Thomas Jefferson Academy 66: Za-Miya Bynum scored 27 points and had five steals, and Misa Garris added 27 points in the ninth-seeded Stallions’ (19-4) victory over the Southern Piedmont 1A-2A champions. Next up for Queen’s Grant? Top-seeded powerhouse Bishop McGuinness, on the road in Winston-Salem on Tuesday.

Friday’s boys’ box scores

CHAMBERS 65, MCDOWELL 58

Chambers 22 13 17 13 — 65

McDowell 13 16 16 13 — 58

CHAMBERS 65 — Lavonte Jackson 8, Markus Kerr 16, Malik McCotter 17, Tarris Bouie 12, Cameron Thompson 12

MCDOWELL 58 — Jay Radford 5, Rae Garner 4, Derrick Forney 6, Keller Bradley 3, Roby Franklin 2, Ryan Parkins 24, Kyson Rinnert 14

Notables: For Chambers, Malik McCotter (17 points, seven assists, five rebounds), Markus Kerr (16 points, four assists, three rebounds), Tarris Bouie (12 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, three assists) and Cameron Thompson (12 points, 10 rebounds) had big games.

CORVIAN COMMUNITY 72, COLLEGE PREP & LEADERSHIP 53

College Prep & Leadership Academy 9 15 9 20 — 53

Corvian Community Charter 20 17 16 19 — 72

CPLA 53 — Sturdivant 2, Pressley 9, Robert Knotts 18, Bryce McKenzie 12, Marlon Carson 10, Frazier 2

CORVIAN 72 — Ricky Moore Jr 15, Malachi McCutcheon 18, Milton 7, Johnson 2, Kirkwood 2, Rucks 6, Andre Jackson Jr 12, Olsen 5

Notable: Corvian 6-8 senior Mike Olsen was pressed into starting since Corvian was without its starting forwards. Olsen finished with five points, four rebounds and a block. Olsen has been playing basketball for eight months. Andre Jackson had three steals. Malachi McCutcheon nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks. Ricky Moore Jr had double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.

INDEPENDENCE 48, MOORESVILLE 46

Mooresville 9 9 16 12 — 46

Independence 14 13 14 7 — 48

INDEPENDENCE 48 — Lusemo Macharia 14, Davis 5, Lee 9, Barnes 7, Waritay 6, Burgess 1, Jasper 6.

MOORESVILLE 46 — Dylan Clark 11, Nolan Ericson 10, Kyri Wilson 8, Carson Schaen 8, Kaleb Oloyede 5, Bryson Demby 4.

Notable: For Mooresville, Clark had seven rebounds and two blocks. Ericson had six rebounds and two steals. Kyri Wilson had seven assists and six rebounds. Demby had 14 rebounds and three steals.

Records: Independence 23-5; Mooresville 22-6

LAKE NORMAN 85, HOPEWELL 63

Hopewell 10 18 16 19 — 63

Lake Norman 21 20 19 25 — 85

LAKE NORMAN 85 — Josh Yates 5, Tre McKinnon 37, Noah Wilson 4, Taurean McKinnon 2, Nick Arnold 16, Trent Steinour 21

NORTH MECKLENBURG 90, DAVIE COUNTY 50

Davie County 13 10 10 17 — 50

North Mecklenburg 9 23 32 26 — 90

DAVIE COUNTY 50 — Jackson Powers 19, Ethan Driver 18, Owens 4, Erlandsson 4, Nance 3, Dulin 2

NORTH MECK 90 — Carson Evans 19, Ashton Pierce 16, Chadlyn Traylor 14, Young 9, Lewandowski 9, Murray 6, Estwick 4, Williams 4, White 3

QUEEN’S GRANT 67, WINSTON-SALEM PREP 53

QGHS 17 12 18 20 — 67

WSP 12 14 15 12 — 53

QUEENS GRANT 67 — Mekhi Allen 12, Chase Smith 5, Bobby Montgomery 18, Howard 9, Scott 6, Cannon DeBerry 12, Clark 5

WS PREP 53 — Jace Covington 13, Mass 3, Simmons 8, Wiggins 9, Smith 4, York 3, Brandon Rorie 13

Records: Queens Grant 25-7

WEDDINGTON 75, EAST FORSYTH 70

East Forsyth 18 9 19 24— 70

Weddington 17 20 19 19 — 75

EAST FORSYTH 70 — Jai Richberg 23, Jaylin Murry 14, Dom Tshiboyl 10, Allen 7, Jones 6, Gilchrist 2

WEDDINGTON 75 — KJ Younger 27, Myles Vicks 17, Jefferson 9, Nnaji 8, Zepp 6, Barbier 5, Cain 3

Records: East Forsyth 16-7; Weddington 23-5

Notable: Weddington senior Guard KJ Younger (UNC-G recruit) led all scorers with 27 points as Weddington moves on to the Sweet 16 and will travel to North Mecklenburg at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Friday’s girls’ box scores

DUDLEY 55, FREEDOM 50

Dudley 9 11 20 15 — 55

Freedom. 10 8. 22. 10 — 50

DUDLEY 55 — J. Terry 20, J. Taylor 14, K. Haistin 11, Pass 2, Baker 5, Jones 3, Jones.

FREEDOM 50 — Peyton Caldwell 31, Gladden 5, Bates 4, C. Caldwell 5, Johnson 5, Cooke.

FORBUSH 53, LINCOLN CHARTER 30

Forbush 9 14 17 14 — 53

LCHS 5 6 11 8 — 30

FORBUSH 53 — Furno 12, Eads 11, Westal 11, E. Eads 8, Barrier 5, Chapman 2, Livingston 2, Beavers 2

LINCOLN CHARTER 30 — Symphani Stevens 9, Claire David 8, Martha Guinle 7, Taylor Riggenbach 4, Madalyn Westmoreland 2

Records LCHS 20-7; Forbush 22-5

Notable: Lincoln Charter falls in the second round of the 2A playoffs. Senior Symphani Stevens led Lincoln Charter with nine points, six rebounds and two assists.

HICKORY RIDGE 37, MALLARD CREEK 34

Hickory Ridge 6 7 14 9 — 37

Mallard Creek 5 4 19 6 — 34

HICKORY RIDGE 37 — Gidney 22, Powell 9, Ritter 4, Dudley 1, Watkins 1

MALLARD CREEK 34 — McGuire 11, Young 9, Anderson 9, Easterling 5

Notable: Ma-Kaela Gidney lead the Ragin Bulls with 22 points. Jada Powell added nine points and nine rebounds and Miranda Duley had 14 rebounds.

Records: Hickory Ridge 21-8 Mallard Creek 25-4

LAKE NORMAN 87, NORTHWEST GUILFORD 41

Lake Norman 20 26 28 13 — 87

Northwest Guilford 9 20 7 5 — 41

LAKE NORMAN 87 — Alexis Shehan 26, Rayana Minard 18, Kelsey Rhyne 18, Samantha Shehan 10, Kaiya Bond 6, Kaylee Ellis 3, Adason Buoniconti 3, Finley Sherrill 3

NORTHWEST GUILFORD 41 — G Lewis 12, S Apple 11, S Montana 11, G Henline 5, K Balmforth 2

Records: Lake Norman 26-1; Northwest Guilford 16-11

NORTH MECKLENBURG 69, BUTLER 54

Butler 8 13 14 16 — 54

North Meck 16 12 21 20 — 69

BUTLER 54 — Brooklyn Saunder 16, Chloe Ross 10, Hannah Moss 10, Hasson 9, Park 5, Muhammed 2, Campbell 2

NORTH MECK 69 — Lenise Joesph 25, Shanon Hoover 15, Stephanie Mobley 11, Knox 9, Pimentel 6, Coyour 2, Smith 1

QUEEN’S GRANT CHARTER 72, THOMAS JEFFERSON 66

QGHS 21 20 20 11 — 72

TJCA 17 21 14 14 — 66

QUEENS GRANT 72 — Misa Garris 27, Za’Miya Bynum 27, Smith 7, Haywood 4, Sustar 4, Avalos 3

Record: Queens Grant 22-4

This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 11:04 PM.

Langston Wertz Jr.

The Charlotte Observer

704-358-5133

Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.” Support my work with a digital subscription