North Meck holds off New Hanover to win second straight 4A boys’ basketball state title
North Mecklenburg won another boys’ basketball state championship.
The Vikings earned a 59-56 victory over New Hanover in the NCHSAA 4A title game on Saturday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, rallying from an early deficit throughout the second half to hold off the perennial power from Wilmington.
Senior Carson Evans led the way with 24 points for North Meck, while senior Chadlyn Traylor scored 22 points. The high school in Huntersville captured its fourth state title, all of which have come at the 4A level and have happened in the past 20 years.
“A lot of people doubted us, even in the Charlotte area,” Evans said. “We just knew we were gonna be back here again. We just all bought in. From day one of summer workouts to now.”
Both North Meck and New Hanover finished their seasons with 30-3 records.
In addition to their senior guard duo that combined for nearly 50 points, junior Ashton Pierce poured in eight points for the Vikings.
“This is the best team I’ve ever had,” North Meck head coach Duane Lewis said. “These are good guys; They’re all great kids, and I don’t have to worry about anything. They’re just great people. And for them to be rewarded like this, and to prove the doubters wrong and win it, it’s really special.”
How North Meck beat New Hanover to win the 4A title
New Hanover started the game on a 14-0 scoring run, with a basket from each of its five starters.
Traylor converted multiple 3-point plays as North Meck trimmed the deficit to seven points during the second quarter.
“Being a point guard, I was always composed and able to take care of the ball and control the game,” said Traylor, now a three-time state champion as he started his career at West Charlotte. “And defensively, I feel like a lot of high school shooters don’t necessarily take defense seriously. I know I’m going to have to play defense at the next level, so I’ve just always been consistent with those two things throughout my high school career.”
A strong third quarter powered the Vikings to their first lead as they went ahead 42-41. Evans drove down the floor and appeared to have a three-point play near the end of the period, but was called for a charge instead, giving the ball back to the Wildcats.
Evans and Traylor continued hitting their shots, and North Meck led throughout the fourth quarter. New Hanover kept it close and had a chance late.
A miss at the line gave the Wildcats the ball, down 59-56, with 9.1 seconds left. They got a good look from 3-point range, but the shot didn’t fall, sending the blue-jerseyed team into a frenzy as the buzzer sounded.
“I feel great about the players we’ve got in that locker room right now,” Pierce said. “The seven juniors we’ve got coming back already. I’m telling you, every year at North Meck, there are going to be new players in there every time who keep stepping up.”
Notable
▪ North Meck becomes the first N.C. 4A team to repeat as state champion since Reynolds High of Winston-Salem won three in a row from 2000-02. No Mecklenburg County team had repeated since West Charlotte in 1991-92; North Meck won the 2005 championship and reached the 2006 final but lost 45-43 to Raleigh’s Wakefield High.
▪ The Vikings ends this season as winners of 23 of their past 24 games.
▪ New Hanover had a 26-game win streak snapped, losing its first game since falling to Clayton, 65-59, back on Dec. 14.
They said it
“They didn’t have us winning our conference,” Lewis said. “They didn’t have us ranked anywhere in their polls or whatever. And sometimes that’s motivation to guys. We’ve had a storied basketball program from Coach Holden, and we feel like we’re always going to be in the thick of things.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM.
